11:30, 2008-Jul-2
I agree with him to a point. But sports don't exist in a vacuum. They're businesses too. They have to become self-sufficient, and, you know, actually make money. The WNBA has never had a single profitable season. How many businesses can you think of that would survive ten years of losing money? If you were running that business, would you keep it going? Hell no. You'd write it off and start something new. But the WNBA is under the protective umbrella of it's older, more successful brother. As long as the NBA keeps turning a profit, Stern will keep flushing huge piles of money down the toilet on his pet project. Meanwhile, he'll fine the living hell out of Mark Cuban for acting like an idiot. Maybe somebody should fine Stern for his bad business sense. Then again, maybe Cuban's fines are what's actually supporting the WNBA. And if that's the case, he might become a folk hero for women's sports. Sort of.
The problems dooming the WNBA aren't going to change any time soon. The players are slow, at least when compared to their NBA counterparts. They can't dunk. The game isn't aesthetically pleasing. Statbuster outlined a five-point plan to make the WNBA work. It included things like making the hoop shorter (thereby enabling the ladies to play above the rim), using fewer players (4-on-4 or 3-on-3 would increase individual scoring), and changing the uniforms to skin-tight spandex or maybe those little bathing suits that the beach volleyball players wear. Think about that. I've personally watched about 1000 percent more women's volleyball than women's basketball...and I hate volleyball! Those volleyball people understand this. They know how to attract viewers.
I suppose you could accuse me of being sexist, but there's no question that many women's sports are blatantly using sex to sell their players. The careers of tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Anna Kournikova are based almost entirely on how sexy they are...and Kournikova isn't even that good at tennis. Even the historically butch LPGA is getting into the act. I mean, have you seen Natalie Gulbis? Or Laura Diaz? Or Michelle Wie? I absolutely despise golf, but I can still name three professional women golfers right off the top of my head. That's the same number of WNBA All-Decade players I could name, by the way. And basketball is my favorite sport.
