Chicago media and WNBA

I’ve seen that parade picture all over social media and had a friend text it on a group chat.

I don’t get why it makes people so happy. I’ve seen the same thing but worse with regards to the attempts at women’s pro hockey. There is a subset of fans who love to see it struggle.

I don’t watch the WNBA but I don’t watch the NBA either. People scream that the NBA subsidizes the WNBA. Who cares? With all the buckets of money the league makes, it’s a positive gesture, and they think it’s money well spent.

A parade was likely ambitious, even if this shot was cherry picked. Pick a suitable venue and have a packed rally and don’t give the nitpickers any fodder.

 

I believe the snarky responses are directed to the fanperson “beat writers” who spend so much time on social media finger wagging people about how much the audience cares about these leagues, if only the big bad media establishment would cover them.

When you carry on the way those folks do, and youre generally full of crap, its going to get thrown back in your face. Thats social media for better or worse.

I theorize the subset doesnt want to see the actual leagues struggle as much as they want to throw egg in the face of these stan-type media folks.

 

This might/probably/is a stupid question, but why is WNBA betting far less risky? I've had a fleeting thought on it before, just because I feel like nobody pays attention and there's potential in that.

 

Not only that but, compared with the NBA, I find there is lower ceiling variance on totals/scoring. A typical total (total points scored) is between 150-167.

If both teams are cold from the outside, they tend to lack players who can just take it to the rack for an easy 2, like LeBron in his prime.

I'll sit back and watch a game live. If BOTH teams get hot early and start burying threes (say... four threes in six trips between both teams), some coach will call timeout and make adjustments. I'll hit the live "under" on the total and the teams almost always cool off immediately.

I've found WNBA players really good at hitting free throws but, yes, they miss a lot of layups (very few dunks) and bad outside shooting tends to be really contagious. Also, no "load management".

 

I've made a nice little bundle betting WNBA too. I honestly think legalized gambling could help drive interest in the sport.

 

This reminds me of baseball cards in the Nineties, a free for all. Make your money now, the WNBA lines will be as airtight as any sport soon enough.

 

I think WNBA discussions forget how rinky-dink the NBA was for decades. I'm not advocating for coverage that it doesn't deserve or saying the WNBA is tremendously popular. But I do see the value in promoting the sport and letting it grow. In the 1970's we had the Kansas City-Omaha Kings and the Warriors kicked out of their regular arena by other events for the NBA Finals. Some things take time and investment.

 

Are you the guy who figured out the flaw in NBA halftime over/unders?

 

I don't think that argument is solid. The NBA may not have been a huge sport, but were there people advocating that it should be given more attention so that it would get bigger? Was the NBA's growth a function of more press attention rather than a better product?

I have heard people say that female professional leagues should be promoted as a way in which to inspire girls to play these sports. This argument ignores the fact that the USA did well internationally in soccer, hockey, and basketball with women who didn't have any expectations of playing professionally in the United States.

 

The USA doing well in those sports also correlates somewhat neatly with the passage of Title IX, if I'm remembering an article series from ESPN correctly. I think some portions of the world are / will catch up with us. The WNBA arguably might not even be the best women's basketball league, given how much the players make from the Russian leagues.

I don't think women's basketball will ever be as popular as men's basketball because the court is designed with men in mind. Just watching the college and WNBA product, you'll see far too many stretches of teams unable to really score as well inside. For logistical and equality reasons, there's a lot of resistance to the idea of bringing the basket down to allow for more verticality, but man, I'd love to see an exhibition game of that just once.

 

Maybe what you refer to in your last paragraph is the problem.
Don't have women's sports be a almost exact copy of the men's game. My mother played six-on-six basketball.
I would not advocate anything that extreme for professional leagues, but the concept of having different styles of the games is not novel.