For the Women’s Tournament, Separate Is Unequal

New York Times ^ | March 20, 2009 | JERÉ LONGMAN

[ConservativeStatement]

The N.C.A.A. tournament hasn’t started, and already the women have fallen behind the men, never to catch up.

Instead of being part of a sumptuous basketball buffet, the women are treated like leftovers. That’s too bad. And no one deserves more blame than the administrators in charge.

Give me the women’s tournament over the men’s any day. Its coaches and players are more accessible and forthcoming. The story lines are plentiful and fresh. The women’s game is exciting to watch, and the players have careers, not auditions.

No one who has met the garrulous wiseacre Geno Auriemma could possibly prefer the dour sarcasm of Jim Calhoun. If possible, Pat Summitt is an even better storyteller than she is a coach. At last year’s Final Four, Tara VanDerveer invited me into the Stanford locker room and gave a patient tutorial on the triangle offense. You won’t find a more thoughtful and engaging college athlete than Courtney Paris.

The women have a great product to sell. Unfortunately, the powers that be do not trust it enough to give it full display. By so adamantly separating the women’s tournament from the men’s, administrators risk marginalizing the sport instead of maximizing it.

[Cyman]

“Women’s basketball is boring as hell”

I agree. Now if they could limit it to beauty queens in high heels......you may have something.

[ak267]

Women’s basketball.....yawn.

No real power game to speak of...

Dunks are as rare as John McCain conservatism...

“Good fundamentals” (smirk/sarc)...

And household names I’m sure the general public will recognize....yeah, sure, errrrr, yahhhhh, I think so.

Slow....

Did I happen to mention “good fundamentals?” :)

Welcome to the yearly “whine fest” where certain activist liberal writers rear their ugly heads and lecture us on fairness and sexism. Afterwards, they return to their dead-end writing jobs and rubber-chicken speaking circuits (or NY cocktail parties at the Waldorf Astoria).

[Twink]

As the mother of 4 girls who play 4 sports (competively), I agree with you. As a former “athlete” and current coach, I agree with you.

The best female can’t hold a candle to the best male athlete.

Title IX made colleges, Division I anyway, provide money/scholarships for womens’ sports. They don’t generate the profit but have to provide the same scholarship money (if I recall correctly). Certain Universities have sports teams that provide most of the profit but they have to financially support other sports programs, most that don’t generate any profit.

[Glenn]

The women have a great product to sell.

Then why is Pitt giving away girl's tickets at the men's games?

I love the game but I only have time for one gender.

[truthguy]

My sister is a lifelong supporter of women's sports and so this provides an interesting topic at family dinners.

I've told her many times that if women's sports are to thrive it will have to be women who support them. She wants the athletic budgets for women's sports to increase even if women show no interest in participating in these sports. Title 9 is a joke.

Women's sports bring in very little money to a University's Athletic department. They are subsidized by College Football and Basketball.

A few years ago I won a bet with my sister. I invited her to attend a women's college basketball game with me. I bet her that two-thirds of the people in the stands would be men. She said I was crazy. We went to the game. Needless to say I was right and she had to eat crow.

[tallyhoe]

Who brings in the most money? I don’t like watching basketball on TV!

[Twink]

I enjoy watching my kids play sports, be it soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, basketball, etc. They’re athletic. More athletic than many boys but if they’re put up against a boy who plays the sport well, there’s really no comparison. It’s why we have boys/girls teams. There’s a difference.

[all the best]

You think you’re joking? Now matter how absurd of a notion you come up with it is only a matter of time before the intelligentsia takes it on as a serious cause. This is something that the Obamanite true believers could really get behind. And eventually will.

[Twink]

Title IX is a joke.

As far as generating income, for example, Penn State’s Football program basically financially supports all the other sports at the University. Mens’ Basketball is also profitable. But, the football program funds all the other athletic programs.

Penn State Womens Volleyball won two National Championships...great program, but doesn’t generate the money the Football program does. The interest isn’t there.

I like sports in general, and specifically for some sports. But increasing the athletic budgets for sports that don’t generate a profit, proves that some sports carry the athletic program.

[ChicagahAl]

"You think you’re joking?"

Not really. The problem with describing the goals and intentions of the Left, is that they sound ludicrous. And therefore, it seems like a joke.

But, while there may be some entertainment value, the reality is that there are certainly those within the Left who would not only love to do what I described, they would love to ban men's sports, altogether. No joke.

[OrangeHoof]

There was a story posted here last year about the economic boon Tampa experienced for hosting the Women’s Final Four or, as one booster called it, “The Super Bowl For Lesbians”.

[jdub]

Here in TN it is sacrilege to criticize women’s basketball. I’ve said before that a good high school boys team could wipe the floor with them, and you wouldn’t believe the looks i’ve got!

[truthguy]

Yes, we are in COMPLETE agreement. And we are CORRECT of course.

[truthguy]

Yes the UT Women's Basketball team is probably the most successful in the nation. They MAY even generate income.

If that's the case then they are among the VERY few that generate revenue. In fact they may be the ONLY women's sport in all Division 1A that generates revenue.

And yes you are very correct, a good men's (boys) high school team could EASILY beat the UT women's team. In fact a good Junior High Team could easily beat the UT Women's team. I'll go even further. A good Junior High School Basketball team could beat the US Women's Olympic team. There's that much difference in men's and women's basketball.

[Twink]

Of course we’re correct, lol. I’m always correct when it comes to sports ;)

Seriously, this is one area I’m confident...as a former scholastic competitive athlete, coach, parent of scholastic competitive athletes...it is what it is.