Sports Talk

Only I have the guts to say it – women can’t play basketball
marikod 1 Reviews 8046 reads
posted

After watching a selection of women’s college basketball games this week, I am baffled at the television exposure ESPN is willing to give women’s college basketball. The stands are never full, the ratings are dismal unless Connecticut is playing, and the truth is that the quality of play is simply not worthy of the coverage.

        Why is there such a difference between males and females in this particular sport?

     At the professional level, elite women have no problem trashing non-elite male counterparts. I couldn’t take a game off any women in the top twenty in pro tennis and I was ranked as  junior. I’ve run the NY Marathon and finished an hour and a half behind the top women. I have been routed playing beach volleyball with a male partner at Manhattan Beach by top female teams.  Golf – don’t even go there.

       But basketball - I feel like I can play in those games and I was cut from my high school team long ago. Certainly, any half-decent college intermural team could run any women's team but maybe Connecticut off the court.

       I see four problems that appear gender related. First, women seem to have an inordinately difficult time catching the basketball. This may be bc women just have smaller hands (have you ever seen a women who could palm the ball?). Second, very, very few women seem to have an explosive first step – they all seem to be moving in slow motion. This may be the result of women lacking the fast twitch fibers men have.

       Third, few college women seem to have learned a jump shot. The set shot remains the technique. This may be from lack of hand strength. Fourth, of course, women cannot jump so even the elite college players play like middle aged men.

     The networks and the media disagree with my view that the games are not worth watching. The women’s college games are now routinely broadcast and the media provides dedicated coverage. I can only conclude that this is some form of political correctness at work as the quality of play just does not warrant this coverage.

     But I've yet to see a single commentator say the obvious- women just are not very good at this game.



CYNIC5753 reads

not in the same league as men - not by a long shot - but at the professional level many of the games are interesting, and with quite a bit of teamwork.  I can't speak for media coverage - I don't know anything about viewership, etc.  I haven't seen many WNBA games, but the few I have seen were actually pretty enjoyable.  Each to his own, I guess.

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