Overseas hoops
ESPN had a piece on why more WNBA players are playing overseas during the offseason.
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ESPN had a piece on why more WNBA players are playing overseas during the offseason.
ESPN columnist Gene Wojciechowski writes that he's seen the light and is slowly becoming a fan of women's college b-ball. I'm not so sure I'm a big fan of some of the word choice - "But inch for inch, sports bra for sports bra, these players were a gas to watch." Sports bra? Would you write jock-strap for jock-strap if you were talking about the guys? But I like the fact he writes, "What I didn't see was a single dunk. And it didn't matter."
John Crumpacker at the San Fransico Chronicle writes that it's time for the IOC to stop officially referring to women athletes as "ladies"
I just arrived in Bowling Green, Ohio. Later this afternoon, I'm presenting the paper I wrote on women's baskeball blogs, Websites, and message boards run by fans, for fans. A thousand thanks to everyone who helped me with this project - to all the fans who completed the survey, offered additional comments, etc. To Women's Hoops Blog, Stormfans.org, Chasing the Title, She's Got Game, Women's Basketball Online for taking the time to answer my questions. To WNBA reporters Mechelle Voepel, Debbie Arrington, Jayda Evans, Ned Griffin, and Mel Greenberg, who also took time out of their busy schedules to talk with me. When I get a few moments - I will post a summary of my paper, etc. Plus, I'll let you know how the presentation goes.
One bonus of the Olympics is it's the one time of year some sports columnists write about women's sports. Not that they are all great columns. Today there was a good one by Bob Ryan at the Boston Globe on how the U.S. women's hockey loss to Sweden (which put them in contention for the bronze) is a Catch-22 sign of progress in the sport. It can't be Canada and the U.S. teams forever - as other countries improve, it means their women's ice hockey programs are growing. A good sign for the sport.
The Houston Chronicle had an upbeat piece on the WNBA's future
In a big upset, the U.S.Women's ice hockey team lost to Sweden today. They will play for the bronze against whichever team wins the Canada vs. Finland match up.
One of my new favorite sports blog is Sports Law Blog - they always have interesting posts. Here is one on an ESPN story about Michelle Kwan and her sponsors who built their Olympic marketing campaigns around her ... and now she's gone.
The Boston Globe has a story on how tickets to the women's Final Four are pretty much gone. It's great it's a huge success. What shocked me were the prices. At least they're letting people watch the practices for free, because I think that's the only way a lot of little b-ball players in the area are going to be able to see any action. I like this quote from the head of the committee that organized this thing and is offering V.I.P. (I despise that term) packages at the cost of $6,400 to $100,000.
''The model doesn't allow for a huge number of tickets sold at face value to local citizens," Stirling said. ''But it's economic impact, it's cachet for Boston. It's the premier women's championship in the country. It's worth bringing to Boston."
So to all the local kids out there who won't be able to afford tickets, you're taking one for the city!
The women's Beanpot final was played last night. This is a Boston sporting event, where the hockey teams from BC, BU, Northeastern, and Harvard compete. I griped about the semi-final coverage in the Boston Globe here. Today was a bit of an improvement - the game coverage made page 2 of the regular sports section (Olympic coverage makes up a front special section). This time there was a black and white photo of the victors. The day before the men's final got front page with color photos.
