WNBA Could Make Fans Re-Think Perception Of Female Athletes
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WNBA Receiving Lots Of Exposure From
Tuesday's Sparks-Shock Fight In Detroit |
The on-court fight Tuesday at the Palace of Auburn Hills between the WNBA Sparks and Shock “might be the best thing that has happened” to the league, according to Helene Elliott of the L.A. TIMES. While footage of the skirmish was on morning shows yesterday and videos of the fight on YouTube have become popular, it is a "good thing because if forces us to think about the way we perceive female athletes -- and the way female athletes perceive themselves." Elliott: "The WNBA came of age this week” (L.A. TIMES, 7/24). In Sacramento, Debbie Arrington writes under the header, “WNBA Brawl Has An Upside.” NBA Kings and WNBA Monarchs co-Owner Joe Maloof: “I don’t see it in a negative way. It shows the tremendous competitiveness and fierceness of the WNBA. … I’m not condoning fighting, but I like what it shows -- the passion.” Maloof added, “More people are talking about the WNBA than ever in 10 years. It’s on all the sports talk shows. People are making fun of it -- and it’s not a funny issue. But it also makes people realize what great competitors we’ve got in women’s basketball. They’re tremendous athletes and they really want to win” (SACRAMENTO BEE, 7/24). USA TODAY's Christine Brennan writes, "Toughness truly knows no gender anymore." WNBA players "occasionally slam into each other on a basketball court and get tangled and push and shove. This is why no one should be surprised that the wildest brawl in WNBA history has now occurred. They should be surprised that it took 12 seasons to happen" (USA TODAY, 7/24).
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Parker Could Garner Even More
Attention From Being Involved In Scuffle |
PEAKING INTEREST: Three videos of the confrontation made YouTube’s 20 most-viewed yesterday, and it was the “biggest sports hit on USA Today’s Web site.” The WNBA also was a “hot topic on TV, sports-talk radio and blogs.” Shock G Katie Smith: “A lot of people are paying attention to the WNBA right now that have probably never followed it. Is it the right kind of attention? No. But I don’t think the publicity hurts. In hockey, people live for the fights. Who knows, maybe we’ll meet in the WNBA finals and there will be even more interest” (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 7/24). ESPN’s Doris Burke, who worked Tuesday’s Sparks-Shock game, said that the fight “was an isolated incident and the product of a ‘perfect storm.’” But while ESPN's Rebecca Lobo “does not see brawls becoming a trend,” she said that she “could see it paying dividends in increased ratings if the teams meet” in the Finals. USA TODAY’s Andrew Alberg writes the incident “also could bring more attention” to Sparks F Candace Parker, who was at the center of the incident (USA TODAY, 7/24). In Detroit, Jamie Samuelson wrote the WNBA is "getting huge run ... on national talk shows and blogs." Samuelson: "I hesitate saying that fighting is good for the WNBA, but just consider this. If you were completely disinclined to watch the Shock play basketball -- aren’t you just a little bit more inclined if it’s a game against the Sparks?" (FREEP.com, 7/23). In Phoenix, Amy Brittain writes, “There likely was more WNBA water-cooler talk Wednesday than ever before” (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 7/24). CBSSPORTS.com’s Ray Ratto wrote the incident “did show the league in a new light for casual fans.” It was the WNBA’s “pure, un-staged we’re-here-too moment, a reminder that (a) the league has pretty well kept its dignity through years of anonymous toil, and (b) is still capable of snapping off its hinges given the right provocation.” WNBA President Donna Orender “should have said, ‘When can we get them to play again?’” (CBSSPORTS.com, 7/23).
BAD BOUNCE: In Nashville, Joe Biddle writes under the header, “WNBA Receives Black Eye.” Biddle: “It’s an embarrassing moment for the WNBA, a league that struggles to attract fans as it is.” The league “should be more worried that it took an incident such as this to put the WNBA in the spotlight” (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 7/24). On Long Island, Karen Bailis wrote Parker “flunked her first true test as a basketball-playing human being.” As the “new face of the WNBA, she should have been aware of the bigger picture. She should know that on her shoulders lies the responsibility of upholding the professionalism of women’s sports” (NEWSDAY.com, 7/23). YAHOO SPORTS’ Roy Johnson wrote the WNBA “wants attention, but not this kind” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/23). ESPN’s Jim Rome: “In the case of the WNBA, I would ordinarily say that there is no such thing as bad publicity. ... Well, anything except (the fight)” (“Jim Rome Is Burning,” ESPN, 7/23). SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote, "I fear the long-term effect will be nothing more than a punch line for a wise guy sports blogger or mainstream writer" (SI.com, 7/23). AOL's Matt Watson added, "I'm guessing all that really comes of this is a bunch of people who never liked the league in the first place cracking a few more jokes" (FANHOUSE.AOL.com, 7/23).
STILL A PUNCH LINE: Last night’s edition of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” made fun of the fight, airing a clip of the skirmish with a redubbed announcer saying, "A fight has broken out! A fight has broken out! Oh my God! Finally, something exciting happening in a WNBA game! I wish someone was actually watching this! (Phone dialing) ‘Hey Mom, turn on the TV. Come on, please?’” ABC's Jimmy Kimmel sarcastically said, “It’s a shame that this had to happen just when the WNBA was starting to take off" (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 7/23). Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren: “Some well-known ladies get into a brawl. No, this isn’t another story about the ‘The View’” (“On the Record," Fox News, 7/23). CSN’s David Kaplan: “This may be the best thing that ever happened to that league because maybe six people will watch.” Chicago Tribune reporter Paul Sullivan: “This is more pub than this league will ever get the rest of the year” ("Chicago Tribune Live," CSN, 7/23).
BAD WEEK FOR WOMEN'S SPORTS: ESPN.com’s Jemele Hill wrote of the Sparks-Shock fight and the Danica Patrick-Milka Duno skirmish last week, “If anything, we should greet [these] incidents as our opportunity to show that gender should be a nonissue when it comes to boorish behavior” (ESPN.com, 7/23). NBCSPORTS.com’s Michael Ventre wrote there "seems to be a lot of unrest on the distaff side of the sports world. It’s as if a fragile veneer of ladylike civility that suggest images of bonnets and parasols and tea biscuits has given way to the hair-pulling and homemade shivs of a catfight at a women’s penitentiary” (NBCSPORTS.com, 7/24).
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