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StevenHW
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
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Location: Sacramento, California
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josephkramer44
Joined: 23 Aug 2016
Posts: 136
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 Posted: 07/28/18 12:46 am ::: |
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| There are absolutely no indications that interest, profits or stability have increased. On the contrary the indicators point to at very best continuing tepid interest, if not outright decline. No noticeable rise in tv ratings, declining attendance (even excluding NY numbers) and more teams struggling. How could the banishment of the Liberty from the Garden ever be construed by anyone to be a positive sign for the league? This article is a load of codswollip. But never let the truth get in the way of one's agenda.
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Luuuc
#NATC
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
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| Posted: 07/28/18 3:25 am ::: |
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| josephkramer44 wrote: |
| There are absolutely no indications that interest, profits or stability have increased. On the contrary the indicators point to at very best continuing tepid interest, if not outright decline. No noticeable rise in tv ratings, declining attendance (even excluding NY numbers) and more teams struggling. How could the banishment of the Liberty from the Garden ever be construed by anyone to be a positive sign for the league? This article is a load of codswollip. But never let the truth get in the way of one's agenda. |
I tend to agree.
I can't speak for the USA, but down here there has been a noticeable improvement in the general "mainstream" perception and profile of women's sport. Compared to just a decade ago it is barely recogniseable in fact. Unfortunately the result of that here hasn't been a big upswing in the popularity of women's basketball, but rather the addition of a national soccer league, a national aussie rules football league that has already expanded and is about to expand further, a national cricket competition, women's rugby starting to gain traction, etc... So basketball feels relatively similar in popularity, but is also in a far more very competitive environment when it comes to corporate support, memberships, and news coverage.
Similarly to the WNBL, I'm not seeing much change in the WNBA in terms of better mainstream coverage, better tv ratings, or better crowds. I do remain optimistic though that such an improvement is possible in the near future, and I think the WNBA is in a better position to benefit from it if it happens seeing as basketball in the USA has been one of the "big" sports for a long time, unlike down here where it is a second-tier sport. But it still feels premature to me to for players to be making significantly larger demands until there actually is evidence of an upswing.
I've got nothing but respect for the players for demanding the best deal they can possibly get, I just hope they keep an eye on reality during the negotiations. This is one of those occasions where Borders' normally meaningless positive spin on everything might actually have negative consequences that are more serious than a bunch of people being like 
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WfanFrJmp
Joined: 24 May 2016
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
Posts: 24348
Location: London
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| Posted: 07/28/18 7:16 am ::: |
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| That's a really good answer from Parker. No demands, no actual mention of a strike or lockout, just measured comments about what might be possible and how much the players need to be involved in improving things themselves. Hope all the players are thinking like that, regardless of how they're being quoted - or misquoted - on Twitter and elsewhere. |
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Luuuc
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
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Location: London
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| Posted: 07/28/18 8:22 am ::: |
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| Luuuc wrote: |
| Also, side note ... when WNBA players threaten to sit out, surely it should be called girlcotting? |
Just like they all play woman-to-woman defense. |
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005
Posts: 22474
Location: NJ
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| Posted: 07/28/18 8:39 am ::: |
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| I'm all for expansion. I think talent-wise, there's enough for 16 teams, especially considering the next two drafts. Of course we need four new ownerships to bring these teams in. Before any of that happens, the current 12 new to be solid (New York!!!). Sucks to always see talent get cut, it was just a good amount this season.
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calbearman76
Joined: 02 Nov 2009
Posts: 5155
Location: Carson City
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| Posted: 07/28/18 3:01 pm ::: |
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| Richyyy wrote: |
| Luuuc wrote: |
| Also, side note ... when WNBA players threaten to sit out, surely it should be called girlcotting? |
Just like they all play woman-to-woman defense. |
I'm watching the All Star Game. Ain't no defense (woman-to-woman or otherwise) being played.
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calbearman76
Joined: 02 Nov 2009
Posts: 5155
Location: Carson City
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| Posted: 07/28/18 3:16 pm ::: |
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| Richyyy wrote: |
| That's a really good answer from Parker. No demands, no actual mention of a strike or lockout, just measured comments about what might be possible and how much the players need to be involved in improving things themselves. Hope all the players are thinking like that, regardless of how they're being quoted - or misquoted - on Twitter and elsewhere. |
+1
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NYL_WNBA_FAN
Joined: 28 May 2007
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| Posted: 07/30/18 10:37 am ::: |
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I thought the article contained some positives. If viewership on NBATV is legitimately up 48%, that's a positive. I get that in total number of people it probably isn't a significant amount, however it may be an indicator that mainstream sports fans are indeed watching it a little more. If so, hopefully there's a degree of recognition from more people that the league is indeed at its best ever.
You gotta start somewhere. I'm curious what the finances of the league are truly like...and if the players have a legitimate case in terms of earning more of a percentage of the league's revenue. Meaning is their current percentage really that low...and is there any real profit margin from which the league can pay players more?
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010
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| Posted: 07/30/18 11:14 am ::: |
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| WNBA ESPN2 ratings hit an all-time low in 2017. It's possible that NBA-TV ratings did as well. The percentage increases are very good, but they are not coming off an average ratings year.
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