RebKell's Junkie Boards

[MH122]

[kentucky57]

My wife introduced me to the WNBA. At first I went just because it was fun watching my wife get so into the game. But then the game grew on me. I had found the men's pro game boring. no passiing and either dunks or 30 foot junpers.

I like the WNBA because it is generally good below the rim, 'old-school' bball. And, thankfully, the athleticism has improved over time.

demographics
Black Male
53 years old
graduate education

[haynielicious4]

I like the WNBA because Kristin Haynie rocks my world! Well, actually, I'd like her to rock my world, lol!

Sign me, a 4-ever fan....

[ddubdawg]

I'll try to keep this short (too late). Anyway, I am the youngest of three boys who grew up in the mid/late sixties with a stay at home mom. She was raised with six brothers and two sisters. She preferred hangiong out with her brothers playing sports. She was a tomboy and she is the reason I love all sports, well, she probably wouldn't claim any resposibility for my NASCAR addiction. She taught mw and my brothers how to play sports...basketball, tennis, baseball, soccer, bowling, etc. And she taught us that sports is about doing your best and being gracious in victory and defeat. In my mind, I have always seen women as athletic because, I was raised by an athletic woman. On the school yard during grade and middle school, I gravitated to the tomboys in my class because they were the most fun to play with, competitive yes, but not to the point of trying to hurt someone. We watched all sports, but from the beginning I was drawn in by the WTA. Evonne Goolagong was my hero. Then came a string of unforgetable players each showing a bit more athleticism than the previous. In middle school, they held a basketball game between the boys team and the teaching staff. The best player on the court was a female teacher, the only female on the team, who taught English. She just outran, outhustled and outplayed all of them while looking like she was having the most fun time of her life. In high school I tried out for cheerleading for the sole purpose of cheering for our girls' team. When I made the squad and was told I would be on the A squad that cheered for the boys I was like, actually I really want to cheer for the girls. I got my wish.
I just wrote about six more paragraphs and realized I was writing way too mcuh, so to summize, I love the game because my mom taught me the right way to play sports and I see that so much more on the women's isde of the game than on the men's side. The is competitiveness and a lot of physicality, but when the whistle blows you see players smiling and congratulating each other in earnest, not just the typical walk by while slapping hands and saying "good game, good game" as they were taught to do at a very young age.
I love because as a fan there is a community and that community embraces the players and the players, likewise, embrace the community and each other. There seems to be a recognition that they are there because of so many variables falling into line that it seems insane that they should be so lucky and the respect they show each other, though maybe not always on the court, is there after the final whistle blows.
Okay, I'm done. Thanks, Derek

[kojthiabkuv]

because basketball is the best!!

i'm a big fan of the sport so doesnt matter, i just wanna watch a good game year round!

[recycledcomets]

Cynthia Cooper made me a fan of the game. I watched a little hoops in high school . . . that is where I was when Title IX passed, but I was a field hockey player, not a hoopster. When the Comets won the title in 97, my friends and I swore we would attend a game in 98. We did, and then a few more, and Coop's intensity, her skill, her class and style . . . I was hooked. In 99 I talked two friends into buying season tickets with me. They only lasted a few seasons, but I've been going ever since.

Demographics?
Female, white, 49, some college

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Houston Comets? History . . .
Now playing in the league with other fondly remembered teams: The Cleveland Rockers, Charlotte Sting, Miami Sol, Portland Fire, Orlando Miracle, Utah Starzz.

[Slovydal]

"Cuz the chicks are hot and sometimes they fight.

[sambista]

[pilight]

[LT041]

I am a women's basketball fan b/c I am a girl who plays basketball. So it would only make sense for me to be a fan.

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http://twitter.com/MoMurph045

[DRS9]

This is a pretty good thread. Would anybody object if I used some of your stories etc. to help me write my speech (over persuading people to watch women's basketball, college or pro)?

Oh. And I'm a sports fan in general having played/managed/coached many different sports. But basketball is in my top three. I love the fast paced nature and the amazing "you-gotta-see-that-again" moments. I love the intensity and the atmosphere of the game. I usually watch only the NCAA championship because I never knew when regular season games were on. By watching the 'ship I got to see some talented unheard of (well to me) players such as Price from Ole Miss. Then it's nice when I watch a WNBA game, and see said player playing. (But that whole watching only the championship transcends over to softball too). I think my mom played a role too; she's a big sports fan and always had a game on so that's probably why I'm so addicted. haha

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still waiting on the center court app to be next level.

[Sass]

[Slovydal]

[DRS9]

Hey. Thanks for the link.

I actually did my speech more over why Title IX is good but also bad. The good of course for the women's game (with pics included!) but bad for today's men's Olympic sports, which are getting cut. I'm supposed to be persuading the audience that Title IX is both good and bad, so we'll see how that goes!

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still waiting on the center court app to be next level.

[vickilz]

I don't remember NOT being a women's b-ball fan.

When I started following the game back in the mid-70s I thought I was seeing girls and young women play & coached that truly loved the game. People were committed to the game for the sake of the players and the game. I think this promoted better fundamental basketball, a team game. I think a lot of this still holds true today.

I love watching players that enter college and watch their development over the 4 yrs. I've watched the rise and fall of a couple of pro leagues, and am very glad the WNBA is here. I get to continue watching those same players develop their game at the pro level.

[wilson80]

Why am I a WNBA fan ?

Diana Taurasi
Katie Douglas
Tamika Catchings
Tangela Smith
Nicole Powell
Noelle Quinn
Chastity Melvin
Kim Smith
Janel McCarville
Tanisha Wright
Cathrine Kraayeveld
Kristen Mann
Le"coe Willingham

[golden33]

I am a women's basketball fan because I love basketball. I played myself, and I am a woman who gets very angry about the lack of respect given to female athletes in general. My mom played college ball back in the early days, so ever since I was a tiny kid, it's just been natural to me for women to play basketball. She's the one who taught me how to play.

I watch the NBA and the WNBA as well as men's and women's college basketball. There are plenty of differences between the games, and sometimes I even prefer the high flying men's game if I'm just going to watch two random teams, but like that old Nikki McCray ad said, "basketball is basketball, and a player's a player." or something like that... don't remember the exact wording.

As for the WNBA, Niele Ivey as well as Ruth Riley are the reasons I really started following the league closely and traveling quite a ways to see games in person.

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And our hearts forever, Love thee, Notre Dame

RIP DEEETROIT BAASKETBALL

[norwester]

I love basketball, but I have many levels of fandom. I grew up in a town where basketball was the only professional game around. But I never followed college ball until I became a WNBA fan.

What brought me to the WNBA? My family became founding Utah Starzz fans. I moved to Seattle, and spend two slavish years in a lab at UW getting even less light than the average resident. Emerging, degree in hand, I visited my family and went to a Starzz game. That was a hoot. I remembered that Seattle now had a team: I'd read a newspaper article about some Australian player we'd drafted sometime during my research for my thesis. I wondered if she lived up to the hype.

So I checked the Storm out. Became a STH after one game. It was the crowds and the team. I'd never had so much fun at a basketball game, and I didn't even have any basketball friends, yet. At the game I heard about some woman named Sue Bird that everyone was talking about. That kind of led me to research the women's college game a little bit, and over the years I have become an avid tournament-time college fan, mostly in order to see who's potentially coming into the League. Mostly I only watch the women's basketball, though, mostly because it feeds my WNBA obsession, versus any dislike of the men's game. I like it too; there are only so many hours in the day, though.

One of the most interesting things for me in watching the WNBA over the years is the real change you see in the teams as the season goes along. I know all of the reasons why, of course. But to me it's fascinating to be able to track a real improvement (ideally) just in the course of a couple of games. And it may just be my perception since I've stopped following the MNBA very closely, but with the compressed season everything just seems much more urgent...like the last few months of the NBA leading up to play-offs.

I want to make a final couple of comments about how we identify with our teams, though. I don't know if it's the affordability, the comprehensible amount of money these women currently make, efforts by the WNBA to keep the game and players more accessible to the average fan, or what. As a woman who has occasionally played disorganized games of basketball, I can imagine how it feels to be on the court, so I know that that contributes to my fandom.

I had a cousin point out to me that when I was describing a game to him I used first names and nicknames a lot more liberally to describe players than when any of them talk about an NBA game. In NBA instances it's pretty much exclusively by last name. Is it the closer fan relationship in the WNBA? Or is it because they're women? I hadn't noticed it until he pointed it out, but I am now conscious of it at least. I prefer to think of it as terms of endearment, but it was a curious observation, nonetheless.

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Don't you know the plural of "anecdote" is "data"?

[bballjunkee212]

I love watching the fights. Just kidding.

When I was in college, a friend's sister joined the team, so we went to watch her play. It was a small school, so it was fun, we were close to the action, and developed a social circle around the games. I developed a crush on one of the players. She was sweet, we went out a couple of times, but she nixed any further relationship. In later years, I have often wondered if her sexual orientation had anything to do with it, but at the same time, there's a zillion reasons why she might have broken things off after the second date-- many, many decidedly heterosexual women have done the same with me.

But the basketball stuck with me. I have been a basketball fan since early childhood, and in the midst of all the romantic misadventures, I developed a liking for the women's game. So I followed what I could-- very difficult, given the lack of media coverage. So for a long time, my following of the game followed the mainstream media, so I saw/heard/read what the media chose was important. I was very involved with mcbb.

Then, as UConn was going down in flames to ND, I saw a player that I knew I didn't want to miss. She shot 1-15 that night, but it was clear that she was special. I resolved that I was not going to miss her career. Thankfully, that was about the time that wcbb was coming into its own on TV.

Given my "development" with the game, I never really became a fan of one team or another. I like to watch various players on various teams. I like to watch various teams. I like being able to watch players develop over the course of their college careers-- a virtual impossibility in the men's game these days. I like watching the game evolve-- much faster, much more athletic than even five years ago, let alone the AIAW days. I like the team-oriented, moving chess aspect of the game, which relies on ball movement and strategy, unlike the men's game, which relies on isolating your star and giving him the ball.

This season, I will have season tix for both Duke and UNC. I will probably cherry-pick the schedule for NCST. Yay ACC! Yay wcbb!

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~Bill

[DetroitIndyGirl]

This is my first ever post on RebKell, so here goes...

I was never athletically gifted, but I was a starter (guard) on my Freshman basketball team...sort of a sub-Junior Varsity team for freshmen only. We played JV teams from other schools, and lost all but our final game. In spite of our losing record, it was still a fun and rewarding experience, and having tried softball and other sports, this was a sport I found I really enjoyed. I also played intramural b-ball for my residence hall team one year in college. These experiences gave me an appreciation for the sport and the players.

I also enjoyed watching women's b-ball in college, which was assisted by the fact that my work-study financial aid job was as a front desk clerk at the athletic facility. I often worked evening shifts and had a great view of the games from the upper level. I should mention that I attended an all-women's school, so I had the opportunity to watch women's sports exclusively.

I have to admit that I didn't become a big fan of the WNBA until just last year, when my partner suggested that we attend an Indiana Fever game (we just moved to Indianapolis a few years ago). Once we saw our first game, we were both hooked, and are now season ticket holders. I love the Fever, but also respect and appreciate the play of the great players throughout the league.

I think I love women's basketball because I can identify with the players to some extent, and because the game itself is so much fun to watch. I find basketball far more exciting than sports such as softball or soccer. Plus, I see it as a very accessible type of sport that doesn't require lots of expensive equipment or fancy facilities...anyone, male or female, rich or poor, etc. can play it. I occasionally watch men's games and don't necessarily have anything against the NBA, but I absolutely love WNBA games and have started watching women's college games, too. I support female athletes in general, and as noted above, with the WNBA, I feel that it's easy for fans to identify with the players and really feel part of the experience.

Norwester's comments seemed to mirror my own thoughts on this:

[Slovydal]

[DetroitIndyGirl]

[Sass]

Welcome, D.I.G., and thanks for your post. Thanks to everyone who's posted, as I'm really enjoying reading your takes on hoops, past and present.

Norwester, your comment about the intimacy fans feel with the players (it seems many of us call them by their first names, too, despite not knowing them) is a very key point, IMO.

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More high school team allegiances than can be believed
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He's the greatest of the greater
get it straight - he's great
- Run-DMC

[acemom33]

I have been a fan of the game ~~~ forever

I played in jr high and high school great defense player ~ cheered for the Lakers ~ Kareem magic Worthy (long socks SHORT SHORTS oh my )

I have been a fan of womens since they use to play their final in between the mens seminfinals games

Born in Tennessee so I bleed orange and white GO LADY VOLS

fast forward 18 years and I have a daughter who cheers for UCONN ~OMG but we lived thru it and the U-C-O-N-N cheer when they won and I was on a play full of husky fans

My daughter played the game in middle school high school and went on to a D1 college. She would eventually be an assistant at Wagner and Marshall.

Been to all the final fours since 2001 missed this year becasue I was in hawaii but watched the game in the airport bar and sung Rocky Top much to the dismay of my daughter but hey Back-to-Back

Saw first WNBA game in Charlotte vs Phonenix Nancy Liberman with the headband Cheryl Miller stalking the sidelines

Was one of the first 50 to place my deposit when Orlando was awarded a franchise cried tears of joy ~~~~ cried more tears when they relocated to Conn (how can a TENN fan cheer for a Conn team) I did becuase they were my beloved Miracle

Went to Altanta for opening day...been to DC...Target Center and UIC this year
Next summer my hope is to make it to a game in each city

Demographic ~ black middle class college educated woman mid 40s