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dtsnms
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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 Posted: 08/22/16 4:36 pm ::: So what's next? Olympics are over; now it's your move WNBA |
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USA Basketballs senior national team just put on a clinic before a worldwide audience on how beautiful and charismatic a game of womens basketball can be.
Now, the Olympians from all over the world are returning to the WNBA this week, and we get to see them for a short time before they disperse and go to faraway lands and their winter jobs.
So whats next?
What can the WNBA do to capitalize on this opportunity, to take advantage of the fact that many people that may never have seen a womens game before were excited by the performances in the Olympics.
We talked to several fans and colleagues and got their thoughts on the subject and compiled the following "action plan" for the WNBA.
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Spark4Life
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: 08/22/16 5:17 pm ::: |
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| Hopefully USA basketball gives someone new the opportunity to be head coach.
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NYL_WNBA_FAN
Joined: 28 May 2007
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| Posted: 08/22/16 5:24 pm ::: |
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You can only hope that the Olympics either sparked or revamped people's interest in women's basketball.
At this point I think it has to sell itself. People who find appeal in it will watch. Guys who want athleticism, jumping and dunking as their primary sources of entertainment won't. I can't sell very many of my friends on it at all, and I've tried. People are going to like what they are going to like. I don't think any marketing will change that, and in my opinion they've already had the most brilliant marketing they could have had with very high profile NBA players on video talking about the appeal of the women's game. If that's not going to do it then nothing will.
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Nixtreefan
Joined: 14 Nov 2012
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| Posted: 08/22/16 5:40 pm ::: |
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| That should just be the start, get more of the NBA guys involved. There should be plenty of them willing after all the sexual assault info going around. The guys want to give off a better image so it is good timing to reel them in.
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Spark4Life
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: 08/22/16 5:47 pm ::: |
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| Promote the league by taking all the top players to the Olympics, not just the coach's faves.. Just a thought.
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bballgrl
Joined: 15 Sep 2007
Posts: 3629
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| Posted: 08/22/16 6:39 pm ::: |
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| What about our league President? What is she going to do, what has she done since becoming President. I am so tired of seeing the same watch me work and I didn't know comercial over and over during the same game. Who is responsible for getting endorsements? The ladies went to Rio and played their behinds off and yet they got much less attention then others. They work so hard and get so little attention.
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Jet Jaguar
Joined: 11 Feb 2014
Posts: 1111
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| Posted: 08/22/16 8:22 pm ::: |
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| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
You can only hope that the Olympics either sparked or revamped people's interest in women's basketball.
At this point I think it has to sell itself. People who find appeal in it will watch. Guys who want athleticism, jumping and dunking as their primary sources of entertainment won't. I can't sell very many of my friends on it at all, and I've tried. People are going to like what they are going to like. I don't think any marketing will change that, and in my opinion they've already had the most brilliant marketing they could have had with very high profile NBA players on video talking about the appeal of the women's game. If that's not going to do it then nothing will. |
I don't subscribe to this notion that it is what it is and you'll either like it or you won't. To me that means that there is no way to improve the product on the floor. Don't buy it. There are many of players in the league that don't have any business in a WNBA jersey, while many players are going unnoticed overseas. I watch a lot of overseas and it baffles me how some of these players I see that are way more skilled than some players in the WNBA don't get a chance or get in a TC and get cut right away (and no I'm not just speaking of SP, she's just one of many). Get the most skilled players in the league and this league will be WAY better.
Also the style of play. No, we will never have a ton of dunkers in the league, but there are ways to ratchet up the entertainment value other than dunking (and forget Delle Donne's kooky lowering the rim gimmick). More high paced offense. Skilled players that can do some crazy dribbling moves every once in a while (why do you think people like Kyrie and Curry?) and sick passes. I don't think Shoni is the best player in the world by any means, but she gets it as far as this is concerned. It's not only about winning; it's about entertainment. It should be fun to watch. You can play to win and still make it fun; look at Magic Johnson and the Showtime Lakers of the '80's. I watch the WNBA weekly highlights and it's kind of a joke. A rebound put back is not a highlight, a simple pick and roll is not a highlight, and a half court shot isn't either unless it's a game winner. I don't know how we get players subscribe to a more entertaining style; it's more a mindset. Plus (going back to my first point) a lot players just can't do some of that stuff in a game situation.
Sorry, just wanted to give my 2 cents on this. Maybe this should be a new thread or something but the status quo is just not appealing to many people and there could definitely be improvements IMO.
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Last edited by Jet Jaguar on 08/22/16 8:46 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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SpaceJunkie
Joined: 10 Sep 2012
Posts: 4241
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: 08/22/16 8:41 pm ::: |
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| Spark4Life wrote: |
| Promote the league by taking all the top players to the Olympics, not just the coach's faves.. Just a thought. |
Nneka Ogwumike will be on the next team in place of Catchings, so big deal, otherwise all the top players at their position were pretty much on the team, unless it's an outrage Jewell Loyd didn't make it.
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miller40
Joined: 29 Jun 2006
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| Posted: 08/22/16 8:48 pm ::: |
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| Jet Jaguar wrote: |
| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
You can only hope that the Olympics either sparked or revamped people's interest in women's basketball.
At this point I think it has to sell itself. People who find appeal in it will watch. Guys who want athleticism, jumping and dunking as their primary sources of entertainment won't. I can't sell very many of my friends on it at all, and I've tried. People are going to like what they are going to like. I don't think any marketing will change that, and in my opinion they've already had the most brilliant marketing they could have had with very high profile NBA players on video talking about the appeal of the women's game. If that's not going to do it then nothing will. |
I don't subscribe to this notion that it is what it is and you'll either like it or you won't. To me that means that there is no way to improve the product on the floor. Don't buy it. There are many of players in the league that don't have any business in a WNBA jersey, while many players are going unnoticed overseas. I watch a lot of overseas and it baffles me how some of these players I see that are way more skilled than players in the WNBA don't get a chance or get in a TC and get cut right away (and no I'm not just speaking of SP, she's just one of many). Get the most skilled players in the league and this league will be WAY better.
Also the style of play. No, we will never have a ton of dunkers in the league, but there are ways to ratchet up the entertainment value other than dunking (and forget Delle Donne's kooky lowering the rim gimmick). More high paced offense. Skilled players that can do some crazy dribbling moves every once in a while (why do you think people like Kyrie and Curry?) and sick passes. I don't think Shoni is the best player in the world by any means. But she gets it as far as this is concerned. It's not only about winning, it's about entertainment. It should be fun to watch. You can play to win and still make it fun; look at Magic Johnson and the Showtime Lakers of the '80's. I watch the WNBA weekly highlights and it's kind of a joke. A rebound put back is not a highlight, a simple pick and roll is not a highlight, and a half court shot isn't either unless it's a game winner. I don't know how we get players subscribe to a more entertaining style; it's more a mindset. Plus (going back to my first point) a lot players just can't do some of that stuff in a game situation.
Sorry, just wanted to give my 2 cents on this. Maybe this should be a new thread or something but the status quo is just not appealing to many people and there could definitely be improvements IMO. |
I definitely agree about the style of play - fast paced offense - there being room for improvement without the gimmick suggests. I think resetting the shot clock to 14 instead of going the full clock again was a really great move in speeding things up and increasing the amount of scoring.
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ArtBest23
Joined: 02 Jul 2013
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| Posted: 08/22/16 9:11 pm ::: |
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| SpaceJunkie wrote: |
| Spark4Life wrote: |
| Promote the league by taking all the top players to the Olympics, not just the coach's faves.. Just a thought. |
Nneka Ogwumike will be on the next team in place of Catchings, so big deal, otherwise all the top players at their position were pretty much on the team, unless it's an outrage Jewell Loyd didn't make it. |
The games would have been more entertaining to more people if Sims and Parker and Loyd and maybe even Schimmel or Rogers had been on the team. You can argue the team was "better" the way it was, and you might be right, but it would have been more exciting with a less methodical and more wide open, more NBA like, style. So what if it had only won every game by 20 instead of 30?
A starting 5 of EDD, Griner, Moore, Loyd and Sims would have blown away every opposing starting 5 and been a lot more entertaining.
I don't care how much they won by. People who are already fans were thrilled to see their long time heroes in their final appearances. But I doubt this performance produced many new fans.
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Queenie
Joined: 18 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 08/22/16 9:32 pm ::: |
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The amount of salt in this thread is truly astonishing.
Honestly, I'd be satisfied with some, y'know, actual advertising.
That being said, why limit it to USA basketball and American players? Last time I checked, Spain and Serbia both had reps in the WNBA.
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mercfan3
Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 19768
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| Posted: 08/22/16 10:38 pm ::: |
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| Queenie wrote: |
The amount of salt in this thread is truly astonishing.
Honestly, I'd be satisfied with some, y'know, actual advertising.
That being said, why limit it to USA basketball and American players? Last time I checked, Spain and Serbia both had reps in the WNBA. |
Yea. This.
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Luuuc
#NATC
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
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| Posted: 08/22/16 11:06 pm ::: |
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It's a pity that the players have to great straight back into WNBA action.
Surely the post-Rio gold medal bump would have been better if the champs had the time to do some media touring upon their return to the US?
I feel like the league might have cost itself some bump with its own scheduling.
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Jet Jaguar
Joined: 11 Feb 2014
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| Posted: 08/22/16 11:11 pm ::: |
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| ArtBest23 wrote: |
The games would have been more entertaining to more people if Sims and Parker and Loyd and maybe even Schimmel or Rogers had been on the team. You can argue the team was "better" the way it was, and you might be right, but it would have been more exciting with a less methodical and more wide open, more NBA like, style. So what if it had only won every game by 20 instead of 30?
A starting 5 of EDD, Griner, Moore, Loyd and Sims would have blown away every opposing starting 5 and been a lot more entertaining.
I don't care how much they won by. People who are already fans were thrilled to see their long time heroes in their final appearances. But I doubt this performance produced many new fans. |
Totally cosign on this. No offense, but to me this team was boring as heck. And not because of the blowouts. Angel was the only player on the team that had any real plus speed and quickness. I thought Japan was a more exciting team to watch with their 2 quick point guards. And France with Epoupa and that young guard Johannes who really impressed me. Loyd and Sims (among others mentioned) would have really brought a breath of fresh air to this team and added to the excitement.
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mercfan3
Joined: 23 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 08/22/16 11:12 pm ::: |
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| Luuuc wrote: |
It's a pity that the players have to great straight back into WNBA action.
Surely the post-Rio gold medal bump would have been better if the champs had the time to do some media touring upon their return to the US?
I feel like the league might have cost itself some bump with its own scheduling. |
They do have a week. It's too bad they couldn't get on a few shows in the first couple of days.
Any sort of advertising would do.
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Luuuc
#NATC
Joined: 10 Feb 2005
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| Posted: 08/22/16 11:23 pm ::: |
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| mercfan3 wrote: |
| Luuuc wrote: |
It's a pity that the players have to great straight back into WNBA action.
Surely the post-Rio gold medal bump would have been better if the champs had the time to do some media touring upon their return to the US?
I feel like the league might have cost itself some bump with its own scheduling. |
They do have a week. It's too bad they couldn't get on a few shows in the first couple of days.
Any sort of advertising would do. |
The season resumes on Friday. That's not enough time for Team USA to do anything as a group and still sufficiently prepare with their WNBA teams.
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J-Spoon
Joined: 31 Jan 2009
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| Posted: 08/23/16 12:29 am ::: |
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True, but they could at least get someone on one of the NBC nightly talk shows. Taurasi on Fallon talking about the Olympics, playing some sort of game with Fallon and joking around would be great promotion for the rest of the season.
Or an ABC talk show so we could cross promote the ESPN games.
Or at least Ellen get someone on Ellen for crying out loud.
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010
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| Posted: 08/23/16 3:37 am ::: Re: So what's next? Olympics are over; now it's your move WN |
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| USA Basketballs senior national team just put on a clinic before a worldwide audience on how beautiful and charismatic a game of womens basketball can be. |
The United States won its games by an average of 37.25 points. Their closest game was a 19 point blowout. If someone found those games beautiful and charismatic they would need to watch UConn during the college season for consistent blowouts by a team with massive talent superiority. The WNBA won't provide that.
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dtsnms
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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miller40
Joined: 29 Jun 2006
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| Posted: 08/23/16 8:36 am ::: |
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| Luuuc wrote: |
| mercfan3 wrote: |
| Luuuc wrote: |
It's a pity that the players have to great straight back into WNBA action.
Surely the post-Rio gold medal bump would have been better if the champs had the time to do some media touring upon their return to the US?
I feel like the league might have cost itself some bump with its own scheduling. |
They do have a week. It's too bad they couldn't get on a few shows in the first couple of days.
Any sort of advertising would do. |
The season resumes on Friday. That's not enough time for Team USA to do anything as a group and still sufficiently prepare with their WNBA teams. |
I agree with it both ways lol. On the one hand it would be a shame if there isn't a lot of follow through in the media, but on the other hand the break has already been long enough.
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Luuuc
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Jet Jaguar
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dtsnms
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Luuuc
#NATC
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| Posted: 08/23/16 9:40 am ::: |
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| I agree that the 63 other threads full of Team USA bitching ought to be sufficient for that.
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ClayK
Joined: 11 Oct 2005
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| Posted: 08/23/16 9:55 am ::: |
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| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
You can only hope that the Olympics either sparked or revamped people's interest in women's basketball.
At this point I think it has to sell itself. People who find appeal in it will watch. Guys who want athleticism, jumping and dunking as their primary sources of entertainment won't. I can't sell very many of my friends on it at all, and I've tried. People are going to like what they are going to like. I don't think any marketing will change that, and in my opinion they've already had the most brilliant marketing they could have had with very high profile NBA players on video talking about the appeal of the women's game. If that's not going to do it then nothing will. |
X___________
Tours and appearances on Ellen are not going to do much for the WNBA, which is completely different than the Olympics.
As NYL points out, people are either going to like what the women's game has to offer or not, and it's not as if the vast majority of potential fans hasn't been exposed to the women's game. Every high school has a girls' team, every college has a women's team, there are games on TV all the time (college and pro), and the Olympics gave a big push.
Can the quality of play improve? Marginally, but that's not going to change the basic women's game itself, which is different than the men's game. Long anecdote coming, so check out now while you have the chance ...
I got a call in late spring from a local high school coach who had coached boys, successfully, at the varsity level for many years. He was switching over the girls' side and wanted to talk about the differences.
Generally, when people ask me the difference, I say "Off the court, it's different, but on the court, it's almost the same" -- but this is a coach, so I said "Let's get together and talk."
We spent probably six or seven hours over the summer just talking basketball and the difference in the girls' game and how stuff that works for guys won't work for girls and vice versa. I won't bore you with the many details, but the bottom line is this: The game is much different at a technical level because of the physical differences between men and women and also the way men and women learn the game.
Those differences play out in the WNBA as well, and some people really enjoy the female version. Some don't like it, but most, I would guess, are in the middle. They can appreciate Taurasi and EDD, but it's not the game they're used to, and they like the familiar one better.
No blame on anyone, but that's really the way it is, and no amount of advertising or marketing is going to change that. The target market has seen the product and made its judgment -- and the fact that 5,000 people will pay good money to watch women play basketball during the summer is an achievement worth celebrating. The fact that it's not 10,000 or 20,000 is unfortunate, but it's been 20 years now, and it's hard to see where massive change would come from. Certainly not from talk show appearances or more ads.
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