The end is near?
Tuesday 15 April 2003
As it comes to the crunch, what's going to happen if the WNBA *does* fold?
Life after the WNBA? If it does happen, what will be the ramifications? Here's a couple of thoughts:
Girls interest in basketball: I'm not sure whether there's hard statistics to back me up but I've heard in several places that participation in basketball by girls has increased since the inception of the WNBA. Whether this could be maintained without the WNBA (or a women's pro league) is questionable. The WNBA gives them something to aim at as a career goal. Playing overseas appeals to some but I think most if not all would agree playing on your home soil is better.
As for interest down here in Australia, I don't think the WNBA's existence has really affected the level of interest in basketball. The Opals' high profile in the last few years and high profile stars (Timms, Jackson) have probably been the catalyst for growing interest in the sport down here.
National team: Not having the WNBA has potentially beneficial and detrimental effects for USA Basketball. They would have more flexibility and time to hold training camps which would benefit team chemistry and the selection process. The Russian team showed the benefits of that during their 2002 WC run. Sure they lost to the Americans but it was close and they had significantly inferior talent.
On the other hand, having the WNBA would allow selectors to view domestic players playing on home soil in a high level league. It also serves as a development mechanism for American players. American players overseas aren't developed by their teams overseas; they're expected to produce immediately and if not, they're gone. A domestic league would serve as an incentive to continually develop one's game and would increase the depth of the talent pool available for national selection.
WNBL: The collapse of the WNBA would possibly be very beneficial for the WNBL. One of the main concerns in moving to the summer season was to allow players to be able to play both the WNBA and WNBL season. Without the WNBA, the WNBL could look at moving back to the winter season which is considered to be the "traditional" basketball season and players from Europe could come home and play. The quality of play would probably return to what it was before everyone went to Europe. The financial problems would still be there but at least we'd have better basketball...
NWBL/future women's pro league in the US: The NWBL signed up some great talent but the set-up seems very amateurish and low-level (apparently WNBA contracts look positively benign compared to NWBL contracts and the pay is meagre at the best). Who knows though - the collapse of the WNBA may see some sweeping changes as the NWBL finds itself alone in the big big ocean.
If the WNBA collapses, there will be another women's pro league in the US eventually. When this will happen and whether they would have learned any lessons from its predecessors is another story but the end of the WNBA is not the end of the story full stop.
Comments
We'll know in four days. Until then, I don't want to think about the possibilities.
Posted by: pilight | Tuesday 15 April 2003
Effects of demise of the US pro league are definitely overrated.
Interest in girls and womens basketball in the US will continue to grow. The appearance of a bevy of womens' sports leagues in such a short period and in a poor economy, no less, is a sign that interest in womens' sports is ready to explode.
Leagues learn from others' mistakes, and time marches on. If Stern lets the W go (and I am not convinced, because the man is a smart business who knows the score) it's just a matter of time until the next Big Thing, and chances R, it will not make the same mistakes as the W.
Posted by: bluewolfvii | Tuesday 15 April 2003
How many girls in Canada are involved in basketball?
Posted by: Cassandra | Wednesday 06 June 2007