Eleven Defenses of the WNBA

Comedy website 11 Points writes an article called 11 Reasons Why You Should Stop Crapping on the WNBA. It's a very interesting read. The reasons, for those who don't click the link.

11. No, you couldn't beat any of them in one-on-one.
10. The players aren't universally unattractive -- not even close.
9. The scoring isn't as low as you think.
8. It doesn't compare to the NBA because it shouldn't.
7. The "We Got Next" campaign sneaked into your subconscious.
6. Because there's such a thing as a "Did Not Play - Pregnant" in the box score...and that's awesome.
5. It's not hemorrhaging money like you think -- not even clsoe.
4. One woman won the league MVP then promptly got naked.
3. The playoffs aren't endless.
2. It's not going anywhere.
1. On some level, your dislike is rooted in latent sexism.

I agree with 11. Definitely agree with 10 - have you seen Katie Smith and Plenette Pierson after they've "cleaned up"?" If anyone disagreed with 9, they'd have no argument after this year.

Point number 8 was a very smart point - we don't compare welterweight boxing to middleweight; we appreciate each on their own terms. Point 7 is a sort of value judgment, and I don't think I've ever seen 6 in a box score.

There could be some contention about 5, but you'd have to define "hemorrhaging money" as what the lowest first-round rookie NBA draft choice makes in salary could play for about seven teams worth of players.

For 4, no comment.

For 3, hallelujah!

For 2, as long as David Stern is around, I can agree.

The big kicker is #1. Of course, there are some haters who are just flat out misogynists. Other haters "worship at the temple of male religion" i. e. organized sports and the existence of the WNBA is seen as a transgression. I agree with the implied point that mocking the WNBA is considered by many of the powers that be to be an acceptable way to put down an "underclass" - you can't tell jokes about (X) people any more but WNBA jokes are acceptable these days.

Some of the haters claim, "Hey, those aren't the reasons I dislike the WNBA!" They become rational...briefly...and then the invective comes right back. The killing point:

The level of disgust is completely disproportional to the effect the WNBA has on your life. Maybe 90 seconds out of a 90-minute SportsCenter, a barely-visible link on the top ESPN.com, a blurb six pages deep into the sports section of the newspaper, and bumping rodeos or the 2003 World Series of Poker from ESPN2 for a night... that's not close to enough to inspire the verbal bile the WNBA is constantly splattered with.

Or as Vanessa Hayden might put it, "it's the dog that got bit that barks the loudest".