However, UncheckedAggression makes a very sensible point. A D2 team would win the WNBA title every year (and with relative ease). And how many people do you know spend their hard-earned money and time watching D2 ball? I certainly don’t. In fact, I rarely if ever send a glance by a mid-major D1 game.

Point is, in the grand scheme, the WNBA is a very low level of play. When I was a kid, I loved to watch the WNBA because I admired their skills and talents. But as I got older and more physically-developed and better as a baller myself, and I became less and less impressed with the WNBA gals, and my attention shifted to the NBA and big-time NCAA.

I don’t hate on the WNBA at all — just indifferent to it. It’s not any fault of the players, who simply don’t have the genetics to keep up, but it’s not high-enough a caliber of play to attract my attention. I still support it in concept, but in the entertainment biz, you can’t expect a consumer to spend money and time on something that doesn’t entertain them.

The above paragraph is the sentiment that the overwhelming majority of sports fans I know (male and female) have on the WNBA.

However, oftentimes, an in-your-face WNBA loyalist would tell me if I don’t watch the WNBA, I’m mysogynistic or insecure about myself because women are playing. (Or tell my female friends that they’re weak-willed or pandering to men.) Furthermore, they’ll compound the tension by bashing the NBA and making false comparisons regarding defensive effort, overall effort, fundamentals, dunking and the “purity” of the game.

I personally just laughed off these insults. But some of my friends (once again, male and female) became haters of the WNBA because of it. Many of the people I attended Monarchs games with in high school — the same people who along with I cheered at the top of our lungs — won’t get caught near a WNBA game today. I know of at least two people (one male, one female, different marriages) who I have gone to a game with while in high school who have kids now and are still sports fanatics, and won’t bring their kids to a WNBA game. I construe there are many others out there.

In fact, on multiple occasions in the past few years I’ve had a chance to go to a WNBA game (work comp tickets, church mini-group outing) and considered not going (but went anyway) because I thought of past insults thrown my way.

I imagine, through backlash, the general hater-ness (and, ultimately, a decline in the league’s popularity) is a direct result of the actions of some of the WNBA’s most faithful followers. I strongly believe the WNBA is doing the right thing marketing to families and kids (who, judging from personal experience, could enjoy the product before “upgrading” their fanhood to higher-level play), and that the league can thrive as a niche product if not for the radical behaviors of (what I suspect is a loud minority of) hardcore fans.

I’m just flabbergasted at some of the comments on here. I guess some folks just want to be dicks. But whatever.

And Gunner–I’m sorry but your comment about some WNBA players being good enough to play in the NBA is so far from the truth that I wonder if you ever played ball. A good D2 men’s team could win the WNBA championship EVERY YEAR. It is not a fair comparison and I wish women’s basketball supporters would stop saying that crap.

Ticha will get some shine and minutes no matter where she goes. That’s been my wife since Day 1. Girl can play!

Bay Area would be great location and something for the community to see too..

When it comes to the w.basketball I believe that if some of the top girl ball players were trained the same as the top guy players it would change w.basketball and make it 10x better. Could you imagine what would happen if you sent Britney Griner to Lebron James basketball camp, hell send Candace Parker, and DT3 there too and see what happens.

AI and Starbury both need to get a sex change and play in the WNBA.

Some of those chicks got bigger dicks than some NBA players