Women's Hoops Blog

Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better


Thursday, May 12, 2005

WNBA.com has a new look, now more similar to the revamped NBA site.

One great thing -- the broadband season pass is FREE. It will provide live audio for every game all year. That's fabulous. Plus highlights. Maybe they'll throw in some streaming video games too?

Dotcom has had some problems recently, and it's never been as good as it should be.

The W needs to understand how important the internet is to its fans. We don't get to see many games on TV. We don't get to see highlights on SportsCenter or our local news. We don't have any shows like "Inside the NBA." We don't have a ton of print media coverage.

So we go to the internet to get our info. And the WNBA needs to do a better job of helping fill the void.

Why not have every game available for free in streaming video on the web? I know it would be expensive... but one of the biggest things holding the league back is that folks just can't see the games.

Why doesn't every team have someone like Kevin Pelton on staff writing substantive basketball articles for its website? That one you could do for almost free -- go to your local college, look for someone who wants a career in sports journalism, offer an internship. It's not too late for this summer. (Blaze, meet Timber.)

Why aren't Pelton's articles shown on the front page?

We all really love puff pieces about DeForge's favorite cardio exercise and Vicki Johnson's home redecoration. (Cough.) But why can't dotcom have some actual basketball analysis to go along with them? Why not try to teach us something about the game?

Why aren't the official blogs (Riley, Lobo, Meyers) updated more than once every six months? Why not set up blogs for some players, coaches, execs, who really want to write? Why not give a voice to some of the funny, quirky, even slightly controversial personalities in our game?

Rather than just trying to replicate the NBA's site, why not try to push the boundaries, to do things that no one has done before?

This isn't rocket science. The internet is easy. Use it.