Women's Hoops Blog

Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better


Thursday, January 24, 2008

Thanks to thesixthwoman, we've stumbled onto more words on women's basketball tucked within the maze that is SI.com. Columnist (and some might say, "an icon in the world of progressive sports") Dave Zirin writes from "The Edge of Sports," and his piece is entitled, "What we're missing: The Rutgers women are a story in perseverance."

He wonders about the cone of silence around the game as a whole.
But the resurrection of the men, doesn't sufficiently answer why the women's game lacks heat. The answer lies in the coverage, and the priorities of the sports media. Despite the exponential rise in players and participants, the sports media is still stubbornly male. While Imus at least took time to denigrate the Rutgers women, most sports radio folks barely mentioned their Cinderella ascent to the Final Four. In other words, silence, not derision, is the number one obstacle women's sports face. The maddening part about it is that women's hoop nation has proven that it has an audience and a viable market.
Geez, first I get all snarky about the NYTimes and their lack of coverage, and suddenly they start producing pieces on women's basketball.

Bored, I (and others) start poking at SI.com, and suddenly Dave speaks up. What is a mouthy broad to think about all that? "I am woman, hear me roar?!?!"

By the way, feel free to write Dave at siwriters@simail.com. Need a few hints on what to say? Check out Kim's "Media Tips."

'Cause if you're reading this, "YOU are fans, and YOU can roar."