So with Christine Brennan talking about having the women's and men's Final Four in the same city, and people responding, I'm throwing out a couple of slightly thought out thoughts:

The other Donna says:

"I think it's time," University of Miami president Donna Shalala said in a telephone interview. "We've tried separate but equal, and it just doesn't raise the level of visibility. I'm thinking Friday-Sunday for the women and Saturday-Monday, as it is now, for the men. You'd have the whole press corps there to cover the men, so they could cover the women, too."

I say:

The Final Four is not the problem. That baby is sold out. It's the entire season through the regionals. If you want to raise media awareness/coverage, might I suggest you read and act upon Kim's Tips? And Donna - what kind of job is your Athletics Department doing for your team?

Doris says:

"The passionate basketball fan is locked in for three weeks, and I think you should maximize that attention. The women's game won't be as big as it can be without attracting more of the male audience. If guys see the best players in the biggest games, I think a lot of them will be into it. We're a country of taking the path of least resistance, and if that means having the women at the same Final Four as the men so be it. You've got to make it easy for people."

I say:

The best teams are already visible on ESPN to millions of people. What makes you think having the men's game in the same place as the women's game will make the two groups of fans cross pollinate?

What makes us think that the fans of women's basketball are the same as the fans of men's basketball? Have people read the research done by the Taylor Research and Consulting Group? IIRC, it suggests that while college wbball fans tend to follow both the women's AND the men's teams, it didn't work the other way. It's got some really interesting stuff in there, so download it and put it to good use.

Geno says:

"It's an interesting concept that may have some merit," Auriemma said. "It would expose the game to a different level of journalists. It does have the potential, though, to get completely obliterated by the men's tournament.

I say:

About that "different level of journalists...." Making a bunch of writers who, at best, ignore or, at worst, denigrate the women's game is not going to be helpful. Ask Marie Hardin about her research. Or chew on what Kris Gardner of Houston Roundball Review said recently:

“My colleagues in the media – they make fun of it all the time,” said Gardner. Initially he covered the NBA, but was drawn to women’s basketball by the passion of the Houston Comets’ fans. “You hear the snide comments from people you hang around with – especially the men. ‘Women’s basketball? Who cares about that? Why should we bother even covering it?’”

We need to find and cultivate writers and sports editors who want to be there.

Finally, there's simply a lot of basic, un-sexy, ground level work to be done to promote the women's game and grow it to the next level of fandom. Some first steps?

• Energetic Coaches who understand building an audience is part of their job
• Better Quality Sports Information Directors who pro-actively cultivate media coverage and find creative ways to get the word out about their sport
• Athletic Programs that take advantage of the NCAA Marketing materials that are available. The NCAA has done a lot of the work for you -- but it does you no good if you don't use it. (And kudos to the NCAA for their marketing grant program)
  
• As Geno notes, ask/beg/make ESPN do a better job of promoting the game. Yah, yah, they've expanded their coverage to the full tourney. And yah, they had those great Monday match ups -- but promos, highlights, news items and ESPN Classics broadcasts are weak. And I'm not even going to discuss the quality of some of the play-by-play and color commentary people....
• How about a stronger cross-promotion with the WNBA? Moving the draft to the Final Four weekend was a huge success. What are other (NCAA legal) ways to connect the two worlds/fan bases?