One of the sites that I visit and have a link to is Spartan Nation. This is a site that covers Michigan State sports along with other sports teams in Michigan. A week or so ago I was happy to read an article that shared my view on women's sports. What was even better is that it was written by a woman. This particular article applied to the college level, but I think it also applies to the WNBA as well. Here are a few excerpts from the article:

"Amidst its glow of feminism, however, lies a bitter truth: women’s college sports are not as profitable as men’s. Volleyball, for example, is one of the more popular women’s sports. Like true Spartans, the fans are rowdy and spirited, but they number about the same a high school volleyball game. Men’s basketball fans are paying up to $400 a seat, while that same seat can be occupied for $13 at a women’s game. When it comes to making money, the two just don’t compare. Most women don’t support women’s sports... most women prefer watching men’s sports. A defined audience is missing for women’s sports, and it is reflected in ticket sales."

"Women’s basketball has managed to find a niche audience and become the most successful of the women’s programs. Even with that relative success, they have lost millions.It’s a popular event for families because good seats can be purchased for an affordable price... The publicity MSU gains from women’s basketball makes up for mediocre ticket sales in the opinion of the administration. Not all women’s sports, however, have enjoyed this success."

"everything comes down to money... If MSU is going to operate like a business, it needs to stick to simple business practices.Equal rights also means equal accountability and if men’s sports are on the chopping block for not being economically viable then certainly women’s (protected by title nine) must also be in a “real and equal” world."

I would add that Tennessee's women's basketball coach Pat Summit (how many people know who she is?) is about to achieve 1,000 wins. This is quite an achievement, but the sad fact of reality is, nobody cares.

The same can be said about the WNBA. Just last December WNBA team the Houston Comets folded. This was an original team that had won 4 league championships. Now the current news is that the roster number will drop from 13 to 11. I don't know anyone who can name 11 players in the WNBA. When the Detroit Pistons won the NBA championship in 2004 the WNBA team the Detroit Shock also won their championship. They brought the two trophies to our state capitol. You could see fingerprints on the NBA trophy from people touching it and they had to clean it about every few minutes. The WNBA trophy was spotless and I never saw them clean it once.

Posted by Craig