McGraw and Staley on Uconn bias

[LasVegasBill23]

It’s not the broadcast time at all. USC, UT, any of the SEC schools get a huge advantage in broadcast coverage. What bothers me are the superfluous headlines on both the ESPN WCBB and wnba platforms.

It’s almost like Geno made an agreement with the NCAA to avoid a messy situation after Pat told him to FO. Little national coverage was the penalty. They have a great regional contract with SNY/FOX

I think i understand you..... ya "superffluous" headlines good way to describe it..... true obnoxious amount of UConn references.... I think at the same time..... if target audience is all those those interested in and potential watchers of WCBB game.... hard to leave UConn out of the marketing totally

 

[Rooster1]

When I commented on this issue after I read her initial words in December. I got jumped because what I wrote was perceived that I was telling Muffet should "sit down and be quiet". I never said that, just that it's best if she keeps her thoughts private. I still believe it's better if coaches don't go there no matter who is doing the talking but never said "sit down and be quiet". She of course has the right to speak her mind, I just think it's better to not broadcast one's feelings because it simply looks like she's bitter. I would say this to any coach who made comments about the heavily covered programs in any sport and regardless of their gender. That being said, this time her words were either reported or phrased a little more delicately and did not seem to come from a place of resentment.

Geno's success speaks for itself and McGraw had a great deal herself. Both coaches no doubt worked very hard to get where they did. I've always believed UConn got a lot of love from ESPN that was originally due to their geographic location. However their success made it tough to switch the focus to other teams and programs. Other coaches no doubt got frustrated at their exposure whenever there are several other great programs out there but none have 11 titles and have gone to 13 straight FFs. It will take more teams consistently winning titles and reaching those levels to get the attention off UConn and placed elsewhere.

I like McGraw, she was a really good coach obviously, but I think she is a bit off here. As much as I hate to say it, Uconn WBB is like Bama FB, due to the unprecedented success of both programs, and the “built in” media bias for both was earned by those teams accomplishments. That’s how media works, it feeds on success and if a team(s) becomes record breaking in stature it just naturally goes there. Both those teams earned their outsized coverage and that’s just how it works. I’m a fan of neither Bama or Uconn, but as a sports fan he’ll yes I respect and recognize what those teams have done, because we may never see that again and neither is done yet.

 

[Harvey Peak]

Sour grapes. McGraw doesn't like male coaches in women's basketball. She admitted that herself. She's not alone in that regard. Her last male assistant was in 2012, I believe. Had a token male as video coordinator or in some other minor role occasionally since. I suspect that having to play Auriemma's teams may have had something to do with her attitude toward men in women's basketball.

McGraw makes some valid points, but she's also been a whiner over every little perceived diss! More importantly; she BAILED on her team 2 years ago when the going got rough?? I'll ALWAYS remember her for that and her anger at Coach Jeff Walz when his player won ACC MVP Award and her player placed second? She did a lot of good things at ND, but she's spiteful??

 

[Rickster]

I appreciate McGraw for stepping up on behalf of women's basketball and saying somethings wrong. I know the Uconn fans are slandering her trying to make it about her but fans on this board are too smart to fall for that.

 

[sisaq]

McGraw makes some valid points, but she's also been a whiner over every little perceived diss! More importantly; she BAILED on her team 2 years ago when the going got rough?? I'll ALWAYS remember her for that and her anger at Coach Jeff Walz when his player won ACC MVP Award and her player placed second? She did a lot of good things at ND, but she's spiteful??

There's no "BUT" ..When someone says the truth, that's the truth!!!

 

[VOLPAT]

I agree. If UCONN was in the SEC they would not have been be a perrenial #1 seed with their path to the Final Four paved with gold. He has produced some great teams (with constant top ranked players feeding the system) but no way would they have 11 titles had they been in the SEC. JMO

Also interesting how U Conn. keeps getting handed the Bridgeport Regional.

 

[NeedOrange]

ESPN just hired the UConn beat writer from the Hartford Courant. Alexa Philippou. She's really good. She knows basketball and has some pretty good insight. She's worked at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Enquirer.

 

[chuckiepoo]

ESPN just hired the UConn beat writer from the Hartford Courant. Alexa Philippou. She's really good. She knows basketball and has some pretty good insight. She's worked at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Enquirer.

Congrats Alexa!

 

[brassie]

This UConn bias is true. However, Muffet and Staley's take on it is pure green eyed envy. Media and athletic organizations (NCAA) are all about the money. In sports winning generates publicity and publicity means money. That's pretty simple and I'm sure that if any WCBB team was as dominant as UConn in the 1st 15 years of this century then they would have gotten all the "bias."
Look at UConn's record from 2000 up to their last NCAA Championship. The team was 598 - 40 over that period. They won 10 National Championships of the 17 available. They had 5 undefeated seasons. Their "bad for basketball" run brought a lot of attention to the game. Of course they got the overwhelming share of media attention (read that attention as money).

If ND or SC had been so dominant for so long do you think the two would be whining about ND or SC bias? During that period the Irish had some good teams but they also had some mediocre ones.

 

[glv98]

I'm sure that if any WCBB team was as dominant as UConn in the 1st 15 years of this century then they would have gotten all the "bias."

We were and we did. Been there, done that, but current conspiratorial headspace makes alot of LV fans forget that. Back yonder in the LV heyday we got the pub for the exact reasons you listed and everyone else moaned and whined and said it ain't fair. Believe me, they were very sick of Pat Summitt and said so. Even said bad for the game. So yeah, you're right.

 

[sechamp2012]

One thing that helped (jump-started)UCONN IMO early on (1980's) was ESPN was a fledgling local Network (Bristol Connecticut) that went National because the State License versus the National license was virtually the same. They started broadcasting weekday (no other network did mid-week then) Big East Men games and re-running them all night to save money, that Men's Big East conference blew up and dominated men's BB for a while. ESPN Bristol Connecticut and UCONN WBB was a natural match and if you were an HS girl and wanted to be on TV it was the place to go.
in this drive-thru, media age ppl don't realize how hard it was to get on TV back in the Day. That's why Notre Dame was so big in Football they were the only team that had a yearly contract with NBC to show all their games. Girls and Boys want exposure.

 

[Voltopia]

We were and we did. Been there, done that, but current conspiratorial headspace makes alot of LV fans forget that. Back yonder in the LV heyday we got the pub for the exact reasons you listed and everyone else moaned and whined and said it ain't fair. Believe me, they were very sick of Pat Summitt and said so. Even said bad for the game. So yeah, you're right.

It's not conspiratorial. It's a statement of fact. ESPN helped grow UConn's presence, and sustained it by making them synonymous with the sport. If you were talking about women's basketball, you were talking about UConn - at least, you were if you were ESPN. Did Tennessee get outsized coverage in the 1990s? Sure. Was ESPN's level of influence the same in the 1990s as it was in the 2000s? Nope. Combined with the growth in ESPN's control of sports, it was a combination that greatly benefited UConn at just the right time. A sport with a moderate media footprint, given outsized investment and attention from ESPN as part of larger deals negotiated for conference rights as televised sports exploded in the last two decades. Not enough attention to cover everyone - just some. And one in particular got the lion's share, which helped them sustain themselves.

If you think UConn signing the top recruit in 8 out of the last 13 years wasn't in some part a result of their constant exposure from ESPN in the last two decades, well, okay. But that feedback loop was, and is, a very real thing. Less today, since there's more good players than before, but still very real.

 

[glv98]

It's not conspiratorial. It's a statement of fact. ESPN helped grow UConn's presence, and sustained it by making them synonymous with the sport. If you were talking about women's basketball, you were talking about UConn - at least, you were if you were ESPN. Did Tennessee get outsized coverage in the 1990s? Sure. Was ESPN's level of influence the same in the 1990s as it was in the 2000s? Nope. Combined with the growth in ESPN's control of sports, it was a combination that greatly benefited UConn at just the right time. A sport with a moderate media footprint, given outsized investment and attention from ESPN as part of larger deals negotiated for conference rights as televised sports exploded in the last two decades. Not enough attention to cover everyone - just some. And one in particular got the lion's share, which helped them sustain themselves.

If you think UConn signing the top recruit in 8 out of the last 13 years wasn't in some part a result of their constant exposure from ESPN in the last two decades, well, okay. But that feedback loop was, and is, a very real thing. Less today, since there's more good players than before, but still very real.

The conspiratorial head I was talking about is the many who treat the ESPN UConn bias as a shot against Tennessee. Of course they think everything imaginable is anti Vol bc its always all about us,. As you correctly stated in the rest or your post, and many have said many times, it's really about timing and most of all money. tI helped us then, it's helping others now, will probably others in the future. Whoever delivers ratings.

 

[xtpsrh08123]

AS usual another article about UCONN and more in depth . It's like ESPN seems to think people are only interested in UCONN and not any other teams smh Bueckers cleared, set to rejoin UConn on Friday

 

[1reVOLver]

Bueckers-Uconn. =1
Boston-SC=1
Marshall (conference change)=1
Clark-Iowa=1
Mulkey-LSU=1
SC-Boston=2
Horston-LVs=1

I see 7 headlines, 6 teams, including us. Where's the favoritism?

 

[glv98]

AS usual another article about UCONN and more in depth . It's like ESPN seems to think people are only interested in UCONN and not any other teams smh Bueckers cleared, set to rejoin UConn on Friday

There is no "seems to think". They know who people are interested in. They pay huge bucks for research to know. Much as they love UConn, they'd drop em like yesterday's laundry if their research showed someone else drove interest and ratings more.

That said, whoever is the current fave definitely gets a leg up in recruiting, just like we did when it was us. And everyone else gripes. Nothing new here.

 

[xtpsrh08123]

There is no "seems to think". They know who people are interested in. They pay huge bucks for research to know. Much as they love UConn, they'd drop em like yesterday's laundry if their research showed someone else drove interest and ratings more.

That said, whoever is the current fave definitely gets a leg up in recruiting, just like we did when it was us. And everyone else gripes. Nothing new here.

South Carolina should get the same coverage and in depth analysis . They know people are interested in them and yet the focus remains UCONN. And i find it hard to believe they would ever drop a blue blood like UCONN with as many people involved with ESPN that attended UCONN or has some type of affiliation .

 

[chuckiepoo]

South Carolina should get the same coverage and in depth analysis . They know people are interested in them and yet the focus remains UCONN. And i find it hard to believe they would ever drop a blue blood like UCONN with as many people involved with ESPN that attended UCONN or has some type of affiliation .

To be fair, the 11 championships, maaaaay play into your formula. Doubt they would be dropped like a tater anytime soon.

 

[brassie]

If there is anyone to blame for "UConn bias" blame Pat Summitt. She is the one that took the game that put UConn on the map.The Tennessee rivalry with UConn was the biggest story, and often the only story, about WCBB. She started a snowball rolling and it continued to roll after the rivalry ended. UConn got the lion's share of coverage because they were winning the lion's share of games and championships and setting unbelievable records along the way.

The funny thing is, if you visit UConn message boards almost everyone is anti ESPN.

 

[glv98]

They know people are interested in them and yet the focus remains UCONN

Source? Have you seen ESPN's ratings data? Of course they know people are interested in SC but the data they pay dearly for apparently still tells them UConn sells more. Highly doubt ESPN, like every big business, would sacrifice eyeballs and money to keep the old guard and cheat the new. But if you have numbers indicating SC is a bigger draw I'm willing to change my mind.

 

[Darth_Vol]

View attachment 435856

Bueckers-Uconn. =1
Boston-SC=1
Marshall (conference change)=1
Clark-Iowa=1
Mulkey-LSU=1
SC-Boston=2
Horston-LVs=1

I see 7 headlines, 6 teams, including us. Where's the favoritism?

 

[Rickster]

It's not conspiratorial. It's a statement of fact. ESPN helped grow UConn's presence, and sustained it by making them synonymous with the sport. If you were talking about women's basketball, you were talking about UConn - at least, you were if you were ESPN. Did Tennessee get outsized coverage in the 1990s? Sure. Was ESPN's level of influence the same in the 1990s as it was in the 2000s? Nope......

Bingo. This is exactly how I remember it as well. If you were a LV fan in the 80's, and you did not live close to a radio broadcast, you relied on calling someone who was to find out the score or you waited until the USA Today hit the news stands. If you were truly desperate, there was a long distance toll number you could call to get scores but that was pricy and slow to update.

ESPN didn't start doing a marginally adequate job of covering women's sports until the 90's and that coincided with the rise of UConn. ESPN gave enormous air time (enormous at the time but still minuscule compared to mens teams) to UConn but also started giving time to other programs as well just not on the same scale. The Lady Vols were definitely one of those teams that started getting mentioned but it was from a perspective of a UConn rival. The Lady Vols were often used as a UConn measuring stick but that faded as well once UConn started winning championships. That era gave birth to the Doris Burkes of the world and her UConn pals.

Pretty sure that was how it went down and I actually lived through it unlike many who were not born until the mid-80's.

 

[VOLPAT]

We were and we did. Been there, done that, but current conspiratorial headspace makes alot of LV fans forget that. Back yonder in the LV heyday we got the pub for the exact reasons you listed and everyone else moaned and whined and said it ain't fair. Believe me, they were very sick of Pat Summitt and said so. Even said bad for the game. So yeah, you're right.[/QUOTE

I think people were in awe of the band of Big Orange loyalists that followed the team all over the country and filled TBA to the rafters. It was exciting and I loved every minute of it. Coach PHS knocked more than her share of barriers down to achieve her accomplishments and she and her teams deserved any and all attention they got. All that said, what ESPN does is wrong.

 

[Tlm 1959]

Hall of Fame coach Muffet McGraw expands on 'UConn bias' comments

Others have mentioned this, but ESPN being in Bristol (not the Tennessee one) has to have something to do with the coverage. Both towns, Storrs and Bristol, are suburbs of Hartford. And Knoxville looks like a big exciting city compared to Bristol. The small-town locals are getting behind the local team.