Non-Lady Vol Basketball News 2024-25

#34,126
#34,126
Rooster1 said:
Doesn't surprise me. I don't know a soul that watches the WNBA. I've never watched a single game and I'm a huge college WBB fan.
Click to expand...
The problem is that there are only 12 teams. I'm sure if there was a team from Columbia or Nashville a lot of fans from here would follow them. I am a Conn Sun fan, and what I found interesting is that there may be a player that you hated in college, but once they are signed by the local W team and you get to see them and hear from them every game your feelings about them change. You see them as people, and eventually you find out that they are not so different than the college players you always rooted for. One example, DiJonai Carrington was drafted by the Sun right after that controversial Baylor/UConn elite game in 2020. She actually is my favorite player right now, even bought her jersey for my grandson. LOL. Expansion is the only way to attract new fans.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: chuckiepoo, ShortyMac10, th2421 and 3 others
#34,127
#34,127
StorrsCentral said:
The problem is that there are only 12 teams. I'm sure if there was a team from Columbia or Nashville a lot of fans from here would follow them. I am a Conn Sun fan, and what I found interesting is that there may be a player that you hated in college, but once they are signed by the local W team and you get to see them and hear from them every game your feelings about them change. You see them as people, and eventually you find out that they are not so different than the college players you always rooted for. One example, D'Jona Carrington was drafted by the Sun right after that controversial Baylor/UConn elite game in 2020. She actually is my favorite player right now, even bought her jersey for my grandson. LOL. Expansion is the only way to attract new fans.
Click to expand...
I also really enjoy watching my feelings evolve about pro players from rival colleges. There is a pro soccer player from FSU who I loathed in college but am unabashedly pulling for now. It’s fun to see their game and leadership skills evolve too. I also agree about expansion. The rosters are so small, the number of teams so few, and players longevity so, well, long that you also don’t get a lot of new faces and/or storylines in my opinion as an outsider. I do plan to catch some golden state games when they are up and running so my opinion is subject to change!
 
  • Like
Reactions: chuckiepoo, glv98 and knoxvol52
#34,128
#34,128
glv98 said:
But why is the question. For you it's completely program not player?

I tried to watch over the years to check in on some former LVs and would watch them if I knew it was on and it was convenient. Got more interested last year now that I have alot more time and bc of curiosity how Jordy would do. Pretty sure I'll be checking up on Rickea next year. But it's not something I can imagine being as passionately involved with as I am college bball. I also never watch NBA until late stage playoffs.

I'm afraid that "college feeling" whatever it was, is about to end as college sports go semi-pro free agency. Probably an illusion all along.
Click to expand...
I can relate to what Rooster said to an extent. Honestly, there were 3 LVs that I followed to the pros: Tamika Catching, Candace Parker and Diamond Deshields. Part of the issue is that since Parker, there hasn't been an ex LV at her level. At best, they are solid role players like Mercedes Russell or Shekinna Stricklen. At worst they are instant journeymen who rotate in and out of training camp without ever landing on a team for more than a hot minute (Simmons, Burdick, Nared, Davis). Then you have the nightmare scenario where they play on a team with a player you absolutely detest and your dislike of that player outweighs the LV playing alongside her (Izzy Harrison/Diana Taurasi).

If WCBB goes semi-pro, free agency, then it will get dropped like a hot potato. Unlike the other sports where the pro version is usually the more popular one, WCBB will die a slow death if that were to happen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LadyVol1908, chuckiepoo, 1reVOLver and 2 others
#34,129
#34,129
StorrsCentral said:
The problem is that there are only 12 teams. I'm sure if there was a team from Columbia or Nashville a lot of fans from here would follow them. I am a Conn Sun fan, and what I found interesting is that there may be a player that you hated in college, but once they are signed by the local W team and you get to see them and hear from them every game your feelings about them change. You see them as people, and eventually you find out that they are not so different than the college players you always rooted for. One example, D'Jona Carrington was drafted by the Sun right after that controversial Baylor/UConn elite game in 2020. She actually is my favorite player right now, even bought her jersey for my grandson. LOL. Expansion is the only way to attract new fans.
Click to expand...
This IMO was the biggest mistake they made when they assigned teams to cities. I get they did it to try to leverage NBA assets and relationships, but the first 4 cities should have been Knoxville, Hartford, Ames, and Lubbock. Take advantage of the college fanbases and build off that, instead of expecting fans to show up just because you launch a team.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chuckiepoo, VolBall09, brittannica and 1 other person
#34,130
#34,130
VolBall09 said:
And I think a lot of the viewership last season was actually due to Becky Hammon. Not the players.

Becky is a huge sports figure and has stood tall on her own. She accomplished a lot and brought that back to WBB and has shown her adept coaching hand. People like to watch that kind of product!

But instead of championing her the league made more drama about her and Hamby’s issue which sounds like a big old nothing burger. Hamby took to social media and changed the actual narrative to support her poor me story. I appreciate that Becky didn’t take the bait and stood her ground.
Click to expand...
That's the thing. The WNBA LOVES drama and loves being at the center of it. They are also proving the old saying, "Any publicity is good publicity" to be false. It's like they need to change their league name to WNVA, with the "V" standing for "Victimhood". Let's see some positive press and stories for a change!

The Hamby things is a reason to stop rooting for players and teams, and unfortunately, the list just goes on and on. Many of the high-profile players really have become extremely unlikeable...even the ones that seemed to be nice in college. I saw the interview with Breanna Stewart where Shaq made the suggestion to lower the rims to appeal more to fans (yeah, I know...not the greatest of ideas), and she just came across as being so smug and condescending. They're lucky that clearly Adam Silver told the NBA/ex-players to play nice with them, because the WNBA players really do seem to push their luck in some of these appearances.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LadyVol1908, chuckiepoo, knoxvol52 and 1 other person
#34,131
#34,131
Amb3096 said:
Then you have the nightmare scenario where they play on a team with a player you absolutely detest and your dislike of that player outweighs the LV playing alongside her (Izzy Harrison/Diana Taurasi).
Click to expand...
That’s why it was so hard for me to watch Candace on the Aces because of certain players I don’t like, and once she got hurt I was out and didn’t watch another game.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chuckiepoo and glv98
#34,132
#34,132
Rooster1 said:
I'm like that with sports in general in that I watch college sports but rarely watch pro sports. It's nothing personal against the WNBA, I don't follow the NBA either and only watch a few bits and pieces of the NFL. In the fall I watch a ton of college FB and then I add college WBB once it starts. I enjoy college sports, not so much pro sports. I have no interest in following a player in the WNBA, after they move on I am focused on the new players coming in and stepping up. I'm a fan of the team. As an example, I know Boston won rookie of the year for the WNBA, but I never saw her play and have no idea what her stats were. I can however tell you the stats for every current member of the SC WBB team including the freshman.
Click to expand...

Rooster1 said:
glv, I've never seen A'ja play a single pro game in her career. I've never watched a minute of WNBA, have no interest in it.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I think I missed an earlier post where you explained. Thanks for being patient.

It's so interesting how polar opposite fans from the same program can be. I think you've landed on the sane side. There's a scary cult of devoted fans of Dawn, Aja and the "Freshies" on twitter who are unbelievably defensive and overinvolved in everything anyone who ever stepped foot on SC campus (and has a statue to prove it) does. They tried to have a fairly notable WNBA journalist deplatformed bc he said Bree Beal would not make a roster, which . . .
 
  • Like
Reactions: LadyVol1908, chuckiepoo, VolBall09 and 1 other person
#34,133
#34,133
Dawn just called a birdie flying into the nest on Twitter. Looks like she's getting Sara Strong.

I really don't worry about her stockpiling extra talent at this point, you can only play 5 at a time and they're already playing two full sets of
starters. The faces will change, some of the "lesser" AAs will transfer out. You can't do much better than undefeated with a very young team.

If we're not getting these players, I'd rather they stack up at one place than spread around the league.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: mcannon1, chuckiepoo, VolBall09 and 2 others
#34,139
#34,139
  • Like
Reactions: UTtoDC, LadyVol1908, creekdipper and 5 others
#34,140
#34,140
Amb3096 said:
Ah, I wasn't aware that they changed the access. I haven't subscribed for a few years, but it used to be much better and broadcast the vast majority of the games I wanted to watch.

Their TV contract is up for renewal soon. Perhaps they'll get more networks interested, but I'm skeptical. I know that by reading the media coverage, you'd think that the WNBA is growing, but it actually isn't.

Here's the all time TV viewing records:

View attachment 621582

Last year's Finals was #8 all time, and about 25% of the highest rated Final, which was their very first one. After nearly 30 years, people still aren't watching, so my guess is that's why they basically have to take what they can get with regards to network coverage. I used to think that putting the games on Lifetime was a mistake, but it seems that was a good relationship, at least for the WNBA.
Click to expand...
Thanks you for providing statistical data confirming that dissolving the Comets led to the demise of the W. LA and NY couldn’t handle it, so the league allowed them to fail.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: knoxvol52 and glv98
#34,141
#34,141
Amb3096 said:
In addition, they constantly compare themselves to the NBA while telling everyone who listens that they aren't comparing themselves to the NBA...then turn around and ask for the same revenue sharing model as the NBA.

The worst part of it is that they are being disingenous about it. These are smart, college educated people. Are they really pretending that they don't understand that the NBA is able to come up with such a profit sharing model because they rake in so much money that their fixed costs are easily covered, which allows them to be extremely generous with the players while the owners still make bank too? Applying the same model to the very modest revenue that the WNBA brings in would ensure that the players get paid, but the owners are at best breaking even and likely losing money by having to pay fixed costs out of pocket. They aren't stupid, and neither are we. And it makes them look at best out of touch with reality and at worst greedy by continuing to behave this way.
Click to expand...
Salaries would take a huge hit if the W did go with a revenue sharing program.
 
  • Like
Reactions: knoxvol52 and Volfaninfl2
#34,142
#34,142
chuckiepoo said:
Thanks you for providing statistical data confirming that dissolving the Comets lead to the demise of the W. LA and NY couldn’t handle it, so the league allowed them to fail.
Click to expand...
See this all the time, so I’ll put this here. 🙂


“One reason for the confusion might be that the infinitive and past tense forms of a similar verb, read, are spelled the same way: read. But with lead, that's not how things are. Led is the correct way to spell the past tense of lead.”
 
  • Like
Reactions: krichunaka, 1reVOLver, knoxvol52 and 1 other person
#34,143
#34,143
Rooster1 said:
Doesn't surprise me. I don't know a soul that watches the WNBA. I've never watched a single game and I'm a huge college WBB fan.
Click to expand...
Many of the S.C. fans I know or follow on social media do watch the WNBA. The Aces and Fever are the two teams most watch but now that Allisha Gray is in Atlanta many follow that team too. There are many who buy season’s tickets to the Dream because they can support our players when they come there to play.
 
#34,144
#34,144
Fun fact: If South Carolina beats Alabama tomorrow evening at home, they will have won their 8th SEC regular season title in the last 11 years.
 
#34,146
#34,146
Volfaninfl2 said:
See this all the time, so I’ll put this here. 🙂


“One reason for the confusion might be that the infinitive and past tense forms of a similar verb, read, are spelled the same way: read. But with lead, that's not how things are. Led is the correct way to spell the past tense of lead.”
Click to expand...







Our victory is a lead pipe cinch.
We'll hoist our banners with a winch.

Beware, beware under the bed,
something malodorous might be dead.


When wieners circle round the drain
whose wild predictions rot the brain

the best of all is what we've read
astray for sure is where he's led.
—-Ralph Waldo Doggrul


IMG_1574.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Volfaninfl2 and chuckiepoo
#34,147
#34,147
1reVOLver said:
Our victory is a lead pipe cinch.
We'll hoist our banners with a winch.

Beware, beware under the bed,
something malodorous might be dead.


When wieners circle round the drain
whose wild predictions rot the brain

the best of all is what we've read
astray for sure is where he's led.
—-Ralph Waldo Doggrul


View attachment 621780
Click to expand...
Nice
 
  • Like
Reactions: chuckiepoo
#34,150
#34,150
I said it before, the WNBA needs expansion to attract new fans. I really didn't give a crap about the W until the Orlando Miricle moved to Conn and became the Sun. Attending the games made it seem real and it became my basketball fix until the college game came back during the late summer. Fans are able to see former players as they come in with their pro team, and the players are always happy to get the great reception. It's funny, that before the games the fans show their love for the ex UConn player, but once the game begins, they are the enemy. When the current UConn team is on campus during the summer they always find their way to Mohegan to support their former teammates. The pro team isn't as lovable as the college teams, more physical, more intense, but you do become a real fan if the team is close enough to attend. You may be able to root for players that you did not like during college, or a great player in college is now a member of the local team. IF a team is close enough to attend, you will become a fan. Again, if the W expands, the fans will come. If you get an opportunity to see a game, just try it out.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top