Tennessee Lady Vol News

[LVsinceJV]

Just saw that Rennia got waived by Minnesota

Lynx Sign Guard Odyssey Sims - Minnesota Lynx

"MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Lynx today announced the team has signed guard Odyssey Sims to a training camp contract. In subsequent moves, the Lynx have waived guards Layshia Clarendon, Crystal Dangerfield and Yvonne Turner along with forwards Rennia Davis and Kayla Jones and center Hannah Sjerven. Per team policy, terms of Sims’ deal were not released."

Wow. It is brutal out here.

 

[lvocd]

Lynx Sign Guard Odyssey Sims - Minnesota Lynx

"MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Lynx today announced the team has signed guard Odyssey Sims to a training camp contract. In subsequent moves, the Lynx have waived guards Layshia Clarendon, Crystal Dangerfield and Yvonne Turner along with forwards Rennia Davis and Kayla Jones and center Hannah Sjerven. Per team policy, terms of Sims’ deal were not released."

Wow. It is brutal out here.

CRAZY brutal.

If I were an elite women's basketball player about to graduate high school and soon beginning my college life, I am taking my choice of major extremely seriously and making sure to choose a field I could actually see myself working in after graduating college. It doesn't matter how big a shot you were on your college team, the chances of actually playing pro ball in this country are getting slimmer and slimmer. It makes less and less sense for young kids to plan on basketball to be their longterm career.

 

[VolBall09]

CRAZY brutal.

If I were an elite women's basketball player about to graduate high school and soon beginning my college life, I am taking my choice of major extremely seriously and making sure to choose a field I could actually see myself working in after graduating college. It doesn't matter how big a shot you were on your college team. The chances of actually playing pro ball in this country are getting slimmer and slimmer. It makes less and less sense for young kids to plan on basketball to be their longterm career.

I think we will see more elite players opting to play overseas rather than enter the WNBA draft if this trend continues. Either they need to expand for more teams or they need to retire some of the women who have been in the league for 10+ freaking years.

No way I’d be putting my name in the draft if I were a player in the 5-10 predicted draft range. Go get your bag in Europe and then find a team after you’ve played great over there.

Time for the players to show the league that if they’re just going to waive every draftee they might as well not even bother drafting.

 

[lvocd]

I think we will see more elite players opting to play overseas rather than enter the WNBA draft if this trend continues. Either they need to expand for more teams or they need to retire some of the women who have been in the league for 10+ freaking years.

No way I’d be putting my name in the draft if I were a player in the 5-10 predicted draft range. Go get your bag in Europe and then find a team after you’ve played great over there.

Time for the players to show the league that if they’re just going to waive every draftee they might as well not even bother drafting.

I agree, in theory, with the skip the draft, go play overseas, and come back later idea ... EXCEPT that now even that seems riskier and uncertain. With all the political unrest happening, not to mention the ongoing Griner nightmare, going overseas to play may suddenly feel less attractive to me if I'm 22 and just starting out.

And even those who do go play overseas, that life of not having a stable home, of being far away from family and friends, of the risks of experiencing feelings of isolation as some have admitted to over the years, well ... it's a lot to sacrifice.

It breaks my heart that this country can't support a robust league for women so they don't have to give up so much to do what they love to do for a comfortable living. And if sports newsrooms weren't so utterly dominated by misogynists who'd spent their lives making sure female athletes were only given minimal coverage, it could have been possible.

 

[Coach Jumper]

The WNBA is the poorest marketed brand in all of sports.
in the USA women outnumber the men:

Gender Ratio in the United States in 2020 is 97.948 males per 100 females. There are 162,826,299 or 162.83 million males and 166,238,618 or 166.24 million females in US. The percentage of female population is 50.52 percent compare to 49.48 percent male population.

No one takes the league serious bc the league itself doesn't take it serious.
As long as they ride the coattails of the NBA it will be this way.

They need to bow-up and realize how powerful they can be.
I hear "girl power"
When will I see it?

 

[lvocd]

The WNBA is the poorest marketed brand in all of sports.
in the USA women outnumber the men:

Gender Ratio in the United States in 2020 is 97.948 males per 100 females. There are 162,826,299 or 162.83 million males and 166,238,618 or 166.24 million females in US. The percentage of female population is 50.52 percent compare to 49.48 percent male population.

No one takes the league serious bc the league itself doesn't take it serious.
As long as they ride the coattails of the NBA it will be this way.

They need to bow-up and realize how powerful they can be.
I hear "girl power"
When will I see it?

Have you ever worked in sports media? I have. And let me tell you, no amount of "girl power" can overcome "deeply ingrained soft-misogynist male sports media directors who, literally, choose who gets publicity and who doesn't."

It's the brutal truth.

 

[Memvol44]

I agree, in theory, with the skip the draft, go play overseas, and come back later idea ... EXCEPT that now even that seems riskier and uncertain. With all the political unrest happening, not to mention the ongoing Griner nightmare, going overseas to play may suddenly feel less attractive to me if I'm 22 and just starting out.

And even those who do go play overseas, that life of not having a stable home, of being far away from family and friends, of the risks of experiencing feelings of isolation as some have admitted to over the years, well ... it's a lot to sacrifice.

It breaks my heart that this country can't support a robust league for women so they don't have to give up so much to do what they love to do for a comfortable living. And if sports newsrooms weren't so utterly dominated by misogynists who'd spent their lives making sure female athletes were only given minimal coverage, it could have been possible.

What is the Griner nightmare??

 

[lvocd]

What is the Griner nightmare??

She went to Russia to play basketball and now she is sitting in a Russian prison.

 

[Amb3096]

Lynx Sign Guard Odyssey Sims - Minnesota Lynx

"MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Lynx today announced the team has signed guard Odyssey Sims to a training camp contract. In subsequent moves, the Lynx have waived guards Layshia Clarendon, Crystal Dangerfield and Yvonne Turner along with forwards Rennia Davis and Kayla Jones and center Hannah Sjerven. Per team policy, terms of Sims’ deal were not released."

Wow. It is brutal out here.

Davis, Dangerfield and Clarendon? Really? So the WNBA ROY from 2 years ago and their starting PG from last season both got waived. I guess that Sims is expected to be the PG, which makes me wonder just how bad Dangerfield/Clarendon played in pre-season.

I'm not too surprised about Davis since Minny has McCoughtry, Powers and McBride all playing the off-guard/wing, and Reaves seems to really like Bridget Carlton. It might be too late for her to make a roster this late into training camp.

It's a sad reality that really good players just won't have the opportunity for a professional career in the US with how competitive it is to nab a roster spot.

 

[Amb3096]

I think we will see more elite players opting to play overseas rather than enter the WNBA draft if this trend continues. Either they need to expand for more teams or they need to retire some of the women who have been in the league for 10+ freaking years.

No way I’d be putting my name in the draft if I were a player in the 5-10 predicted draft range. Go get your bag in Europe and then find a team after you’ve played great over there.

Time for the players to show the league that if they’re just going to waive every draftee they might as well not even bother drafting.

The tricky part is that they need the WNBA experience to get the really good contracts overseas. Chicken...egg...

 

[Memvol44]

She went to Russia to play basketball and now she is sitting in a Russian prison.

Didn't she apparently break that countries laws??

 

[lvocd]

Didn't she apparently break that countries laws??

Jesus. I should have known you had an agenda in asking.

 

[Amb3096]

Have you ever worked in sports media? I have. And let me tell you, no amount of "girl power" can overcome "deeply ingrained soft-misogynist male sports media directors who, literally, choose who gets publicity and who doesn't."

It's the brutal truth.

@lvocd You know I love you and respect your opinion, but I disagree with your premise. The WNBA has long been a niche sport simply because it doesn't have the same broad appeal as the NBA. It's long been viewed as a watered down version of the men's game and that's not because of men in the media who are suppressing its growth. It falls below other niche sports (like the PBA) in viewership, even if those sports are getting even less marketing. If the product is solid, it will get support...which is why women's tennis can hold it's own against men's tennis as far as media coverage, prize money/endorsements, and player recognition. It also doesn't help that the WNBA doesn't have someone like Billie Jean King who worked selflessly to build up awareness and financial opportunities for women's tennis. The current/past WNBA players talk more than they act. They are still going overseas to make the $$$ instead of staying home and promoting the league. King skipped out on the big name tournaments while she was building up the women's tour in its infancy. At the end of the day, the WNBA players are still chasing dollars and that's their priority. Everyone has their prerogative, but it's a bit disingenuous to complain about lack of growth while not taking an active role in sacrificing to make it happen.

 

[sisaq]

Dangerfield understandable but not Davis.. Coach prably think Moore is coming bk

 

[lvocd]

@lvocd You know I love you and respect your opinion, but I disagree with your premise. The WNBA has long been a niche sport simply because it doesn't have the same broad appeal as the NBA. It's long been viewed as a watered down version of the men's game and that's not because of men in the media who are suppressing its growth. It falls below other niche sports (like the PBA) in viewership, even if those sports are getting even less marketing. If the product is solid, it will get support...which is why women's tennis can hold it's own against men's tennis as far as media coverage, prize money/endorsements, and player recognition. It also doesn't help that the WNBA doesn't have someone like Billie Jean King who worked selflessly to build up awareness and financial opportunities for women's tennis. The current/past WNBA players talk more than they act. They are still going overseas to make the $$$ instead of staying home and promoting the league. King skipped out on the big name tournaments while she was building up the women's tour in its infancy. At the end of the day, the WNBA players are still chasing dollars and that's their priority. Everyone has their prerogative, but it's a bit disingenuous to complain about lack of growth while not taking an active role in sacrificing to make it happen.

"Appeal" has to be cultivated, though.

 

[sisaq]

This is why I never pay wnba attention. When players still make 2 dollars and a professional roster is only 12 fukin players dosen't make sense.

 

[Lucy]

Didn't she apparently break that countries laws??

Why did you ask if you knew? Agenda?

 

[Memvol44]

Why did you ask if you knew? Agenda?

And what would that be??

 

[LVsinceJV]

This is why I never pay wnba attention. When players still make 2 dollars and a professional roster is only 12 fukin players dosen't make sense.

I get the marketing is bad, but all the players you knew and loved in the NCAA evolve and perfect their game in the WNBA and other pro leagues, it doesn't make sense not to follow.

 

[Amb3096]

I get the marketing is bad, but all the players you knew and loved in the NCAA evolve and perfect their game in the WNBA and other pro leagues, it doesn't make sense not to follow.

Because the majority of fans of WCBB are not fans of the sport, but fans of their team. And once the players graduate and move on, most of the fans don't continue to follow/support their career. Sure, there are some schools like Tennessee or UConn that have very dedicated fanbases, but they are by far the exception and not the norm.

 

[VolBalls33]

When most WNBA teams can't get 5K to a game on average there is a problem there. Not sure how that could be fixed, but something needs to be done about that. In a general sense most sports fans see the WNBA as a joke. Women's college basketball is finally getting some attention and does far better than the WNBA.

 

[37620VOL]

I think we will see more elite players opting to play overseas rather than enter the WNBA draft if this trend continues.

But not in Russia, right? You've got to choose carefully overseas now too. I don't think I'd play in China or eastern Europe either.

 

[VolBall09]

But not in Russia, right? You've got to choose carefully overseas now too. I don't think I'd play in China or eastern Europe either.

Yeah. I think we will see lots playing in the Nordic countries, Israel, France, Spain, Germany England

Stay outta Russia, Latvia, Poland etc until this conflict is resolved.

 

[Coach Jumper]

When most WNBA teams can't get 5K to a game on average there is a problem there. Not sure how that could be fixed, but something needs to be done about that. In a general sense most sports fans see the WNBA as a joke. Women's college basketball is finally getting some attention and does far better than the WNBA.

Exactly. And if it has a following so strong at t he college level why not in the pros? I lived in Atlanta for a total of 26 years (12 the first time and 14 the second). During the 2nd time I got onboard with the city community developmental leaders to bring the pro team to Atlanta. I went to the inaugural celebration that was held in honor of Kathy Betty buying and setting the team up. Met all of the big wigs like Donna Oreander (Pres). It was a great party. Chamique was there as was several high profile college grads. At that time I was a coach in the GA Pistols org. It alone had around 35- teams just by itself. There were about 6-7 AAU orgs of that size and about a hundred small orgs in the metro AAU. I went to many of the team's first 3 year's games. In a city of around 6M people there was literally 4-6000 sitting in the arena. I would see maybe 2 or 3 kid's teams there per game. So in a city that had around 4000 girls playing AAU, 36 or so were in the stands. There was ONE billboard on the west side of the city advertising WNBA. One!

I talked to Kathy several times and her goal was to bring the team to Atl and then sell it in a couple of years. I asked her about using some of the "free publication" racks in my own business of which there were over 400 store/locations. Our racks were located in every section of metro Atlanta. She could have put flyers in every rack for about 1500 dollars...She had no "true" ambition to grow the business, her goal was to start it up and sell it and let someone else grow it. As time went on the crowds began to get smaller and smaller at the games.

This is the marketing I speak of. I would have put flyers in those racks and invited every AAU/YBOA/Rec org in the metro to sit in the empty chairs and grow it by proxy. Free seats = more concessions, more exposure and ultimately, more growth. Atlanta wasn't unique, teams were bought and sold in other cities and the same things happened in them. They were so worried about losing the NBA's financial support that they wouldn't step out on a limb and get aggressive in growth. All I could do was watch it happen. I offered to step in and help, but the aim was buy and sell, not buy and grow.

Seems that it still has that same mentality. Too scared of taking risks to grow.

 

[LVsinceJV]

Davis, Dangerfield and Clarendon? Really? So the WNBA ROY from 2 years ago and their starting PG from last season both got waived. I guess that Sims is expected to be the PG, which makes me wonder just how bad Dangerfield/Clarendon played in pre-season.

I'm not too surprised about Davis since Minny has McCoughtry, Powers and McBride all playing the off-guard/wing, and Reaves seems to really like Bridget Carlton. It might be too late for her to make a roster this late into training camp.

It's a sad reality that really good players just won't have the opportunity for a professional career in the US with how competitive it is to nab a roster spot.

Minnesota could be preparing to tank for a season or two for a Boston or Beuckers, but the thought of Odyssey Simms being worth this level of chaos and destruction is pretty funny lol.