[Delta]

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/201...university

Quote:

Jesse Eisenberg went to a women's basketball game and got schooled in more than sports

This story was originally published on inStyle.com.

For the last six months, I’ve been living in Bloomington, Indiana, a quaint midwestern city dwarfed by the massive campus of Indiana University. Like many college towns, Bloomington is a hotbed for community activism. Just this month, I went to a meeting for immigrants’ rights, volunteered at a domestic violence shelter, served pizza to the local homeless population at an Episcopal church, and sang in a choir to combat climate change.

I love being part of this energetic and compassionate community—I’m from New York City where the closest thing we have to a community is a co-op in Brooklyn that has security guards to make sure no non-members get their hands on organic squash.

Last month, my family decided to go to an Indiana University women’s basketball game. We had met their star coach, Teri Moren, at an event for the domestic violence shelter and wanted to support our sister-in-arms. I’m a lifelong NBA fan, but I have never watched a WNBA game, nor a women’s college game. I’ll admit, I harbored the kind of naive assumption that this game couldn’t possibly be played by anyone other than Lebron James and his 500 friends in the NBA. When we entered the quarter-filled the arena, I thought I’d be proven right.

Just before tip-off, the lights dimmed and Kanye West’s pump-up anthem “Power” blasted from the sound system. The massive screens suspended above the court introduced the players in a pulsing montage. Jenn Anderson—IU’s fierce center—stared down the lens. The team’s Swiss Army Knife of a forward Amanda Cahill flexed her biceps. Shooting guard Alexis Gassion took a power stance. Three-point ace Karlee McBride nodded to the bass. And MVP point guard Tyra Buss tore off her breakaway pants.

As exciting as the pre-game show was, the real game blew me away. Their style of play is team-oriented, not superstar driven like the NBA. They pass first, set complicated plays, shoot only when open; for a basketball fan, it was like traveling back in time to a pure, graceful, fundamental game. The team is led by Buss, IU’s exhilarating point guard, who plays like a kamikaze pilot. She dives for loose balls, takes hard fouls and somehow, miraculously, gets back up every time, like an inflatable punching bag or a trick birthday candle.

Watching Coach Moren on the sidelines is almost as riveting as watching the game. Wearing four-inch heels, she stalks the sidelines, the team’s Sixth Woman, involved in every play like a bowler who just threw their ball down the lane and is telepathically trying to steer it toward the pins.

Much has been written about the disparity between men’s and women’s basketball, but being in that arena, it felt personal. Why does the male version of this game have a monopoly on the inventory of footlocker while the women’s game barely has a foothold on ESPN3?

With a mix of curiosity and a feeling of injustice, I asked coach Moren and Buss what their experience was playing a game so dominated by men. They both discussed the strange dichotomy they felt. “Some of the things that guys don’t have to do in order to succeed, we have to do,” Moren explained. “They’re taller, more athletic, anticipate better, are quicker laterally. For us to be successful and to make the big things happen, we have to do the little things really, really well.”

But Moren and Buss have found an empowering silver lining: Because they can’t rely on the individual prowess of a single player as men’s teams often do, they collaborate in a way that transcends ego.

I was surprised that they never lamented the difference in popularity between their team and the men’s team. Instead, they just focused on “growing” their game and inspiring the next generation of young athletic women; after each home game, Buss and her teammates spend a half hour on the court to meet their fans. This community engagement has not only had an effect on their attendance but on the community’s young women, who now have direct access to real players, not just their endorsed shoes.

After we spoke, I asked if I could play one-on-one with Buss. I knew she’d kick my ass, but I wasn’t sure how badly. I suspected it might feel like playing my dad when I was a kid: that I’d be totally dominated. And, for the most part, I was. Even though I was able score a couple points and even muscle in for a rebound, she ran circles around me, shot like an archer, and even threw herself on the floor to hit a layup.

She did what her team does every game: whatever it takes to win. And that’s why necessity is the mother—not the father—of invention.

I have no problem with the existence of women's sports, but I'm tired of being lectured about the "injustice" of them being less popular than the men's versions. What possesses people to believe that fans have a moral obligation to have equal interest in two obviously unequal products? I look forward to enjoying the entire night's worth of men's Sweet 16 games tonight, probably won't catch a minute of the women's tournament, and will not be made to feel guilty about it.

PS- I recommend watching the accompanying video on the SI website. The Indiana point guard is surprisingly cute.

[cascadecombo]

Don't need to read an article written by an SJW to know why the WNBA isn't a big hit.

[BrewDog]

If I want sports, I'll watch college football. If I want soft porn, I'll watch women's volleyball.

[zoom]

Well yeah, they are owned by Time Warner which is the parent company of CNN.

[Extinguished Light]

Sports Illustrated, "Gentleman's Quarterly", ESPN, Esquire, even Playboy none of these outlets are really aimed at men anymore.

[brick tamland]

Immediately I thought about what happened to pro tennis, so I wonder if this isn't the start of a SJW PUSH towards a nonsensical outcome, like in tennis where the logic of economics was bypassed in order to bring about equal pay in the Major tournaments and a few other tour events.
The demand for women's sport is very low and the final product is woefully inferior. There's nothing the SJWs can do to change that.

[Easy_C]

Having a passing familiarity with that campus, that attitude from the women doesn't surprise me. There's a huge number of marginally intelligent sluts there but it's a greek heavy school and I got the impression that there's an enormous peer pressure on women at Indiana to be hot.

[budoslavic]

Like ESPN, I am not at all surprised that Sports Illustrated has turned crap for years.

This disgusting "body positivity" made me :




As a teen in the early 1980's, this is what I remember the most:

[The Father]

Women's sports will be more popular when women take an interest in them. I.e., never.

I remember a story a father of a girl told me once. He said that if a group of school-age girls was walking past a field, and their was a ball on that field, the girls would ignore it and keep talking - about other girls, clothes, boys, makeup, etc. But if a group of boys walked past a field...and their was a ball on that field...even if the boys were in suits on their way to a wedding, they were going to stop and play with that ball on that field! Every time.

Boys are wired to like play and sports in a way women are not. Period. End of story!

[Only One Man]

Yea I'm sure the reason nobody watches women's basketball has nothing to do with the fact that your average 30 something dude who plays in pick up games at the gym would be the best player in the WNBA by a wide margin.

[Delta]

(03-25-2017 10:41 AM)Only One Man Wrote:  

Yea I'm sure the reason nobody watches women's basketball has nothing to do with the fact that your average 30 something dude who plays in pick up games at the gym would be the best player in the WNBA by a wide margin.

Geez, what gym do you go to??

[PrimeTime32]

Hahaha. I remember my little brother played one on one with a chick that played 4 yrs at Oregon then played WNBA. He beat her everytime. I wanted to play her but they never let me. Something about me being to physical. She was only a grade behind me.

[Geomann180]

(03-24-2017 06:42 PM)cascadecombo Wrote:  

Don't need to read an article written by an SJW to know why the WNBA isn't a big hit.

Because it stands for the Would Not Bang Association, right?

G

[Kabal]

Why is this a surprise?

Professional sports and sports journalism is another conduit by which leftist propaganda is pushed.

The "wage gap" in Tennis.

Roger Federer cannot be the GOAT tennis player, just the men's GOAT (even though there are thousands of men and boys better than whoever the women's GOAT would be).

NBA players and their BLM and black victimhood non-sense.

The Patriots suddenly are Team KKK because it was revealed that Brady and Belichick are pro-Trump.

The Duke Lacrosse witch hunts.

etc. etc.

As I say from time to time, I enjoy the occasional professional sports game as well, like I can occasionally stomach films or TV shows.

However, it's pathetic when I see men, especially white men, get invested in this garbage. You are literally rooting for strangers who despise you, and patronizing businesses that despise you.

[DarkTriad]

(03-24-2017 06:23 PM)Delta Wrote:  

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/201...university

Quote:

Jesse Eisenberg went to a women's basketball game and got schooled in more than sports

This story was originally published on inStyle.com.

For the last six months, I’ve been living in Bloomington, Indiana, a quaint midwestern city dwarfed by the massive campus of Indiana University. Like many college towns, Bloomington is a hotbed for community activism. Just this month, I went to a meeting for immigrants’ rights, volunteered at a domestic violence shelter, served pizza to the local homeless population at an Episcopal church, and sang in a choir to combat climate change.

I love being part of this energetic and compassionate community—I’m from New York City where the closest thing we have to a community is a co-op in Brooklyn that has security guards to make sure no non-members get their hands on organic squash.

Last month, my family decided to go to an Indiana University women’s basketball game. We had met their star coach, Teri Moren, at an event for the domestic violence shelter and wanted to support our sister-in-arms. I’m a lifelong NBA fan, but I have never watched a WNBA game, nor a women’s college game. I’ll admit, I harbored the kind of naive assumption that this game couldn’t possibly be played by anyone other than Lebron James and his 500 friends in the NBA. When we entered the quarter-filled the arena, I thought I’d be proven right.

Just before tip-off, the lights dimmed and Kanye West’s pump-up anthem “Power” blasted from the sound system. The massive screens suspended above the court introduced the players in a pulsing montage. Jenn Anderson—IU’s fierce center—stared down the lens. The team’s Swiss Army Knife of a forward Amanda Cahill flexed her biceps. Shooting guard Alexis Gassion took a power stance. Three-point ace Karlee McBride nodded to the bass. And MVP point guard Tyra Buss tore off her breakaway pants.

As exciting as the pre-game show was, the real game blew me away. Their style of play is team-oriented, not superstar driven like the NBA. They pass first, set complicated plays, shoot only when open; for a basketball fan, it was like traveling back in time to a pure, graceful, fundamental game. The team is led by Buss, IU’s exhilarating point guard, who plays like a kamikaze pilot. She dives for loose balls, takes hard fouls and somehow, miraculously, gets back up every time, like an inflatable punching bag or a trick birthday candle.

Watching Coach Moren on the sidelines is almost as riveting as watching the game. Wearing four-inch heels, she stalks the sidelines, the team’s Sixth Woman, involved in every play like a bowler who just threw their ball down the lane and is telepathically trying to steer it toward the pins.

Much has been written about the disparity between men’s and women’s basketball, but being in that arena, it felt personal. Why does the male version of this game have a monopoly on the inventory of footlocker while the women’s game barely has a foothold on ESPN3?

With a mix of curiosity and a feeling of injustice, I asked coach Moren and Buss what their experience was playing a game so dominated by men. They both discussed the strange dichotomy they felt. “Some of the things that guys don’t have to do in order to succeed, we have to do,” Moren explained. “They’re taller, more athletic, anticipate better, are quicker laterally. For us to be successful and to make the big things happen, we have to do the little things really, really well.”

But Moren and Buss have found an empowering silver lining: Because they can’t rely on the individual prowess of a single player as men’s teams often do, they collaborate in a way that transcends ego.

I was surprised that they never lamented the difference in popularity between their team and the men’s team. Instead, they just focused on “growing” their game and inspiring the next generation of young athletic women; after each home game, Buss and her teammates spend a half hour on the court to meet their fans. This community engagement has not only had an effect on their attendance but on the community’s young women, who now have direct access to real players, not just their endorsed shoes.

After we spoke, I asked if I could play one-on-one with Buss. I knew she’d kick my ass, but I wasn’t sure how badly. I suspected it might feel like playing my dad when I was a kid: that I’d be totally dominated. And, for the most part, I was. Even though I was able score a couple points and even muscle in for a rebound, she ran circles around me, shot like an archer, and even threw herself on the floor to hit a layup.

She did what her team does every game: whatever it takes to win. And that’s why necessity is the mother—not the father—of invention.

I have no problem with the existence of women's sports, but I'm tired of being lectured about the "injustice" of them being less popular than the men's versions. What possesses people to believe that fans have a moral obligation to have equal interest in two obviously unequal products? I look forward to enjoying the entire night's worth of men's Sweet 16 games tonight, probably won't catch a minute of the women's tournament, and will not be made to feel guilty about it.

PS- I recommend watching the accompanying video on the SI website. The Indiana point guard is surprisingly cute.

They should quit whining, in a real meritocracy, the very best female pro players wouldn't even qualify for scholarships at men's schools. Everything they're getting as a pro is gravy.

[username]

(03-25-2017 11:16 AM)Delta Wrote:  

(03-25-2017 10:41 AM)Only One Man Wrote:  

Yea I'm sure the reason nobody watches women's basketball has nothing to do with the fact that your average 30 something dude who plays in pick up games at the gym would be the best player in the WNBA by a wide margin.

Geez, what gym do you go to??

Actually that is not far fetched. All the time women's national soccer teams play high school teams and get their asses kicked. Here are two:

1) Australia’s National Women’s Soccer Team Lose 7-0 To A Bunch Of 15-Year-Old Boys
source: dailywire(.)com/news/6072/australias-national-womens-soccer-team-lose-7-0-amanda-prestigiacomo

2) The US Mens U-17 soccer team played the USWNT three months before they won the Gold at the Olympics. The U-17 Men's team won 8-2.
Source: reddit(.)com/r/sports/comments/3ceeih/the_us_mens_u17_soccer_team_played_the_uswnt/

[Delta]

(03-27-2017 12:01 PM)username Wrote:  

(03-25-2017 11:16 AM)Delta Wrote:  

(03-25-2017 10:41 AM)Only One Man Wrote:  

Yea I'm sure the reason nobody watches women's basketball has nothing to do with the fact that your average 30 something dude who plays in pick up games at the gym would be the best player in the WNBA by a wide margin.

Geez, what gym do you go to??

Actually that is not far fetched. All the time women's national soccer teams play high school teams and get their asses kicked. Here are two:

1) Australia’s National Women’s Soccer Team Lose 7-0 To A Bunch Of 15-Year-Old Boys
source: dailywire(.)com/news/6072/australias-national-womens-soccer-team-lose-7-0-amanda-prestigiacomo

2) The US Mens U-17 soccer team played the USWNT three months before they won the Gold at the Olympics. The U-17 Men's team won 8-2.
Source: reddit(.)com/r/sports/comments/3ceeih/the_us_mens_u17_soccer_team_played_the_uswnt/

And what comparison is there between elite teenage boys and 30-something pickup players at the gym? None.

Best men > Best teenage boys > Best women > Average male pickup players

I'm all for accepting the fact that there's a massive talent gap between men and women *at the same level*, but let's not get out of hand with ridiculous statements. Gym pickup ball is about on par with low level women's college ball.

[Only One Man]

(03-27-2017 11:38 PM)Delta Wrote:  

(03-27-2017 12:01 PM)username Wrote:  

(03-25-2017 11:16 AM)Delta Wrote:  

(03-25-2017 10:41 AM)Only One Man Wrote:  

Yea I'm sure the reason nobody watches women's basketball has nothing to do with the fact that your average 30 something dude who plays in pick up games at the gym would be the best player in the WNBA by a wide margin.

Geez, what gym do you go to??

Actually that is not far fetched. All the time women's national soccer teams play high school teams and get their asses kicked. Here are two:

1) Australia’s National Women’s Soccer Team Lose 7-0 To A Bunch Of 15-Year-Old Boys
source: dailywire(.)com/news/6072/australias-national-womens-soccer-team-lose-7-0-amanda-prestigiacomo

2) The US Mens U-17 soccer team played the USWNT three months before they won the Gold at the Olympics. The U-17 Men's team won 8-2.
Source: reddit(.)com/r/sports/comments/3ceeih/the_us_mens_u17_soccer_team_played_the_uswnt/

And what comparison is there between elite teenage boys and 30-something pickup players at the gym? None.

Best men > Best teenage boys > Best women > Average male pickup players

I'm all for accepting the fact that there's a massive talent gap between men and women *at the same level*, but let's not get out of hand with ridiculous statements. Gym pickup ball is about on par with low level women's college ball.

Have you ever actually watched women's basketball? I have a game I play sometimes when I'm in a hotel room or something just watching TV. It's called "turn the channel to women's basketball for 90 seconds and count the number of turnovers+air balls in that time frame". It's always at least two of each, usually more than that. The quality of the game seems on par with 7th or 8th grade boys. And this is elite level women's college ball/WNBA.

Obviously the female basketball players have much better conditioning than your average pickup player at the gym but you give those guys a few months to get their conditioning to a higher level, and yes, your average decent pickup player is better than most of the WNBA. Maybe I exaggerated a bit by saying they're better by a wide margin.

Granted, basketball is probably the sport with the widest gap between men and women.

[Delta]

(03-28-2017 12:42 AM)Only One Man Wrote:  

Have you ever actually watched women's basketball? I have a game I play sometimes when I'm in a hotel room or something just watching TV. It's called "turn the channel to women's basketball for 90 seconds and count the number of turnovers+air balls in that time frame". It's always at least two of each, usually more than that. The quality of the game seems on par with 7th or 8th grade boys. And this is elite level women's college ball/WNBA.

Obviously the female basketball players have much better conditioning than your average pickup player at the gym but you give those guys a few months to get their conditioning to a higher level, and yes, your average decent pickup player is better than most of the WNBA. Maybe I exaggerated a bit by saying they're better by a wide margin.

Granted, basketball is probably the sport with the widest gap between men and women.

Some of the elite women's college programs practice by scrimmaging men who are ordinary members of the student body: http://www.si.com/vault/1999/03/15/81057...ship-glory

If you read the link, you'll see (1) that the men they scrimmage generally played high school ball, and (2) that year, the men were blown out in the early scrimmages but won narrowly later in the season.

Even writing off the early blowouts as the men needing time to get their act together, this indicates to me that elite women's ball is roughly on par with low-mid level boys' high school ball, which is certainly superior to gym pickup.

[TheOllam]

I liked girls sports in context of exercise, keeping women from getting fat. Unfortunaltey it turns some women too manly, or manly women end up dominating (See; Girls college softball, or some cross fit girls with big boxy abs)

Also Relevant:

[MPD]

"They’re taller, more athletic, anticipate better, are quicker laterally."

Mystery solved, coach. Sports are spectacles that require spectacular performers.

[Delta]

(03-28-2017 05:55 PM)MPD Wrote:  

"They’re taller, more athletic, anticipate better, are quicker laterally."

Mystery solved, coach. Sports are spectacles that require spectacular performers.

The pattern I'm noticing is that the women who play/coach the sport are keenly aware that men are much more athletic, and the only people who argue otherwise are clueless SJWs who still harbor bitterness about being picked last in gym class.

[Simeon_Strangelight]

Sports illustrated is gone the way of the Playboy and GQ - a magazine done by women, gays and cucks for women, gays and cucks.

https://goodbyeamericainaphoto.wordpress...lustrated/



PORK ILLUSTRATED

Great headline - she looks like a beached whale. And next to most guys in bed this would look much much worse especially if you put her in the pic next to a hot slim girl, she would look as if she had eaten her.

[mhnd]

When I was 8 years old these shits were gold and dudes would get jumped on the bus so we could look at semi nude pictures of Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks. But in today's world I would just snag my dad's smart phone and google image pictures of Little Caprice's gaping asshole.

^Whoever put her in this pose is a comedic genius.

Would bang.

[godfather dust]

Where have you been? They were talking about Bruce Jenner in the swimsuit issue (didn't happen.)