And You Thought ‘Out of the Hood’ Stories Were Only For Male Athletes
August 7, 2008
Meet Krystal Vaughan, Washington Mystics rookie forward and another testament to what good can come out of hoods all over the country, and world for that matter.
Like Carmelo Anthony, she came up in a not so nice part of Baltimore, and like Kevin Durant, she frequently comes back home to Maryland to provide inspiration for family and friends still working their way out of the struggle.
But unlike those two guys, stories like Vaughan’s are not frequently told.
Before she was 10 years old, Vaughn had learned how to duck and run away from drive-by shootings that ripped through young people’s conversations as they gathered on street corners. When she was 12, Vaughn saw a man shoot and kill a convenience store clerk. When her family moved from the Freedomway projects off Federal Street to North Montford Avenue, neighbors regularly broke into their house. Older kids chased and picked fights with Vaughn, her older sister Marian and younger brother Lloyd as they walked home from school.
Women’s basketball can’t be so boring that people don’t even want to recognize stories of hard work and tenacity within its sport, can it? These are the same stories we hear about all the time in the NBA and NCAA men’s basketball, so why don’t the ladies receive love at the same clip?
If you took the name Krystal Vaughan out of this story and replaced it with a name like Kevin Vickers, you would automatically pay more attention. People naturally identify with those who look like them and share common characteristics. But for those of us who grew up in areas like this, and have experienced trouble like this, every single child coming out of these conditions deserves our attention and adulation.
Especially our little sisters.
Let’s Treat New York Like Cleveland
July 17, 2008
I don’t know if the Washington Mystics have a big time rival, but if they don’t, the New York Liberty can fill that slot ASAP.
It seems like the Mystics and the Liberty are always the last two teams fighting for playoff position. And for the last two years, that position has been the final spot. To that end, I suggest we white out, rap battle, and lose feeling in our faces for Alana Beard and Co. much in the way we did for the Washington Wizards.
After all, the Mystics have actually beat out the Liberty for the final playoff spot. The Wiz kids have yet to vanquish Cleveland, and they may have ruined chances of ever doing it by riling the King Kong of the NBA with last year’s trash talk.
It’s not like we’re far off. The Mystics have always been among the league leaders in attendance, and they’ll be playing four games in the next week to make this happen.
We got hype for Caron Butler. Let’s do it for Coco Miller.
Is Baltimore In the Running For A WNBA Franchise?
July 10, 2008
I should hope not.
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon has spoken with WNBA reps on the possibility of bringing a franchise to Charm City, based on the prospect of a new arena being constructed in the downtown area. But the truth of the matter is that a WNBA franchise in Baltimore would be destined for failure.
While Dixon acknowledges that an NBA franchise would be hard to lure, stoking the flames of the WNBA coming to the city should burn everybody up. Unlike most WNBA cities, there is no NBA franchise in place to spurn initial interest in a women’s franchise. With the exception of the Baltimore Ravens, no other professional team draws the demographic that would easily transition over to women’s basketball.
Hell, they barely support the teams they like.
There’s just no good that can come of this. Building a new arena for anything other than an NBA franchise doesn’t make good for the city, and bringing a franchise destined to struggle wouldn’t be a good look for the league.
Youth Stunts Growth For Washington Mystics
July 6, 2008
After a brief flirt with the 2007 WNBA playoffs, the Washington Mystics looked poised to make a solid run at the post-season in 2008.
But inconsistent play from one of their best veterans hasn’t helped a team where youth might be its biggest disadvantage.
The third most tenured player for the Mystics, Nakia Sanford has not lived up to the expectations she created with her 11 ppg and 7 rpg breakout season last year. Granted, she is 32 years old, and post players break down far faster than guards, but something has to come out of the paint better than 6.4 ppg and 5.9 rpg for the Mystics to contend.
And you can’t blame it all on Sanford - the Mystics’ roster features eight players with three years experience or less, and only three players with more than five seasons on their WNBA resumes.
Make no mistake, if the roster stays intact for the next two years, they will probably be a championship contender. You could make an argument for the Connecticut Sun, who feature six rookies, but talk to me come playoff time when they, and likely the Mystics, are looking up at ageless wonders like the Detroit Shock and Los Angeles Sparks.
Candace Parker Dunks, We’re All Used to It
June 23, 2008
Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker dunked yesterday, making her the second player in league history to dunk in a WNBA game. The other high flyer? Teammate Lisa Leslie.
So are we used to women playing above the rim now?
It’s still news because it doesn’t happen everyday, and it’s still exciting because some people think anything remotely close to men’s basketball makes women’s basketball worth watching.
There’s no shortage on preaching about how the WNBA should be viewed as quality basketball, but there is a shortage of converts to that gospel. Men won’t watch, and the league doesn’t do a good job of marketing its players’ stories to its predominantly female fan base.
And dunking won’t provide the long-term investment into why fans should stay tuned for more.
I like the WNBA, and hope that fans catch onto the great product and personalities the league enjoys. But for all that Candace Parker has brought to women’s basketball, dunking is the one great thing we already expect.
It’s Okay, WNBA. We’re Not as Sexist as You Think We Are
June 11, 2008
When Bill Simmons was great, he used to write columns that were delightfully arranged and occasionally funny. Like this one from 2005 about why the WNBA just doesn’t work.
Times have changed for both institutions. Simmons has burned himself out to the point of being a mockery of himself and becoming an easy target for Rick Reilly, and the WNBA is still plugging away with its short range jumpers and layups.
And the funny thing is that these days, Simmons would kill for the juice the WNBA now enjoys. The talent level has transitioned from middle-aged free agents known only to basketball enthusiasts, to college superstars plucked from ESPN broadcasts and the attention of casual sports fans.
Attendance rose for all WNBA franchises except four last season, and for a league featuring athletes without major endorsement deals or the benefit of the billion-dollar farm system that is present for men’s college basketball, that’s a pretty good sign.
And they might not be that far off. Candace Parker has been to the WNBA what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and LeBron James were upon their entrance to the NBA. As a direct result, WNBA jersey sales have increased, games are selling out across the league, and traffic on the league’s web portal has drastically jumped.
But like Bill Simmons, the one thing holding the league back from even more success is an unwillingness to reinvent themselves. Sure, you can package Simmons on a Podcast, E:60, or any other venue, but he’s still going to be the same cat trying to get love off of pop culture references you haven’t thought about in years, and a long-winded willingness to write in the same voice that you talk to your boys in.
The WNBA won’t let go of the "We get no respect because we’re women," kick.
Every year, the league’s marketing campaign revolves around the best of the women’s suffrage movement. Every time you see a great player sarcastically calling you out for thinking WNBA games on on par with rec league games, chiding you for thinking women are afraid of contact on the court, or smirking at you for thinking the games are boring, you get the sense that Susan B. Anthony herself would think that its all a little over the top.
It’s okay. Everyone does not like the WNBA, just like everyone does not like the NBA. Some people are just sexist jerks. Some people are racist, and some people just don’t like basketball. You can’t win em’ all, so there’s no great value in structuring appeals that speak directly to the most degrading perspectives in and around sports.
We just watched a 2008 NBA Finals Game 3 that offered up a poorer total shooting percentage than a drunken dorm room Halo tournament. In comparison of regular season, home-court shooting percentages, the WNBA and the NBA are hovering in 40 percent land.
Now is it really that much better watching men miss six shots out of 10 then women? Not really; we’ve just had a lot more years and plenty more marketed back stories to appreciate men not being able to shoot.
Chill, WNBA. We’re not out to end the league. We’re not even out to ignore it. Old habits are hard to break, but you just gotta appreciate the cracks.
Besides, what you all are selling is a lot more addictive than Simmons’ product these days.
No Shock Value In Swin Cash Trade
February 20, 2008
Bill Laimbeer’s run ins with Swin Cash were well documented, and yesterday they came to a close, as Laimbeer traded away his best player for the fourth pick in the April WNBA Draft.
The coach and player led the Detroit Shock to a WNBA championship in 2006, but butted heads in last year’s finals before losing to the Phoenix Mercury. It’s not the first time Bad Boy Bill has sent a popular and talented player packing, as he traded Ruth Riley to San Antonio immediately following the Shock’s 2006 run.
You might be thinking, “it was just yesterday that Cash and Laimbeer were tearing up the league.” You would be right, and then some. Just last week, they were partners in the All-Star Game’s Shooting Stars competition. Maybe if Cash had just been money on that half court shot….
Robinson to Return As Washington Mystics Assistant Coach
October 17, 2007
Crystal Robinson, a former WNBA Rookie of the Year and assistant coach for the Washington Mystics last season, will return in the same capacity for the 2008 season, the club announced today.
Good move for a team that came awfully close to the playoffs last season, and will probably progress further with continuity on the roster and among the coaching ranks.
