Politiks With Logik - Pilot Episode

The 8 Problems With The WNBA

     



Well since I can’t talk about the NBA due to lockout let’s focus on who’s currently balling, the WNBA. I’m glad that the women are getting shine in the pro ranks & that women don’t have to go overseas to go pro. However the marketing of the WNBA really sucks. I mean as a basketball fan I’m not motivated to see the game, yet when it’s a women’s college game I can actually watch that. So it’s not necessarily the game but how it’s marketed to a fan, particularly a male fan. I will list the reasons of why they are having problems.

 1. Too much feminism in the commercials & marketing - It’s been 10 years since the WNBA started, can you finally stop the “We Got Next” slogan. That slogan comes across saying sub-consciously that “Men, you don’t like basketball unless you watch us.” It’s a bit rude trying to browbeat male basketball fans into watching. Remember your season runs during the summer & most of us men are running around outside. I think the feminists in the marketing department are killing their male market share. We may not purchase stuff, but we are the motivating sports fan in most households. Give us our respect

 2. Make a sure larger than a 1X - I remember being in the NBA store & looking at a New York Liberty T-shirt, & nothing was larger than a 1x. I’m like damn cause I’m a big Theresa Weatherspoon fan. You want to attract more male fans, but the gear is only for small children. I’ve seen the pics of men wearing WNBA fashion & it’s tight as hell (tight like spandex). Male basketball fans are of all sizes, so at least make some decent sized T-shirts & hats.

 3. Find a league ambassador that’s attractive - Yes this sounds trivial & somewhat sexist however you are trying to deal with a male demographic. So you will have to deal with our lack of attention. Manly looking women don’t keep our attention so even though they are the stars we are like “ugh”. Remember Kobe Bryant is a great player but a lot of women are attracted to him as well. This helps in selling the NBA to women. How many casual female fans love Kobe Bryant? A whole damn lot. You need to use the same tactic for the casual male WNBA fan. At least it would be great for promoting the league.

 4. Lower The Rims - Dunks should not be a rarity. You can at least lower the rims by about 6 to 8 inches. What would be better than a WNBA dunkface poster? I think the ability that anyone can get potentially embarrassed would greatly help the sport.

 5. More critical commentary - The commentators are too soft in the WNBA. The great thing about Charles Barkley is that he’s critical of players, coaches, & the refs. A lot of the experts & commentators don’t real get critical of players, coaches, or player’s execution during plays. It makes it feel like there’s no effort for the player’s to become better, especially the teams that have losing records.

 6. Where Are You? - During the off-season you never see any of the WNBA players except for being at a Women’s NCAA game or an NBA game. You don’t see them at other events or even trying to be more public. Hey when Michael Jordan was retired you would still see ESPN report about him playing baseball or playing golf. Don’t just be about women’s basketball, be about basketball period.

 7. Your Ambassador Should Be Lively - It’s funny that the NBA has had various personalities that have represented & that has helped it. You have players like Dennis Rodman, Charles Barkley, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, & of course Shaquille O’Neal. Even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did a few movies, particularly Airplane 2 where he played a pilot who denied he was Kareem. Real funny stuff, that’s classic stuff. Kareem to this day comes across serious & somewhat shunning the limelight, but he still has personality.

 8. Video Games - Yeah y’all need to work out something with EA Sports. I mean 10 years & y’all are still only on NBA Jam or NBA Street: Homecourt. Come on really. Remember you are trying to get into the male market share, this is the way.

 Now the commissioner of the WNBA has all rights to ignore this however let’s look at your league. Some of your smaller market teams need to have sponsors on their jerseys now. That’s sad, cause they look like rec league tournament jerseys now. I’m just speaking as a male fan who can’t identify with the league. Now if y’all trying to treat the league like the Oxygen Network, then hey. I’m trying to help the league get your money.