Can Women's Basketball Gain Popularity?

Did you ever realize how much more complex the advertising of women’s basketball is compared to men’s hoops?

You probably didn’t, but women’s basketball takes a whole different level of thinking. With men’s basketball, you can just take LeBron or Kobe making a breathtaking play and put a Kanye song in the background. It’ll become an instant hit, and will draw viewers almost immediately.

On the other hand, women’s basketball has fewer players to pick from that play with the flashy style of the men’s game. Los Angeles Sparks superstar Candace Parker missed the first half of the WNBA season because she gave birth to her first child. This was a major blow to the WNBA because she was their main product. She won MVP and Rookie of the Year last season and was the reason the WNBA was gaining slightly -- and I mean slightly -- more popularity.

So why does men’s basketball reign over women’s with that much power? There are a couple reasons.

One of the reasons is, and I hate to say it, men are naturally better athletes than women. They just are. They are stronger, have better body control with allows them to do more with the ball, and almost everyone can dunk. Dunking is a big part of the NBA’s game, and everyone, including myself, finds it very fascinating.

Another reason is that the men’s season is on during the winter and spring, when everyone is watching. The women’s season is mostly in the summer, and not as many people are available to watch it. The men also play with a flashier style then the women, appearing on top plays almost daily. They make swift passes you couldn’t imagine, and sometimes try to dunk instead of going for the easy lay-up. That can sometimes cost them, because they miss every once in a while.

The last reason, I think, is because of the rivalries and the excitement of the games. The NBA has many more rivalries than the WNBA does, and everyone looks forward to those games. The excitement and atmosphere of the NBA games are outstanding, and even though the women’s game offers many exciting players, the NBA overpowers the WNBA.

NBA players get many more endorsements and a higher salary then women do, but I think that the men’s games are over-hyped sometimes. The women’s game mostly relies on the fundamentals and technique, while the men rely on flashy dunks and their strength.

The WNBA will have to do some strategizing to boost their popularity. But with Candace Parker back, who knows what they can do.

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