A Column That I Appeared In...
Volume 71, Issue 99, Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Sports
Fighting Words: Battle of the Sexes
Fighting Words is a sports forum among Daily Cougar columnists. A question is posed to the group and anything goes. Their answers are ranked on a scale of one to five based on which one's the best at beating down the other two.
At issue: Has there been, or will there ever be, a female athlete talented enough to play with the men in the NCAA or NBA?
RONNIE TURNER (4 out of 5)--I think there's a better chance that a woman could play basketball with the NCAA men as opposed to playing in the NBA. I'm certain there have been and will be women are talented enough to do so, but there's a big difference between the college and professional ranks when scouts and general managers are evaluating talent.
Take the WNBA, for example. Only 43 of the 169 players currently on WNBA rosters are listed as 6-3 or taller. This means most of them are the NBA-size equivalent for most guards, usually point guards. So, if you're that short, you have to be able to bring something extra to the table, such as superb shooting ability, good passing skills or rebounding prowess.
Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird is someone who could possibly make the transition. She's a great passer and ball-handler who can run the floor with agility and can hit the big shots, especially from behind the arc. She's only 5-9, but size doesn't always have to be the determining factor.
It all comes down to an NBA team willing to roll the dice on a woman playing out an entire 82-game schedule. Frankly, I think there's a better chance of women playing in major league baseball before they play in the NBA.
Though, knowing Eli, of course, he may not even know exactly what baseball is. Chances are, he'll be checking Wikipedia soon after reading this Ö
SETH MINTZ (4 out of 5)--Can you imagine asking this question 20 years ago? But seriously, there will be a day where there's a woman qualified enough to be on a men's team in the NCAA or in the pros.
Gender shouldn't be an issue. I would agree with Ronnie, in that women's sports overall don't fully match up with their male counterparts. But can you honestly say that talented women such as Sheryl Swoops and Lisa Leslie couldn't make an impact on the NBA? Maybe they wouldn't be stars, but they would probably impact games in bigger ways then Stromile Swift does.
The big detriment for women will be size. If women were to succeed with the men, they will have to overcome size; think Earl Boykins, who does a great job for the Nuggets.
Swoops, Leslie, and Bird and a few others could have possibly made it. Those women are the best of the best. It would have been interesting to see them in their prime try to join the league. We all see the kind of players who ride the bench in the NBA. These women could do at least as well as, if not better than many of the men.
When will women get a chance? I will probably not live to see it, but it will happen one day. Someone looking for an edge will give them a chance. The weird thing is I think the pros are more apt to give the chance then colleges because I think it would just be too odd for colleges to handle.
ELI JABBE (4 out of 5)--Yeah, I'm a walking contradiction: "sports columnist" that doesn't even focus on sports. I just happen to write about sports. My bad, Ronnie, if I have a life outside of sports. And yes, I'm totally clueless about baseball; it's that game where you kick a ball through a field goal, right?
This topic instantly reminded me of an old episode of Friends I saw almost 10 years ago, where the girls played football against the guys. The girls won the game thanks to Phoebe flashing the guys, who just stood there staring at Phoebe while her teammates scored.
Just as important as their skill would be the girls' looks. Sad, but true. It's a superficial world we live in. Sue Bird, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoops (two future Hall-of-Famers), could make it because they've got the game and the looks, something the teams could sell to the largest segment of their fan base: guys. Let's be honest. Looks are most important to most guys. Anna Kournikova is a popular tennis player; guys don't give a crap that her game blows. Why are Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry most guys' favorite actresses? You're ignorant if you think it's because they've won Oscars. Who has the most friends on Facebook? Attractive females. Also, don't forget that it's all about the money: in this case, selling tickets. NBA franchises, wanting to sell tickets, would probably only accept females who are skilled and attractive. I'm just being realistic. Two words: sex sells.
CHRIS ELLIOT (Judge Dredd)--Ronnie, you never cease to amaze me. I liked the point you made about height in the WNBA. That is a small percentage under 6-3. And if you actually think about it, a majority of those players would be post players. Post players usually are not the best of ball-handlers or shooters, for that matter.
Does the name Candace Parker ring a bell? It should; she was the first woman ever to win the McDonalds High School Slam Dunk Competition with a no-look Dee Brown rendition. The red-shirt freshman leads a talent packed Lady Volunteer team with 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. She has already proven she can play with the boys, as she was seen dunking over 6-9 Volunteer forward Ryan Childress in a pick-up game.
Parker has been compared to the Magic Johnson of women's hoops. I think she should stay all four years, dunk on every girl in the NCAA, then enter the NBA draft. I doubt anyone would pick her up because people are so afraid of change, but after she develops, Parker will be 20 times better than Lisa Leslie.
That said, this round of Fighting Words goes to me. It may be against the rules, but I made the rules.
Sports
Fighting Words: Battle of the Sexes
Fighting Words is a sports forum among Daily Cougar columnists. A question is posed to the group and anything goes. Their answers are ranked on a scale of one to five based on which one's the best at beating down the other two.
At issue: Has there been, or will there ever be, a female athlete talented enough to play with the men in the NCAA or NBA?
RONNIE TURNER (4 out of 5)--I think there's a better chance that a woman could play basketball with the NCAA men as opposed to playing in the NBA. I'm certain there have been and will be women are talented enough to do so, but there's a big difference between the college and professional ranks when scouts and general managers are evaluating talent.
Take the WNBA, for example. Only 43 of the 169 players currently on WNBA rosters are listed as 6-3 or taller. This means most of them are the NBA-size equivalent for most guards, usually point guards. So, if you're that short, you have to be able to bring something extra to the table, such as superb shooting ability, good passing skills or rebounding prowess.
Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird is someone who could possibly make the transition. She's a great passer and ball-handler who can run the floor with agility and can hit the big shots, especially from behind the arc. She's only 5-9, but size doesn't always have to be the determining factor.
It all comes down to an NBA team willing to roll the dice on a woman playing out an entire 82-game schedule. Frankly, I think there's a better chance of women playing in major league baseball before they play in the NBA.
Though, knowing Eli, of course, he may not even know exactly what baseball is. Chances are, he'll be checking Wikipedia soon after reading this Ö
SETH MINTZ (4 out of 5)--Can you imagine asking this question 20 years ago? But seriously, there will be a day where there's a woman qualified enough to be on a men's team in the NCAA or in the pros.
Gender shouldn't be an issue. I would agree with Ronnie, in that women's sports overall don't fully match up with their male counterparts. But can you honestly say that talented women such as Sheryl Swoops and Lisa Leslie couldn't make an impact on the NBA? Maybe they wouldn't be stars, but they would probably impact games in bigger ways then Stromile Swift does.
The big detriment for women will be size. If women were to succeed with the men, they will have to overcome size; think Earl Boykins, who does a great job for the Nuggets.
Swoops, Leslie, and Bird and a few others could have possibly made it. Those women are the best of the best. It would have been interesting to see them in their prime try to join the league. We all see the kind of players who ride the bench in the NBA. These women could do at least as well as, if not better than many of the men.
When will women get a chance? I will probably not live to see it, but it will happen one day. Someone looking for an edge will give them a chance. The weird thing is I think the pros are more apt to give the chance then colleges because I think it would just be too odd for colleges to handle.
ELI JABBE (4 out of 5)--Yeah, I'm a walking contradiction: "sports columnist" that doesn't even focus on sports. I just happen to write about sports. My bad, Ronnie, if I have a life outside of sports. And yes, I'm totally clueless about baseball; it's that game where you kick a ball through a field goal, right?
This topic instantly reminded me of an old episode of Friends I saw almost 10 years ago, where the girls played football against the guys. The girls won the game thanks to Phoebe flashing the guys, who just stood there staring at Phoebe while her teammates scored.
Just as important as their skill would be the girls' looks. Sad, but true. It's a superficial world we live in. Sue Bird, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoops (two future Hall-of-Famers), could make it because they've got the game and the looks, something the teams could sell to the largest segment of their fan base: guys. Let's be honest. Looks are most important to most guys. Anna Kournikova is a popular tennis player; guys don't give a crap that her game blows. Why are Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry most guys' favorite actresses? You're ignorant if you think it's because they've won Oscars. Who has the most friends on Facebook? Attractive females. Also, don't forget that it's all about the money: in this case, selling tickets. NBA franchises, wanting to sell tickets, would probably only accept females who are skilled and attractive. I'm just being realistic. Two words: sex sells.
CHRIS ELLIOT (Judge Dredd)--Ronnie, you never cease to amaze me. I liked the point you made about height in the WNBA. That is a small percentage under 6-3. And if you actually think about it, a majority of those players would be post players. Post players usually are not the best of ball-handlers or shooters, for that matter.
Does the name Candace Parker ring a bell? It should; she was the first woman ever to win the McDonalds High School Slam Dunk Competition with a no-look Dee Brown rendition. The red-shirt freshman leads a talent packed Lady Volunteer team with 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. She has already proven she can play with the boys, as she was seen dunking over 6-9 Volunteer forward Ryan Childress in a pick-up game.
Parker has been compared to the Magic Johnson of women's hoops. I think she should stay all four years, dunk on every girl in the NCAA, then enter the NBA draft. I doubt anyone would pick her up because people are so afraid of change, but after she develops, Parker will be 20 times better than Lisa Leslie.
That said, this round of Fighting Words goes to me. It may be against the rules, but I made the rules.