Give Them a Chance

by Neena Chaudhry

The WNBA began its 11th season this past weekend, which should delight die-hard basketball fans who can now watch the sport virtually all year long.  The league features amazing female athletes such as Deanna Nolan of the defending WNBA Champion Detroit Shock and Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury, affordable family entertainment, and players who take pride in being role models for girls.  Yet the media seems determined to focus on dwindling attendance, the folding of a few teams, and the fact that the league is not making a profit. 

What many may not know, however, or choose not to focus on, is the fact that the NBA, which began in the 1946-47 season, drew fewer than 4,000 fans a game in its 10th season.  Even in 1984-85, Michael Jordan's rookie season, the NBA only averaged about 11,000 fans a game.  There were also many fewer teams back then and therefore much less competition for fans and media attention.  Comparatively, the inaugural game of the WNBA in 1997 drew over 11,000 fans.

What’s more, everyone knows that the name of the game in marketing is exposure, yet women’s sports receive on average less than 8% of print and 6.3% of television coverage.  Adding insult to injury, the number of WNBA games being televised has been steadily declining over the past five years, from 31 games in 2001 to only 21 this year. 

While the response by some may be that people are not as interested in women’s sports, the classic chicken and egg situation comes to mind.  In addition, we cannot discount the role of sexism, as demonstrated by a survey of 285 newspapers, which found that about one-quarter of editors agreed with the statement “Women are naturally less athletic than are men.”  Women’s teams should be promoted to the same extent men’s teams are, and the media should provide equal coverage for women’s sports.  Only then does a Deanna Nolan or Diana Taurasi have a fighting chance of becoming a household name like Michael Jordan.