It was a slogan for a cigarette brand, Virginia Slims, way back in 1968, but it still seems an appropriate way to describe the state of women's basketball in 2024: You've come a long way, baby.
(OK, calling a woman "baby" may not be appropriate to some. However, that's part of how far women have come, both off and on a basketball court.)
Yesterday I watched the women's NCAA championship game between Iowa and South Carolina.
It was the most watched basketball game, men or women, college or pro, since 2019. For good reason. South Carolina was undefeated. Iowa had Caitlin Clark, the all-time women's NCAA scoring leader, shown below.
Clark is an exciting player. Fearless. Makes 3-pointers from almost half court. Great passer. Strong will to win. I came to admire the other players on her Iowa team also, especially Hannah Stuelke. Aside from her basketball skills, Stuelke has a pleasing demeanor: calm, almost serene, big smile. Here she is with Clark.
But South Carolina eventually had their way with Iowa. Easy to see how the team went undefeated this season. Athletic. Quick. Relentless. Strong bench. Dominating 6' 7" post player. The national championship game lived up to its billing. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Tonight's men's championship game between Connecticut and Purdue, not so much. I'd recorded the game, and found myself fast-forwarding through it in the final minutes. Partly because it was clear Connecticut was going to win; partly because I wasn't into the game as much as the women's championship.
It's kind of hard to describe why I found the women's Final Four games more enjoyable than the men's. Here's my attempt.
The women's style of play seems more interesting to me. Sure, both the men and women have set plays. There's just something more basketball'ish with the women. A bit less individualism; a bit more teamwork.
Vibe-wise, the women are just as competitive as the men. They just aren't as annoying with their competitiveness. I see more smiling with the women. I see more tense looks with the men. It's sort of akin to the difference between a pleasingly mellow cup of coffee (women) and an over-caffeinated energy drink (men).
Both beverages have their place. I just feel that watching women's basketball is more pleasurable for me than watching men's basketball. I'm talking college hoops here. I don't enjoy pro basketball.
A story in USA Today, "Why women's March Madness feels more entertaining than men's NCAA Tournament" helped me understand other reasons why I prefer women's college basketball.
The women’s game has had moments before, but this is something different and transcends star power. The games (most of the time) are enjoyable to watch because it’s a free-flowing game with creative offensive sets and players who can execute those plays.
This is not a novel thought. Nearly 30 years ago, John Wooden, the great UCLA men’s basketball coach, said, “To me, the best pure basketball I see today is among the better women’s teams.”
Today, there is an unprecedented amount of talent in women’s college basketball.
...The women’s game also benefits from rules that are not employed in the men’s games such as four quarters instead of two halves and advancing the ball to halfcourt on a timeout. Because of two halves, the men’s game gets mired in too many free throws, interrupting the flow. The women’s game resets team fouls after each quarter, and James said the men’s game needs to go to quarters and consider lowering the shot clock from 30 to 24 seconds.
Is the women’s game more entertaining than the men’s game? Aesthetics are subjective. But the growth and enjoyment in the women’s game is undeniable in TV viewership and ticket demand. It’s rooted in a style that appeals to basketball fans, and that’s a credit to the coaches, and most of all, the players.
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