Reggie Miller has a differing point of view on women's hoops. This post really doesn't serve to point out much, except to note your disdain for women's basketball, and women's sports in general.

Is the women's game the same as the men's game? No, but does that mean it is without merit? I think not. You could make the same false argument about women's golf or women's tennis. Both differ substantially from the men's game at every level, but it does not mean that the women's game is any less appealing, and as a matter of fact, the women's tennis game for many years was far more enjoyable and exciting to watch than the men's game with higher viewer ratings and far more top level performers competing at each tournament.

You do yourself, the community and sports a disservice by blithely posting such a negative column of personal distaste. You might want to put together a focus group at the old paper, and find out a thing or two before dismissing women's athletics completely. Four women graduate from college for every three men today. That is an increase from the six women to five men ratio of graduation from college in the 1990s. The current trend projection for gender graduates has women at a 3 to 2 ratio over men by 2017. These numbers come from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Why not spend some time enjoying the women's game, or maybe how to get little boys interested in learning again. Given the trend line there might not be men's athletics at the collegiate level for much longer. As it stands today most of the participants playing in the men's version of March Madness will never graduate anyway, and have no business sucking up space in colleges. Women athletes almost always graduate.  

Now, now, Mr. Priest, don't get your knickers all in a bunch because a caller hung up on you. Come on, that's a daily occurrence at a newspaper. Don't use it to badmouth women's basketball.

By the way, I WOULD pay to watch your unborn daughter play basketball. That would be, well, a little freaky, but definitely a first.

Graduation rates don't sell NCAA tournament advertising, adam. Save your statistics for when I'm talking about graduation rates. That's comparing apples to popsicles. To completely misquote one Allen Iverson; "We're not talking about grades; we're talking about a game."

I have absolutely no problem with any other women's sport. You might have skipped over this sentence so I'll copy and paste and then bold and italicize for you: Give me softball, track and field, volleyball, field hockey, lacrosse, water polo, figure skating, ... anything but girls' basketball.

Women's basketball fans are the biggest offenders of using the vaunted Title IX defense at every chance they get. Prove your worth on the court (hardwood) and in the stands. Prove your worth to advertisers. That's my argument for Jane Hasten,

Laurah ... hang-up phone calls aren't a daily occurrence. We've had some dousies in the past few months but it was Ms. Hasten's tone, her insinuation of how I treat my wife that struck a nerve. It was a personal attack that didn't need to be.

You get the feeling that it's become the norm in society to lob grenades and hope you hit what you're aiming for. Ms. Hasten lobbed it and didn't care who she was talking to. Unfortunately, she just added fuel to my disdain of women's basketball fans and the sport.

Lastrites, I didn't skip over over the list of sports you provided. Those games generate squat for attendance, with only family and friends of those engaged on the field in attendance to watch. Your comment on the advertising revenue- Graduation rates don't sell NCAA tournament advertising- says it all about what collegiate athletics has truly become, a really dirty business that only seems to reward a very small percentage of schools, administrators and coaches.

I also have no idea what your complaint about Title IX could be. Understand that way more women are enrolled today with way more families lifting the financial weight for the privilege to get that degree. Women legally are entitled to equal treatment under the law, sorry you don't seem to approve. 

I just don't understand the rant, other than you hate women's basketball. So what?  Not acknowledging the pathetic graduation rate for college basketball and college football players doesn't change the fact that it is a crisis situation of failure by schools and citizens to come to terms with. I think the public should demand more for their tax dollars from male student athletes today. Those are big dollars going to people who could care less about the institution, learning and their "chosen" community. These athletes are only in it for themselves. Pure selfishness! Give the money to deserving students who care about education. Women play for the love of the game today, and you can see the joy when they play. For men it is all about the money, and so few realize that such a small percentage of them will ever make a nickel for all their efforts.

I think a person is entitled to complain about the lack of coverage for a major women's sport in the paper. It might be a reason why circulation is way off throughout the nation for daily papers. Your target audience is wrong. You keep writing to men who cannot read, and turn off interested intelligent women in the process.

My blog is my opinion and not that of the Californian's. My disdain for college women's basketball has nothing to do with how we cover the sport.

The Californian conducted a sports survey in July 2006. Reading habits of the sports pages haven't changed that much in three years. College women's sports is a blip on the radar, according to the 500 readers (diehard and infrequent) that were surveyed.

The size of the basketball bracket, which was the sole reason for Ms. Hansen's phone call, has to do with MONEY. The men, whether they finish their degree or not, have viewership and readership. Not women.

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'But there is nothing sexy about women playing fundamental defense and running a motion offense at the college level.'  Italics mine.

Here I thought the notion that women and men had gotten beyond stereotypes of each other. Be sure to have that un-born daughter of yours be "sexy" as soon as she is able. I imagine your perspective might change a bit~ ask some dads with daughters.

Sagefever

Poor choice of words given the subject but a secondary definition for sexy is highly appealing or interesting.

LOL~ oh yes that is what came to mind immediately. I am sure most men think that when they say "sexy".....but I am just an old crone,so what do I know? ;-)

This blog shows nothing but your immaturity and outright bigotry of some women playing a sport they happen to enjoy, what would you rather have these women do?, hang out and join gangs or get pregnant? I cannot believe this is a serious blog topic, you sir are an idiot, grow up.

I don't like watching women's college basketball. That's subjective, not bigotry.  I enjoy watching women's volleyball, softball, figure skating, luge, bobsled, billiards, gymnastics, water polo, etc.

But I also think cheerleading isn't a sport.

"I've never really had a problem with college women's basketball until this most recent and absolutely ridiculous phone call from one Jane Hasten."

Gee.  I'm sorry Jane ruined it for ya.  I'm sorry that, after her phone call, you were forced to do all that research to support a view that you never previously had until she called.

I personally never watch any sports of any kind because I think they're boring and I have better things to do, but I don't blame Michael Vick for that.  I don't blame all the steroided-out baseball players, either.

Maybe because I'm not ashamed of it.

Actually, I've always had a disdain for women's basketball. Just didn't have a reason to explain it. It took 20 minutes of research to prove a point. I'd rather use that time in research than watching boring women's basketball.

LOL LastRites!!!

Touche, Damnit!

So really, I just want to be clear here - all these people are upset that women's basketball is being treated equally? Women's Basketball gets the press they earn, not any more or any less. Funny thing is, there are so many mens' sports that would be thrilled just to have an equal opportunity to participate and these yahoos are whining that in one of the few times women's sports is treated equally, it's not good enough? 

Do you realize how much it makes women look spoiled and completely incapable of being respected as equals? Seriously, from my very born daughter, stop now.  You know what you need to do if you want more coverage - get more fans.  It's the same for ANY league, male or female.  It wouldn't matter how much the MLS says they're *real football* they don't get the coverage the NFL does or the EPL does oversees. It's called equality - is it that hard to accept?

By the way, why is it that Title IX punishes boys if girls don't play sports? Do the Feminists really think that boys control what girls do? 

Oh yeah, and somehow adampayne forgot to mention the fact that schools are biased both passively (grades, discipline) and actively (programs and programing) against boys. Now, the way they *solved* that in sports was to enforce a quota system - why haven't they done that for education? I guess what's good for the gander isn't good for the goose.