Why am I "Rethinking Basketball"?

About the Blog

I was sitting around chatting with a friend about the WNBA’s “Expect Great” commercials when I was first inspired to write this blog. Since the league is set to come out with a new set of these commercials, I actually decided to get organized and start writing.

My friend and I were trying to figure out if these “Expect Great” commercials were effective and whether we liked them. After some deliberation, the verdict was “no” on both counts.

The tone was probably too gloomy and it was just uninspiring. I also have a hard time getting over the grammatical incorrectness of “Expect Great”. I guess it grabs attention because it’s so awkward….but whatever…

So after thinking about what the commercials needed to communicate, here’s what we came up with: in order to appreciate the WNBA people have to stop comparing it to the men’s basketball as inherently “inferior”.

People have to be able to envision basketball without 300 pound 7-footers and highlight reel dunks. Somehow people need to redefine their own conceptions about what basketball is and how the women’s game fits under an umbrella that includes many distinct variations: the NBA, FIBA rules, And1 Mix Tapes, NCAA basketball, and everyday streetball.

Hence the title of this blog – Rethinking Basketball.

This summer I decided to add the WNBA to my routine. And since I’m included in the WNBA’s latest target demographic, I thought it would be interesting to start up a blog. While watching the games available via webcast (when it’s working), I’ve been writing down my general thoughts about the league, players, and other random basketball thoughts. My goal is to put my ideas about the WNBA in writing and see how my own thinking shifts over the course of the season.

I’ve loved basketball since I was a kid, spent hours shooting on the playground after basketball practice, and spent too much time dreaming up my wannabe NBA career. I eventually gave up on that dream after not even starting on my high school team. But I remained an avid NBA fan. During the NBA off-season, I usually spend (or waste) my time watching NBA summer league games and imagining that my Golden State Warriors might actually be a contender someday…

By no means would I argue with people who don't want to watch the WNBA -- that's their business (I choose not to watch hockey, Nascar, and baseball's regular season). But it's the way people talk and think about it that I want to explore.

About Me:

I am...

• ...a longtime NBA fan and rookie WNBA fan who started following more closely after watching Candace Parker.
• ...very interested in the development of the WNBA, it's effort to empower youth, and how they might accomplish that.
• ...a Bay Area native who wishes we had a home team.
• ...a washed up high school player who never got over his obsession of the game.
• ...a former middle school boys basketball coach.
• ...a disillusioned graduate student looking for new ways to channel his writing energy.
  
• ...constantly looking for new ways to understand the game.

Q.

Relevant Posts:

Chuck Daly, Bill Laimbeer, and the formation of a basketball (junkie's) consciousness
http://rethinkbball.blogspot.com/2009/05/chuck-daly-bill-laimbeer-and-formation.html

Why I Like Statistical Half-Truths
http://rethinkbball.blogspot.com/2008/07/why-i-like-statistical-half-truths.html

Related Links:

The game you're missing
http://www.boston.com/sports/columnists/bob_ryan_blog/2008/06/the_game_youre.html

Jackson, Bird to appear in "Expect Great" TV spots
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/storm/2004472205_stormglance12.html

New WNBA ad campaign addresses male disrespect
http://www.spokesman-recorder.com/news/Article/Article.asp?sID=42&NewsID=88916

What’s Wrong with the WNBA?
http://dimemag.com/2008/05/19/dime-mag-whats-wrong-with-the-wnba/

Why the WNBA’s New Marketing Campaign Might Work…For Some
http://www.womensbasketballonline.com/articles/wnbaexpectgreat.html