**Originally appeared on SLAM Online October 26th, 2012**
When the headline first come across my Twitter timeline a few days ago, I dismissed it with a 'no', as I shook my head. And quickly moved on.
Then I saw it again. And again. And now that the subject is clearly going to linger longer than first anticipated, I just had to throw my two cents into the debate. As a female basketball player, of course I'm going to have an opinion!
First and foremost, I find it disrespectful. The question insinuates that women can't play the game, with the same rules as men, just as well. But maybe that's the competitor in me talking.
I get a little peeved when I hear complaints about the level of skill in the women's game, and their solution is to lower the rim. You don't search for a short-cut, you work even harder to improve your skills. Lowering the rim isn't going to make anyone handle the ball better, pass the ball better, or shoot better.
People
complain of missed layups. Don't lower the rims, practice finishing at the rim!
People
complain of missed jump shots. Don't lower the rims, practice your jumper!
People complain of sloppy play. Don't
lower the rims, practice your ball-handling!
And no,
I'm not delusional either. I am well-aware that the athletic ability most men
possess exceeds that of most women.
Yes, the dunk is exciting and fun to watch.
If I had the ability to do it, I would be dunking at every opportunity. But I
realized at a young age (even to my dismay), that the dunk wasn't going to be a
part of my basketball repertoire. So I worked on my skills! That being said, I
think comparing the excitement level (based on dunks and athleticism) of the
two games is a little unfair.
But
let's be clear, there are certain people who will never be a fan of
women's basketball. I have come to understand that, and they are entitled to
their opinion. Those non-fans will always have complaints about the
game, no matter what you do.
We
cannot compromise the game in an attempt to garner the fandom of a certain
group of fans who will never come.
Be
honest, if you aren't already a fan of women's hoops, will a handful of
rather-pedestrian dunks entice you enough to watch on a regular basis? I don't
think so.
So my
only question is this: what do you hope to accomplish by lowering the rims?
Do you
hope to increase its popularity?
Do you
hope to make the game more exciting by increasing the number of dunks?
Do you
hope to improve the quality of play?
Improving the quality of play should be the only motivation. And
by doing so, the other two matters will take care of themselves. Increased
talent, fundamentals, and yes, athleticism, makes for a more entertaining game
to watch. That's how you increase popularity. You improve the product.
Focus on
developing fundamentals at the youth-through-high school levels, to actually
improve play. Don't just aim for what-seems-to-be-improvement via superficial
means. That's like resorting to liposuction to lose weight instead of
changing your diet, training, and working hard.
There
will always be comparisons between men's and women's basketball. Even with
lowered rims, comparisons are unfair. Until everyone realizes they are two
vastly different games, the women's game will always be searching for ways to
appeal to the 'common' fan.
We
cannot continue to look at what the women's game lacks. If improving the
quality of play, improving the product, is truly our motivation,
the 'lowering the rims' question would never be asked.
It will take time, and a
lot of effort. But one thing's certain, the skill and fundamentals can be
improved across the board. How can we do it?
That's
what we should be debating.
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