Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Nice Pass, Lady!

I recently attended a UCLA women's basketball game, and what an experience it was.  Now, I know what you're thinking.  "Watch this, he's about to mock women's sports and make some asinine claim that girls playing a boys' game is just a watered-down version of real sports.  He'll probably make some jokes like 'she throws like a girl' or 'it's tough to make a layup when you're carrying a purse' or 'she's great at driving to the basket, she just can't park.'  Then he'll probably make some sexist remark like, 'women should stick to things they're good at like ice skating, gymnastics, and popping out babies.'  But you're wrong.  I'm not going to say any of those things, and here's why.

1. These women are very athletic, and their basketball skills are impressive.
2. I firmly believe that women are capable of accomplishing anything that men can.
3. The UCLA center, Moniquee Alexander, is six feet, six inches tall and could undoubtedly snap me in half like a pretzel stick.

In a lot of ways, I found women's basketball to be more entertaining than the men's game.  First of all, no one can dunk, so there's more focus on crisp passing and hitting the open shots.  I was quite surprised by the level of play, to be perfectly honest.  And the girls, sorry, LADIES seemed to be having a hell of a lot of fun.  Well, aside from that one elbow to the back that led to a quick shoving match, but that stuff happens.

It occurs to me at this point that you must be wondering, "What the hell was he doing at a women's basketball game in the first place?"  It's a fair question.  It's not like I have a rooting interest, alumni loyalty, or a really, really pathetic gambling addiction.  No, the truth is that my daughter plays high school basketball and we thought this would be a good way to see what the "next level" is all about.  It worked, she was very inspired.

Another surprise was that the women's basketball team actually has a cheerleading squad.  It was a little strange, to be honest.  Somehow, "Rebecca, Rebecca, she's sweet and bright, if she can't do it, Nina might!" doesn't have quite the same, I dunno, pizzazz.  Oh, and two of the cheerleaders are guys.  Seriously, on the college campus food chain, could you rank lower than male cheerleaders for women's basketball?  These dudes get probably get picked on by the physics majors and the second-string orchestra.  Then again, they spent most of the game looking up the skirts of the female cheerleaders, so perhaps they know something I don't.

Oh, and it was Breast Cancer Awareness day, which is why everyone was wearing pink which means the guy cheerleaders didn't have to change a thing.  As part of the post-game activities, there was a reception where the players signed autographs and talked to the fans.  As you can see, I got to say hello to Moniquee Alexander.

Like I said, she could snap me in half like a pretzel stick.


j

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25 comments:

Grumpy, M.D. said...

I've watched WNBA for similar reasons. More focus on the team play, not individual play.

Moooooog35 said...

Women's basketball?

It's so funny to think of women playing sports. What's next? Voting?

Ridonculous!

Heff said...

I tend to steer clear of women larger than Heff...

Unknown said...

You're right; this post was not what I expected. Kudos. Although I think I was disappointed! lol

Mama-Face said...

ha. It's so cliche to say...but this was a great post. I LOVE the cheer. lol. You're a good guy.

Suldog said...

You have a daughter? They let you breed?

Just kidding. You have friends who could snap me in half like a pretzel stick. I've seen the photos.

Buggys said...

I would go just to watch the male cheerleaders wearing pink.

ReformingGeek said...

Yeah, there are a lot of female athletes out there that can kick a**!

That was a good idea taking your daughter to the game!

Leeuna said...

Yeah, my money is on Moniquee for the snapping like a pretzel thing. How tall is your daughter? My son is also 6'6'' and I can't imagine a girl that tall.

IT (aka Ivan Toblog) said...

Women's basketball has come a long, long way from the day when they had to pass the ball across half court in transition from defense to offense and they weren't even allowed to dribble more than two or three times.
It's no small wonder they know about the passing game and teamwork.
Oh, yeah... the girl cheerleaders must've learned something, too. They're not wearing skirts. Those are shorts... really short shorts.

screwdestiny said...

So, I don't watch college basketball because I find it boring compared to the NBA. So I don't know if those women are good or not.

But I gotta say, watching the WNBA is just about the most boring thing ever. I think it's *great* that women who love basketball are able to make that their career, but it sure does make for some dull sports watching.

Peter Varvel said...

I always encouraged my straight male friends to come to dance class with me. - several attractive and physically fit (flexible!)women, and very little competition among the other male dancers.
I would imagine the same applies in cheerleading, especially when the number of women doubles with a team like this.
I was tempted to accuse you of reverse sexism but I'm too distracted by how encouraging and supportive you are being to your daughter.
Great photo!

MikeWJ at Too Many Mornings said...

I used to laugh at women hockey players until my stud son had to play the local women's team. They're not allowed to hit, but the women know how to use their sticks to trip, beat and generally harass the crap out of the guys. It was one of the best games we ever watched. Bottom line: Never underestimate a woman in anything.

Patty said...

It is pretty funny to think about a women's basketball team with cheerleaders.

Tgoette said...

Good for you for taking your daughter to the game! Right on, Dad!

I am not a fan of women's basketball. To me watching a bunch of lumbering amazons chuck a basketball around wears thin in a hurry. They need to come up with a way to play that is more titillating to male spectators.

So far I got nothin'.

Candy's daily Dandy said...

Isn't it an amazing thing...to be humbled by athletic talent?

I LOVE that you and your girl bonded at the game. Nice work dad!

Jeanne Estridge said...

My ex used to say pro basketball was boring because the players were so skillful it wasn't a challenge. He liked college ball, though.

Sounds like women's college ball has even more of it....

Unknown said...

Great way to encourage your daughter! Its kind of sad how few seats look filled in that first photo. I'm not particularly a fan of basketball in general (it really bores me to tears) but live sporting events in general are always a good time so maybe I'll have to check out a WNBA game.

Cindy said...

Truly fabulous athletes.

Amy said...

Hello, I've tried out UCLA but didn't pass :( I love basketball but basketball didn't love me :(

Carrie said...

Well,I used to laugh at women hockey players until my stud son had to play the local women's team. They're not allowed to hit, but the women know how to use their sticks to trip, beat and generally harass the crap out of the guys.

Becky said...

It's no small wonder they know about the passing game and teamwork, thanx for posting.

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Sadie said...

Oh, yeah... the girl cheerleaders must've learned something, too. They're not wearing skirts. Those are shorts... really short shorts.

Allison Clark said...

I gotta say, watching the WNBA is just about the most boring thing ever. I think it's *great* that women who love basketball are able to make that their career, but it sure does make for some dull sports watching.

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