scrabbarista wrote:Just from reading the first page of this thread, it seems the men are already getting most of the love, but I'll add my two cents: one way to answer this question is to ask who would you'd rather watch play (i.e., who's playing at a higher level) - and I'd definitely prefer to watch a men's HS championship game over a WNBA one.
I don't decide what I watch based on "who is playing at the higher level"--if people did that, then no one would watch College Sports at all.  What's important is the competition, and the overall package the WNBA offers in terms of entertainment is higher than a high school game.  The production values alone aren't even comparable.  HS basketball is only interesting if you went to one of the high schools.
This is what a lot of mostly men, don't get about women's sports, and their growth in popularity.  It's really not about how they would stack up against men at all.  It's about how women stack up against other women.  It's seeing the best women play against the best women, and seeing the game grow.  The women's game is different whether it's basketball or soccer--and those differences make it an interesting product to watch.
For me, watching the NWSL is great, the smaller size of the players means that there is more space on the pitch, and it's more about passing the ball, and it's more free flowing.  It's a very open game, and there isn't very much diving or simulation either.  Plus when you consider these women are playing the sport they love for almost no compensation, in front of small crowds sometimes, it's pretty inspiring.  And then the game has bigger characters than most other leagues.  The players are very down to earth, and kind of goofy, and the teams are really funny on twitter.  It's a fun league, and being able to watch almost all of the games for free on Youtube whenever you want is pretty great.  Plus since it's a young league, you can watch it grow.  The NWSL is already in it's 4th season which is the longest a women's soccer league has ever lasted in America.  They just added a 10th team.  I'm hoping they can get more money into the league so they can afford some of the better players that are playing in europe.  But yeah.  NWSL is great.  And the US Women's National Team is really cool too.  I love watching Morgan Brian control the midfield.  Really excited to see how Mallory Pugh develops.  And want to see Carli Lloyd take control of US Soccer.  I want to see Crystal Dunn transfer her NWSL form to the national team and take over from Heath or Morgan.  Crystal Dunn in NWSL last year was a beast.  Her and Kim Little just dominated the league.