Weekly Roundup: ESPN Games Are Good First Step
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The Roundup
ESPN has given the Thursday primetime slot to some premier matchups in women’s basketball for the past few weeks, with two more games coming up. These games, along with their strong ratings, have gotten people talking about the importance of investing time and money into the game.
The game drew more viewers than any broadcast game (any sport) outside of the NBA. The most recent women’s game on ESPN, Stanford vs. Oregon, drew fewer viewers, 318,000, but it should be noted that the game was in the 9 p.m. EST timeslot. The game drew more viewers than two of the three men’s games on cable, including more than doubling its ESPN2 counterpart. It seems like it should be common sense that the best way to grow the game is to make the game available to as many people as possible.
You often see the bad-faith argument along the lines of “why would you spend more money on the sport, not enough people watch it.” Whether it is about televising NCAA games, or the new WNBA CBA, people have been willfully ignoring the obvious for a long time. This thread from Kurtis Zimmerman touched on that exact situation, showing that the solution has been common knowledge for more than three decades:
ESPN showcasing top games is a step in the right direction, but that momentum needs to continue. Tune in—Tennessee faces UConn this Thursday on ESPN at 7 p.m. EST and Notre Dame hosts Louisville next Thursday, also on ESPN at 7 p.m.—and help spread the game any way you can.
What We’re Working On
Richard Cohen shared his thoughts on the recently released WNBA schedule, as well as a breakdown of televised games, back-to-backs, and the impact of 2020 being an Olympics year. (Link)
Jenn Hatfield dug into the data to see which players have had the biggest role changes compared to last season. (Link)
Jenn also profiled George Washington’s Anna Savino, who went from a manager to a walk-on to a scholarship player and now is on the staff as a graduate assistant. (Link)
Weekly Series
We had two podcast episodes drop this week—one with John Liddle talking with Louisville head coach, Jeff Walz, and the latest a special edition of the Unplugged series where Megan Gauer and Aaron Barzilai talk about last week’s upsets, the new WNBA CBA, and more.
In this week’s AP Top 25 Analysis, Morgan Reeder looked at the aftermath of a week filled with upsets. The result? The widest ‘spread’ in any AP Poll since November, and the fourth No. 1 team of the season for the first time in a decade and a half.
The HHS Top 25 returned from hiatus, and it was quite the week to make a return. Only five teams remained in the same spot from the previous ballot, and seven teams moved three or more spots. The next ballot will be coming later this week.
You can support our work by subscribing to herhoopstats.com. For just $20 per year, you’ll get access to in-depth, easy to access statistics for women’s basketball. A subscription is perfect for coaches and players of all levels, SIDs, broadcasters, and fans.
What We’re Reading
Winsidr put together one of the most complete WNBA Free Agency Trackers out there, perfect for preparing for the free-agent signing period with negotiations beginning on Jan. 28. (Link)
Madaline Kenney wrote about Cheyenne Parker’s journey to the WNBA, and how Parker is hoping to inspire students in Chicago. (Link)
Daniel Connolly recapped Geno Auriemma’s recent comments about unfair expectations for his teams. A great look at how years of dominance can set an ‘impossible standard.’ (Link)
All statistics via herhoopstats.com and are up to date as of January 19, 2019.