Holdsclaw retires

[John]

I know it's the WNBA, and some of you won't care, but this is a bit of a surprise -- one worthy of its own thread. She was one of the three or four best college players ever -- and I don't think she's 30 yet. I know she battled a serious case of depression a few years ago when she was in Washington and it doesn't appear that this had anything to do with that.

http://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/news;_ylt=AiHT43X5sF6RIBKEqR3sLdM5nYcB?slug=ap-sparks-holdsclawretires&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

[sportschick]

She's 29. Weird really. She re-signed over the summer, and had played this season.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

I know Chamique has been struggling with the depression, but the fact that her grandmother died - the woman primarily responsible for raising her - probably hasn't helped Holdsclaw's outlook.

I can only hope she finds happiness somewhere ... somehow. Her emergence at the professional level could have helped give the WNBA a badly-needed shot in the arm.

 

[Oz]

I can only hope she finds happiness somewhere ... somehow. Her emergence at the professional level could have helped give the WNBA a badly-needed shot in the arm.

Now they're just going to have to wait on another Vol to see about that.

 

[sportschick]

Holdsclaw was a hella good WNBA player, and it did little for the league. I don't think her emergence would have helped the league much. I think she was as good a player as she was going to be. She played in a big market and, well, nobody cared.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

You're right, SC. But as much as David Stern latches onto and markets individual players on the men's side, a transcendent player has yet to really emerge in the WNBA. One that makes editors feel noteworthy of a weekend feature that otherwise doesn't bother with WNBA standings or capsules, much less gamers.

Chamique was good, of course, but she was almost being banked on as a Stern marketing centerpiece. That didn't happen.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

I can only hope she finds happiness somewhere ... somehow. Her emergence at the professional level could have helped give the WNBA a badly-needed shot in the arm.

Now they're just going to have to wait on another Vol to see about that.

We'll have to see if Candace Parker has the charisma to go with that obvious game. Maybe it's just me, but she hasn't grabbed ahold of the women's game the way Holdsclaw did. I hope I'm dead wrong before all is said and done, though.

 

[sportschick]

I can only hope she finds happiness somewhere ... somehow. Her emergence at the professional level could have helped give the WNBA a badly-needed shot in the arm.

Now they're just going to have to wait on another Vol to see about that.

We'll have to see if Candace Parker has the charisma to go with that obvious game. Maybe it's just me, but she hasn't grabbed ahold of the women's game the way Holdsclaw did. I hope I'm dead wrong before all is said and done, though.

It's just you. Candace is probably the only woman in the college game that people who don't follow it know. She's pretty, outgoing, intelligent and a great player. She's got all the markings of an athlete who'll be able to bring fans to a sport they don't normally follow.

 

[Hammer Pants]

Parker hasn't even taken over the college game like Taurasi did. She might next year, though, and since ESPN televises WNBA games, get ready for every possible Parker story that could be written or on-screen featurized.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Hammer Pants captured better what I was trying to say than I did.

That's what I meant, SC. Hey, I like Candace. It's pretty obvious she has the ability to be transcendent. I haven't seen it yet. I think she has at least a couple more notches in ability and game we haven't seen. When we do - I won't even say "if" - she could be that shot in the arm for women's basketball.

 

[John]

The WNBA is going to have to market Parker's abilities -- which are many -- beyond the fact that she can dunk. The league seemed to try that with Lisa Leslie and it didn't get it very far. Then again, Parker can dunk a lot better than Leslie ever could.

 

[wickedwritah]

First it was Holdsclaw.
Then it was Taurasi.
Before them it was Lobo and Swoops.
All those players were supposed to transcend the gender barrier, etc.
No one has.

 

[Sxysprtswrtr]

The WNBA is going to have to market Parker's abilities -- which are many -- beyond the fact that she can dunk. The league seemed to try that with Lisa Leslie and it didn't get it very far. Then again, Parker can dunk a lot better than Leslie ever could.

Rebecca Lobo was the other test rat for the WNBA.
I wonder if you went up to an average person on the street, how many current OR past WNBA players could they name? My guess would be 2.
And I bet one of these names would be of that pair:
Lisa Leslie. Rebecca Lobo. Andrea Stinson. Nancy Lieberman. Sue Bird. Diana Taurasi. Sheryl Swoopes.

 

[sportschick]

Taurasi's a ****ing *****.

The WNBA is never going to be mainstream, and that's OK. There's nothing wrong with it. It's a niche sport with a certain group of devoted fans.

Let's face it. Most sports fans in this country are men, and men tend to only be interested in female athletes if they think they're hot. And even then, that's not enough to move a sport out of the niche area.

Parker could easily become a marketing machine and she could be plastered all over magazines and TV in ads, and that's not really gonna change how people view the WNBA. There will be assholes rooting for its demise, and it still won't appeal to most people.

 

[Oz]

And I bet one of these names would be of that pair:
Lisa Leslie. Rebecca Lobo. Andrea Stinson. Nancy Lieberman. Sue Bird. Diana Taurasi. Sheryl Swoopes.

Though I'm guessing they probably wouldn't get the correct team.

It's too bad injuries quickly took a toll on Jackie Stiles, she might have helped the league's profile.

Is Tamecka Dixon still in the league? Last I checked, she was still with the Sparks, but it's been a while.

 

[wickedwritah]

And I bet one of these names would be of that pair:
Lisa Leslie. Rebecca Lobo. Andrea Stinson. Nancy Lieberman. Sue Bird. Diana Taurasi. Sheryl Swoopes.

You forgot Playboy-featured Lauren Jackson. HTH.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Does anyone think the NBA is going to let its sister league hemmorhage money for another decade?

They gave it a try. It's not working...

By comparison, the MLS has consistently made progress. Do you think anyone is saying the same thing about the WNBA?

 

[dragonfly]

Wow, why the hate for Diana? Yeah, she's a bit cocky. But she's very media friendly and has a great personality. I'll take that any day of the week.

As for Chamique, my first thought was depression too, but after reading a couple of stories in the LA papers, it doesn't seem that's the case. Whatever the reason is, I think it's sad. She had the potential to be one of the best players in the league but never really seemed into it. She'd go out every night, drop 16 and 7 and feel like she'd done her job. But it never seemed like she had the passion of a Taurasi or Sue Bird.

 

[outofplace]

First it was Holdsclaw.
Then it was Taurasi.
Before them it was Lobo and Swoops.
All those players were supposed to transcend the gender barrier, etc.
No one has.

Lobo's problem was that she simply wasn't that good. She had size and some skill, but she was really slow.

 

[wickedwritah]

First it was Holdsclaw.
Then it was Taurasi.
Before them it was Lobo and Swoops.
All those players were supposed to transcend the gender barrier, etc.
No one has.

Lobo's problem was that she simply wasn't that good. She had size and some skill, but she was really slow.

I'll give you that. But the point is, all of these players were supposed to be dominant players and, more importantly, crossover personalities. Have any of them done so? No. We heard 10 years ago how Madison Avenue was knocking on the WNBA's door -- we got next! -- but has that happened? No.

I do not hate women's basketball or the WNBA. I just have realized, as sc pointed out, that the league never will come remotely close to being a top-tier sports league.