No respect for women’s team
Fans still asking ‘So what?’ when it comes to basketball games

Women’s basketball, please, give it up.

 Rodney Dangerfield had a patent on that shtick well before most of you picked up a ball. We know, you just don’t get any respect.

Well, OK, lay down on the couch, tell me your problems

So, no one comes to your games? What are you talking about? Why, here on my own beloved TCU campus I went to a game just the other day and saw 100 people there. More people came to my New Year’s party.

What’s that? You’ve got the best record in school history? The teams in the Western Athletic Conference are begging for mercy?

The men’s team went to the first round of the NCAA tournament three years ago (the National Invitation Tournament in 1999 don’t count, fellas) and got schooled by Florida State. Back then, they had tons of people at their games, what’s your problem?

I guess people don’t have an appreciation for good sports when they see them. Sure you’ve hosted the biggest marquee opponent to come to the TCU campus in the last two years, it was Tennessee, right? How’d you guys do in that game? I missed it.

Well, you know, I guess it’s just that there are no “personalities” in your game. Where are the Greedy Danielses and the Dick Vitales? There’s no excitement in who you guys are, you know? What’s that, your game features great personalities too?

Oh, yeah, those Jill Sutton/Amy Porter twins. They sure were a couple of fireplugs out there.

You’re starting to get a little razzle-dazzle in your game. Head coach Jeff Mittie’s got his team running a mean fast break, and the twins are still making three-pointers all over Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. Janice Thomas grabs rebounds like a maniac down low (7.3 a game), in fact, you’ve out rebounded your opponents 762-667.

There are rivalries forming. Tennessee is starting to find itself among several peers, and a Tennessee vs. Connecticut game is actually a good TV draw. TCU vs. Southern Methodist games lately aren’t quite as good, but we’re a little new at this.

I guess a woman just can’t get any respect because of prejudice. I mean, let’s face it, despite the glorious advances of feminism throughout the last several decades, the world of alpha-males is just not ready to give equal pay or equal play. There’s probably no hope we ever will.

What’s that? Let me see that ball. Hey, this ball is smaller than normal. Is this the ball you play with? I’m not so sure about that one, ladies.

What happened to equality? I mean, what does any of it matter if you’re playing with a smaller ball? The game has rules, you know, including ball size, and if it’s good for the gander, it’s good for the goose.

Let’s all play by the same rules here, y’all. You’re all doing a great job. You’re silencing those critics who said, “Oh, yeah?” but now you’ve got to convince those of us who are saying, “So what?”

Daniel Bramlette is a senior radio-TV-film major from Ogden, Utah.
He can be reached at (dcbramlette@yahoo.com)