WNBA Celebrating Its Womanhood

So, we all want to improve the image and marketability of the WNBA. In our past blogging we have had some pretty wild and completely unrealistic suggestions to do so. However, nothing beats this… and it actually happened.

As part of the rookies’ orientation into life as professional athletes, the WNBA for the first time offered them hour-long courses on makeup and fashion tips. The courses, at an O’Hare airport hotel, made up about a third of the two-day orientation, which also featured seminars on financial advice, media training and fitness and nutrition.

Wild. If I were one of these women, I would be insulted. The WNBA is sending two messages: 1) We think you’re kinda ugly, so we want you to look better. 2) Guys aren’t interested in watching you play basketball, so why don’t you just look pretty to attract people to the sport.

“I think it’s very important,” said Candace Parker, the Naperville product who was the league’s No. 1 draft pick out of Tennessee. “I’m the type who likes to put on basketball shorts and a white T, but I love to dress up and wear makeup. But as time goes on, I think [looks] will be less and less important.”

First off, why interview Candace? - she does not need any tips. Second, dress will always be important - why else did the NBA make a statement about dress at its games.

Tennis player Anna Kournikova, who never won a professional singles tournament, was the poster woman for marketing her sexuality in lieu of her athletic credentials. But far more accomplished female athletes are also marketed on the basis of their appearance.

Tennis player Maria Sharapova was the second youngest woman to win Wimbledon in 2004, which prompted Sports Illustrated to put her on its cover wearing a white tennis outfit under the words “Star Power.” She appeared in Sports Illustrated again in 2006, this time wearing a variety of string bikinis on a beach for the magazine’s swimsuit edition.

After reading these 2 paragraphs, all of a sudden I completely agree with what the WNBA is doing.

Last month, race car driver Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an IndyCar event. She made a name for herself posing in FHM in a red bustier atop a yellow Mustang and by starring in provocative TV commercials for GoDaddy.com. One such GoDaddy commercial was rejected for airing during this year’s Super Bowl.

In all honesty, this photo shoot drummed up more attention for IndyCar than any of its racing has in a long time, and the WNBA could greatly benefit from similar attention. The commercial was rejected because it talked about her beaver… in case you were wondering.

The WNBA, she said, seems to be becoming more image-conscious. “No. 1 is, of course, the need for the image of WNBA players to be seen as real women,” Ziegler said. “That comes from the lesbian homophobia that surrounds women in sports in general.”

Well, I guess this is the reason for the WNBA doing it, not the two other much less insulting reasons I listed at the beginning.

The Sky said Friday that its advertising campaign for the coming season will feature top draft pick Sylvia Fowles dunking while a voice says, “Yeah, we raised our game.”

What a novel concept - promoting the play of the WNBA rather than the attractiveness of its players. Generally, leagues promote their game more than trying to make their players pretty. When a player cares too much about his/her image, this is what happens - really Tom, nobody wants to see that.

“The problem is if only 8 percent of the coverage is on women, and the vast majority of the time we’re talking about who they’re married to, what clothing they’re wearing, what kind of parents they are, there’s not much room left to say, ‘What a great athlete,’ ” Snyder said.

Right, because during a 3-hour-long game there is no time to talk about the game itself, only about the personal lives of the players. That’s even worse than constantly hearing about Tony Romo being with Jessica Simpson at the end of last year’s NFL season.

“Call it what you want. We’re just celebrating their womanhood.”

Celebrating their womanhood? In that case, next time I see a WNBA player acting girly, I’ll crack a bottle of champagne.

Ziegler has some advice on how the WNBA should market Parker. “As a pure athlete,” she said. “As the top athlete in the country. Leave it at that.”

Chances of them marketing her this way: .001%. But if Sharapova & Patrick can increase their sports’ respective fanbases with a combination of looks and success, there’s no reason Candace can’t do it either.