Dog Days Thread: If I were the dictator of the NBA, I would change

Some are, some aren't.

I know many women who I am certain are athletically superior to any male poster on this board.

 

I think there's a lot to be said for the system in which athletes train. While there is a difference in the two genders on the whole, there are also differences in the level of investment in training between the genders that, if improved, would improve the final, professional athlete after grade school, middle school, AAU, and college. While there is a chicken-and-egg scenario with getting that investment to go up, I think the gulf between men and women basketball players would shrink considerably just by having better trained players (more coordinated players above 6'0", better use of muscle mass to accommodate basketball in particular, etc.).

And to MARIS's point, there are aggregate differences and there are individual peaks. Women are shorter on average, but there are plenty of very tall women. Better training would help improve coordination and speed, so that they can compete at a level closer to the NBA.

 

I never said all men are more athletic than all women, that would be idiotic. It's also pretty stupid to assume I meant that.

 

[QUOTE=cr

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You said "Men are athletically superior to women."

 

If you somehow measured every person in the world with some universal athletics testing, and then compared the man ranked number one to the woman ranked number two, and so on, every single man would be more athletic that their female counterpart. Of that I have no doubt. I realize that one can take "Men are athletically superior to women" to mean "All mean are athletically superior to all women," even though I didn't say all for a reason.

 

Does anyone feel like they're watching men's basketball played under water when watching WNBA?

 

It's unwatchable. It's literally like watching average high school basketball. They already use a smaller ball, so why not lower the rims as well? Make it an entirely different sport, like softball is to baseball? I actually prefer a lot of women's sports better to their men's counterparts. Soccer, tennis, volleyball, gymnastics, but women's basketball is truly awful

 

How about this, which is what he obviously meant.

Start from the top and compare the best male and best female athlete, and work you way down to the bottom. In each case, the male would be superior athletically. The very best male athlete in the world is more athletic than the very best female athlete in the world. Hell, Flo-Jo holds the world record in the 100 meters at 10.49. Men were running 10.4 in the 1920's. Men's 100 meter swimming WR is 46.91. The same year in the same location, the wome's WR was set as well at 52.07. It's not good or bad, it's just science. Doesn't mean women are inferior, just different.

Again, if I am the 1 millionth best male athlete in the world, the 1 millionth best female athlete in the worl would be less athletic than me. Apples to apples

 

No, but I feel like a lot of brains are underwater in this thread.

 

Gee, who'd have thought that a post intended in a humorous way regarding having a summer and a winter league would take a turn into an exercise in sexism.

Oh yeah, this is the S2 Blazers board where every post is subject to open season for hijacking for personal purposes.

 

Sexism is often in the eye of the beholder. I thought there was an implied charge of it in crandc's response to my post about having a summer and a winter league so I wouldn't have to be bored by baseball. She and I have posted on the same boards for a decade or so, and I think we know that we're both pretty fair and open-minded people, so I chose to let the implied charge that you're being sexist if you don't watch the WNBA slide. A bunch of you rose to the bait and ran with it. So, since we're now making this thread about that, here are my thoughts on the subject:

Basketball is my favorite sport...always has been. When Portland got an NBA franchise, I was immediately hooked. Basketball played at the NBA level is the epitome of the sport in terms of athleticism, speed, etc. Frankly, I don't watch much college or international basketball because it's just, IMHO, a lesser product. I don't watch WNBA for the same reason. I tried to get into it when Portland had a team, but I just couldn't get past the feeling that it's just not up to NBA standards. Once Portland gave up its franchise, that was it for me. I watch plenty of women's sports: track and field, tennis, diving, gymastics, etc. I'm not sure why, but even though I know that the top women in those sports would probably not be able to beat the top men, it still seems like the same game and I can get into it. With basketball, the women just can't play the same way the men do and, for me at least, it just changes the sport to where I'm not interested. I know that they do some things very well, perhaps even better than some of the men, but playing below the rim just is a different game. If a woman (or women) comes along who can play at the NBA level, I'm all for her being signed by a team and I'll root for her. Until then, I'll take a pass on the WNBA.

 

Talking about the difference between the sexes is not sexist, neither is talking about the difference between races. Asians have slanted eyes. Jews have big noses. Those aren't racist comments. "Men are more athletic than women" is not sexist. crandc is one of those feminists that thinks everything is a dig at them. Sort of like how some smaller guys are super confrontational. It's unnecessary and all it does is start more drama. I definitely don't hate women, but I hate have no problem saying I hate feminists. Most feminists hate men. Misandry is more prevalent in today's United States than misogyny, without a doubt. Just looking at how often women get away with assault, rape, and child abuse paints a pretty clear picture. OK I'm done.

 

Apparently you either didn't read my response to PtldPlatypus or you're having difficulty in comprehending it. The sexism I was referring to was that crandc's post seemed to be saying I was sexist for not being satisfied with watching WNBA. I agree that preferring the men's game, as I do, is simply about liking the superior athleticism of the NBA game. I don't see that as being sexist.

 

You let a funny thread get ruined because you're worried that Crandc thinks you're sexist? Why don't you worry about something more useful, like how many craters there are on the Moon?

 

1. Pay all players the same, with team success incentives.

2. Make endorsements/big market advantages illegal.

3. Ritually execute Kobe Bryant and David Stern.

 

I wasn't really responding to you, I just wanted to say my opinion.

 

Great thread except for the sexism debate. Lots of fun ideas and I can't wait to post mine so here goes:

1. Go back to the old lottery system. The team with the best record gets one ping pong ball and the team with the worst record gets 14 ping pong balls, second worst gets 13, etc. This lottery should happen right in front of everyone on live TV.

2. Decrease fines and suspensions for fighting. I hate the rule where you get suspended for leaving the bench. I want to see fights in the league again without 20 game suspensions. Let's face it, the Malice at the Palace was pretty fun to watch and no one really got all that hurt. On this note, I would also like to see fights and technicals on NBA2K13 please. They have injuries. Why not fights or at least technical/flagrant fouls?

3. Eliminate the salary cap completely. And remove any age restriction. If the Wolves want to sign Jabari Parker to a 5 year, $200 million contract this summer, they should be able to and Jabari should be able to sign such a contract. I hate the age restriction. If a 16 year old is good enough to earn millions doing what he is best at, he should be able to. A lot of these people are poor and will never make much money doing something else. They should be allowed to earn their market value. I'm all for the players getting what they're worth. I also like the idea of Paul Allen being able to buy a contender to play in Portland.

3. Make the division title mean something again. Every team plays five games against each of their division rivals. I miss the old days of playing a 5 game regular season series against the Lakers. And on that note, I'd like the four division system again. It would mean less games against the rest of the conference and Eastern Confence teams but that's fine by me. Division winners get top 2 seeds. Like the old days.

4. Have a Play-in single elimination tournament for the 8th seed. 15th plays plays 8th place, 14th/9th, 13th/10th, 12th/11th, etc etc. Three day tournament in a three day period between regular season and playoffs. No days off for play in teams. Every team can win the championship. If you're the 15th place team and get the 8th seed, though, you are not in the lottery. Only the non-playoff teams are in the lottery as usual.

5. Have big cash prizes for the dunk, three point, and skills contests during All Star weekend. Maybe we could LeBron and Kobe to face off in the dunk contest if there was $5 million on the line. Also, add a 1 on 1 tournament.

6. The winning conference of the All Star game gets home court advantage in the NBA Finals.