There's quite a lively debate going on at James Campbell's About:Chron blog regarding their level of coverage of the Houston Comets. Personally, speaking as a six-year season ticket holder, I think the level is about right. Campbell's point about all the other things that the Chron covers in its sports section rings true to me. Some of the complaints in the comments about the Comets beat writer also being their boxing columnist seem unfair to me. I mean, the WNBA season is three months long. Whoever covers the Comets is always going to have another gig; for sure, also being on the boxing beat as well isn't going to take too much of W.H. Stickney's time.
What amuses me is the level of vehemence that some of the commenters have about the "irrelevance" of the WNBA in general and the Comets in particular. Some of those folks seem to be paying an awful lot of attention to a sport they claim no one pays attention to. What's it to you? Houston's a big city. It can support things that you don't care for.
Thanks to Off Wing Opinion for the catch.
Posted by Charles Kuffner on July 28, 2005 to Other sports | TrackBackI consider the WNBA to be more relevant than people might think. Granted, the "novelty" has worn off a bit, but there is still a solid core of fans at games most nights. In New York, the Liberty drew 10,599 for the game against Houston, which while not a full house, is still a good crowd for a Wednesday night game.
People that complain about boxing writers covering women's basketball might want to know that two of the greatest sports writers of all times were/are boxing specialists.
Jimmy Cannon and Bill Gallo are both members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Cannon was the dean of New York sports writers in the days before Dick Young, and his articles from 50 years ago are reprinted in the Sunday New York Post, while Bill Gallo is of course legendary for "Basement Bertha" and his drawings of virtually every major and minor athlete of the past half-century. Gallo may not have the recognition these days in the New York Daily News as Mike Lupica, but I am more than willing to bet that he is the most respected reporter on the staff.
Now, if the Chronicle writer is a "Tank McNamara" type, that's another story altogether.
Posted by: William Hughes on July 28, 2005 6:58 PM