Certainly some "journalistic licence" being played in that report lol

No doubt the WNBL is facing problems again this year with some teams struggling to find enough financial support. Big question to whether Adelaide will remain ..... loosing both of their quality bigs already. Will make it tough to become competitive again assuming they find the money late in the off season to put a team on the floor.

A tv deal will not make the WNBL anywhere near sustainable.

It's no magical cure but it would certainly be a big help.

I'm all for that as I enjoyed the days when the Breakers played before the Wildcats, but if I'm being honest then in most cases I'd have to question what's in it for an NBL team that is already struggling.
(on the other hand, the Fire could probably have considered buying their brother team and having the Crocs play as their curtain raiser :p )

It must be hard to take with women's sport booking in this country and around the world or and yet basketball is still struggling to stay afloat and viable

...what?

This could be a great opportunity for NBL clubs to invest in a WNBL team combining the two teams membership base as one and get back to playing WNBL games as a curtain raiser to NBL games.

Just saw posted on FB (cause that's always 100% factual) that the Townsville news has reported that Adelaide and Melbourne have handed back their WNBL licenses? Anyone able to confirm or deny this?

Ironic isn't it, that the australian government spend all this money on advertising campaigns to be shown on TV and billboards and newspapers to keep women in sport and encourage active lifestyles yet they do nothing to keep the sports they want them to be involved in , on the TV and in the public eye to encourage and inspire young girls to want to be involved.

Why are BA not taking their case to the government to help keep these women's teams ....(who do not get the big pay packages the men's teams do)... Afloat.
Loosing TV exposure has been an issue but the fact is they only ever had support from ABC, not a more main stream channel.
They say ratings are the reason, but really what comes first the chicken or the egg, if you don't get exposure how the hell can you get support.

Time both WNBL and BA got working together before women's basketball is left with nothing but a domestic comp, then let's see how well they continue to do in international competition.
The opals have been without doubt far far more successful for australian sport, than the boomers, yet still more is thrown at the boomers program year after year, they get airtime on TV , the opals don't, certainly not like the boomers do.
They get media coverage in the papers, again the opals don't not like the boomers, and it's the same with NBL V WNBL...... How do they expect to get sponsors on board to bring in revenue to keep clubs afloat if no one knows they are playing

^^ Boom

"The opals have been without doubt far far more successful for australian sport, than the boomers, yet still more is thrown at the boomers program year after year"

I think you should check your facts on that one.

Its clear that BA aren't awesome at running basketball leagues.

Moore is like most politician's that talk a decent game although there aren't really any results to show.

That said if the 5-6 wnbl team left were wrapped into the seabl it might not be the worst thing in the world.

"Its clear that BA aren't awesome at running basketball leagues."

Yeah, depressingly clear :/

I agree that TV exposure is not the be all and end all for the WNBL's survival, but the environment in which they compete for the elusive women's sponsorship dollar I can easily see how it cold be the straw that broke the camel's back.
Just shocking timing given the way that women's leagues in general are suddenly getting some interest in the last year or two.
BA should have had the WNBL leading the charge, not getting left in its wake :(

I am posting on a basketball forum, although I'd much prefer to watch athletes the level of Bec Allen, Talbot and Katie-Rae run around on TV rather then the current crop of womens AFL players...

That's great news, but what about the other clubs who have to pay ! It's great BA and BV are willing to help financially for three years melbourne boomers, but what if all the clubs come to the same point..... They can't bail them all out. If they have private sponsors then that sponsorship should cover their costs.
Where does the extra come from that BA and BV are putting in.

Both BA and WNBL combined need to do a lot more to get the league out their so that public interest can bring in the bigger sponsors for all clubs, they just do bandaid jobs and don't address the league as a whole.
ThevWNBL went an entire season with NO media coverage apart from what the individual clubs did on social media and Internet. Meanwhile we had rerun after rerun of NBL games on Foxtel.
Why is Maley not pushing to get more exposure for the women's program, isn't that his job.

Sponsors want value for money, sponsorship is a form of advertising , so these teams needs to be the marketing tool, it's not rocket science.

Does obsessing over TV deals make for too much of a distraction for these Australian leagues?

I wonder if BA are in discussion with BSA with a similar financial rescue package to try and get the Adelaide Lightning situation turned around ???

At the risk of being called sexist, I recall a time when the WNBL, or some women's basketball players were wearing much better fitting uniforms and the game was flying.

It wasn't that long ago, look at Netball and how great the girls look in those uniforms, they have the hype and along with it comes the sponsors and the TV, so maybe the WNBL can look at the whole package and get back to selling some appeal?

Just a thought...

Seriously if it was your wife or daughter or sister would you want the only reason people came to watch was because of how they looked in skin tight uniforms.

How about think of that before you offer up such a remark

Do you honestly think cluey men's leagues don't factor in how good their players look when designing uniforms?

A part of Aussie rules' success with the female market is the sleeveless jumpers (and previously tight shorts). Sexiness sells, that's hardly a secret.

I'm not a fan of the full body suits at all, but the current uniforms are as daggy as the NBL's have traditionally been, and that's saying something!

ROFLMAO ^

Paul you honestly cannot be serious, they don't factor females fans in the least they don't need too

Nor do they have to do anything but show up to get on media radar

Try another angle, but please don't ever try to compare men's sports with women's sports being equal via the sexism route

You ask any female basketball player if they feel comfortable in those suits, let alone feel they should need them to gain media or public interest, that's just insulting

Plenty of other options to gain exposure and grow your fan base than using the " sex sells" angle.

I would say female fans are the number one thing the AFL considers, because women hold the spending power in this country and the AFL knows they have to be on side with women or their corporate support will diminish.

Any league that has high quality athletes is silly if they're not shine off the bodies of those athletes in some way, although as I said earlier, I don't think the body suits is the way to do it.

Exactly, promote the personality and off court activities within the community, not the body shape running around on the crt, all of these women have far more to offer than their sex appeal
Get their faces and voices known by promoting them and use them to promote the sport of basketball...... Not the sport of men ogling "tits and ass"

BA and WNBL should have the likes of penny Taylor and LJ doing TV adds to get the interest in,


But of course that would mean they would have to actually fight for some air time

Think it all goes in the to hard bracket and those who are supposed to be getting paid to organise this are happy to just sit on their hands

#587959

I'm glad you think Penny should give up 6 figures late in her career to 'focus' on winning a gold medal, instead of being in the best possible shape and be sharp basketball wise by playing in the best league in the world for the next few months.

"Exactly, promote the personality and off court activities within the community, not the body shape running around on the crt"

Do both.

You honestly think AFL players wear sleeveless jumpers to attract females to the game???

I didn't say that. I said they do attract/keep female fans, and that any smart sports league considers how their athletes look when designing uniforms. The NBL has failed dismally to show off their athletes in that regard.

Paul you obviously have no daughters sisters etc, otherwise you certainly wouldn't be pushing that part .......
And do you seriously think people watch sport because of how they are dressed on the field/crt

People watch sport because they enjoy the game, or take a liking to a player because of many reasons, but certainly not for how well the uniforms fit lol

They watch it because it's exposed to them, it heightens their interest and they get entertained.

I'm sure you have seen the fanfare and hype of the American college system in all sports not just basketball..... They do this to encourage sponsors or boosters as they call them to get on board, sell their company/product, as it brings the crowds in.
It's all about getting it out there, it's not about uniforms.

If only it were ..... It would be a simple case of getting a good designer in

Anon, I think the fact you can't see that entertainment industries all around the globe (film, music, TV, sport) make the most of the fact their performers are attractive shows how limited your insight is. Your incorrect assumptions about me, made from a position of complete ignorance, provide a similar insight.

I've been talking generally about sports comps, but to narrow it down to the NBL and WNBL, those are two comps that are viewed widely as being of low quality, and if the players are in uniforms that make them look unathletic it only adds to that false perception.

Not getting that area right is failing to dot I’s and cross T’s, and neither of our basketball leagues can afford not to do that when it is so simple.

Annon. I disagree. I think marketing and leveraging how well athletes look goes a long way towards promotion and revenue generation in most sports.

Despite what the politically correct or those with daughters or sisters may think. Just called Raffa and Becks and they said they agree.

Yep, apologies Paul, misread what you said.

LOL They can't even get the WNBA televised regularly in the US, good luck getting it here.


Good point lol