Female Superstars: A Brutal Irony

If you're a fan of Tennessee women's basketball, you were probably quite stoked when Brittany Griner was ejected in last nights game. After all, she was abusing the Lady Vol's defense like it was some grade school travel team. Only problem is that when she did get ejected for leaving the bench after a hard foul on a teammate, there was less than a minute left and she had already done her damage. In fact, had she stayed out just a minute or so more, she would've ended with a triple double of points, rebounds and blocked shots.  Griner made what should have been a marquee matchup into a rout, and its rumored that Sarah McLachlan has agreed to put her famous hit "The Saddest Damn Song Ever" onto a collage of Lady Vol's players in a desperate PR move to nurse their broken egos.

The problem here is that even while Griner ripped their defense to shreds and had a great game, they actually held her below her season average and for once, the Lady Bears's leading scorer wasn't the 6' 8" forward. I'm assuming she's a forward, but if you're looking for an ESPN box score to tell you her (or any player's) position, you're in for some disappointment. But thats another issue entirely. The problem here is that while the mens college basketball system has super powered teams and just as many up and coming superstars, everything more or less equals out  because on any given day, any mens team in the country could play a very close game with or beat a powerhouse squad, such as Duke. The reason? Distribution of talent. The depth of skill that is prevalent in men's college basketball means that every game has that chance of and upset, a barn burner, a court rusher. We thrive on that chance, and what better chance for a team to upstage a contender than March Madness, the national month of Cinderella teams.

Who DIDN'T see that 12 seed beating that #5? Or that #3? Or the #1?

I digress. The point I'm making here is that while Griner may be the poster child for women's basketball ( and the only one that most people care about right now), she is also the single biggest example of what is wrong with women's basketball. One player, of larger than usual size or length, makes a huge impact on any game she plays in, as evidenced by Griner's success. However, this problem is not solely limited to Griner. Candace Parker, Maya Moore, Tina Charles. All of these players have been elite level women's players who dismantled other womens teams to a level previously unheard of. In a way, I feel like this dominance is not good for women's basketball. Sure, Griner makes Sportscenter when she dunks in a game, but her success projects the image that the competition she is playing against is just all the more awful. So when Baylor dismantles Chattanooga 91-31 and doesn't break a sweat, the credibility of womens basketball takes a hit. Griner is, forgive my expression, like a man amongst boys out there, and no one likes a bully.

This all may be a little bit overwhelming to some readers. Its okay. Sit down, take a drink of water, get in the shade, and think about it. If sports fans love to watch men's college basketball because every game can be riveting, at least for a little while, wouldn't they enjoy the same aspect out of women's ball? Frankly, if you're not enjoying the Brittney Griner show, you certainly won't enjoy any aspect of the 88-19 or 91-31 wins that the Lady Bears are becoming synonymous with.  Men's superstars are kept humble by the pure number of other players who can make them look bad or keep pace with them on a given night (Right Lebron?). This sort of unofficial balance system makes sure that no team racks up some dynastic record of perfection, such as the UConn huskies had for several seasons, and like what the Lady Bears are doing this season at 38-0. When Griner leaves, Baylor will probably fade back into the pack, and teams will be fighting over the next Griner to help them dominate for the next four years. This is not a trend you want your sport to be following.

Look, I'm not here to decide which girls can or cannot play college basketball. It's not up to me, regardless. I'm simply stating that Griner and players like her can be a vicious double edged sword, and I'm simply expressing caution, that the NCAAW doesn't cut themselves too deep. Take me away, Sheryl.