Would you like a WNBA team in Boston or Massachusetts for that matter?

[EarthBall]

Why not open the NBA up to women? 

Yeah, yeah, you can argue that they can't handle it physically, but I'd bet that once or twice a decade, some woman would come along (re: Candace Parker?) and hold her own for a few years. Sure, she wouldn't be an all-star, but she could contribute as an 8th or 9th "man" and the media would go crazy (you see how much they love Michelle Wie and she stinks). However, I don't think many players or fans could handle a woman on the court. They'd feel threatened and/or their views on women are from the 1950s. 

[Jon]

Am I the only one who watches those WNBA commercials where they insult themselves and agree?

[Champzilla]

Lets get an arena football team !!!

[Champzilla]

I would definately go see arena football.

[CoachCowens]

Why not open the NBA up to women? 

Yeah, yeah, you can argue that they can't handle it physically, but I'd bet that once or twice a decade, some woman would come along (re: Candace Parker?) and hold her own for a few years. Sure, she wouldn't be an all-star, but she could contribute as an 8th or 9th "man" and the media would go crazy (you see how much they love Michelle Wie and she stinks). However, I don't think many players or fans could handle a woman on the court. They'd feel threatened and/or their views on women are from the 1950s. 

Ann Meyers signed with the Pacers years ago but was cut.

[Roy Hobbs]

Yeah, yeah, you can argue that they can't handle it physically, but I'd bet that once or twice a decade, some woman would come along (re: Candace Parker?) and hold her own for a few years. Sure, she wouldn't be an all-star, but she could contribute as an 8th or 9th "man" and the media would go crazy (you see how much they love Michelle Wie and she stinks).

Candace Parker would get destroyed in the NBA.  She just doesn't have the size, strength, or athleticism to hang with any current player.  I know a lot of people will throw out a guy like Scal, but he's not that bad of an athlete, in actuality, and was a very good college player. 

I can't think of a single NBA player than Candace Parker could beat out.

[indeedproceed]

Yeah, yeah, you can argue that they can't handle it physically, but I'd bet that once or twice a decade, some woman would come along (re: Candace Parker?) and hold her own for a few years. Sure, she wouldn't be an all-star, but she could contribute as an 8th or 9th "man" and the media would go crazy (you see how much they love Michelle Wie and she stinks).

Candace Parker would get destroyed in the NBA.  She just doesn't have the size, strength, or athleticism to hang with any current player.  I know a lot of people will throw out a guy like Scal, but he's not that bad of an athlete, in actuality, and was a very good college player. 

I can't think of a single NBA player than Candace Parker could beat out.

Candace Parker looks like a girl version of KG when she plays (to me) Lisa Leslie looks like the female David Robinson....when they're playing against women.

Lisa Leslie's actual height: 6'5
Candace Parker: 6'4

Tony Allen would own them. Gabe Pruitt would dominate them in the paint. Brian Scalabrine would destroy them. Those are 10-12 spot roster guys. KG? Kobe? Lebron? It would be like...something awful.

Women don't have the size or the strength to compete against men in the NBA...just flat out not happening.

[EarthBall]

Women don't have the size or the strength to compete against men in the NBA...just flat out not happening.

There's gotta be some woman out there who can hold her own. There's over 3 billion of them.

Maybe the NBA should let women use steroids to narrow the gap between the size of men and women...

[PRIDE]

They should put a WNBA team in Maine to go with the D-League affiliate. They could use the same arena. It would help costs quite a bit and bring some pro/semi-pro basketball to my home state, Maine.

[furball]

As an avid WNBA fan I can say that a team in Boston would be over kill.  with the team in Conn there is no reason to put another team so close.  It also wouldn't change my affiliation (as the team in Conn didn't) so it wouldn't matter to me anyways.

As far as a Woman in the NBA, they just couldn't do it physicaly.  Although, in 10 years or so you may see it.  slowly but steadily the size and athletisism in the league is growing.  You never know.   

[pearljammer10]

Eh who cares no one watches anyway.

[iowa plowboy]

The epitomy of a loss leader for the NBA.

The epitomy of irrelevence.

[Schupac]

As far as if or not its financially viable, don't worry about it.  I'm sure the owners aren't truly losing money on it in the big picture.   I'm sure they can trace NBA revenue back to WNBA expenditures.  If they were losing money with the venture they would dissolve the league (XFL, NFL Europe etc).

I'm going to take the easy way out and not search for a more concrete source because I thought this was common knowledge, but the NBA subsidizes the WNBA.  It does not make a profit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA

Look under the "finance" section.

EDIT:  Better source - http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2005/04/25/story5.html

Profits are siphoned off from the NBA to support the WNBA.  So with that in mind, I don't think any talks of expansion are in order.

I understand the idea or role-models, but unless enough parents want to use the sport for just that purpose so that it can make money, it's not going to happen.  But many will shell out hundreds so they can go watch Hannah Montanah...

[guava_wrench]

No, nor would I like a WNBA team in any city in America.

Ok, that's a bit harsh, but I'm really not a fan and I hate the idea of an unsuccesful league being kept alive for purely sexist reasons.  If you are producing a product for which there are not enough consumers to support it, your business should fail.

I didn't realize the WNBA was losing money. Can you provide a link? I'd like to read it. I would expect that the WNBA has way more viewers than the developmental league or other past recent non-NBA leagues.

What "sexist" reasons would there be? Multiple soccer leagues have failed, as have the USFL and the CBA. They are all business ventures. If what you claim is true and the WNBA is failing financially, what does sexism have to do with the league continuing?

Is there a sport that isn't split by gender besides billiards? Why should this bother anyone?

Should we get rid of the LPGA since the winner makes more money then PGA players who are better? That is silly, since no one would watch the LPGA if it was coed and was just a lesser version of the PGA. Same thing for tennis.

[BrickJames]

Yeah, yeah, you can argue that they can't handle it physically, but I'd bet that once or twice a decade, some woman would come along (re: Candace Parker?) and hold her own for a few years. Sure, she wouldn't be an all-star, but she could contribute as an 8th or 9th "man" and the media would go crazy (you see how much they love Michelle Wie and she stinks).

Candace Parker would get destroyed in the NBA.  She just doesn't have the size, strength, or athleticism to hang with any current player.  I know a lot of people will throw out a guy like Scal, but he's not that bad of an athlete, in actuality, and was a very good college player. 

I can't think of a single NBA player than Candace Parker could beat out.

Tyrone Lue