Ric Bucher has come up with a new issue for the WNBA. On his latest podcast he asked why more men weren’t covering the league. While the voice of the WNBA on ESPN is Ryan Rucco and Noah Eagle does broadcasts on WNBA, Bucher is more concerned about the lack of diverse voices elsewhere. Like the other seat in the booth or on studio shows.
“The only males you will find on national broadcast now are young, up-and-comers doing play-by-play,” said Bucher. “Is the WNBA not worthy of being discussed and dissected by a variety of voices and perspectives in the same way the NBA is? There are some smart basketball savvy women, both in the studio and broadcast booth, but I don’t hear a whole lot of differing opinion or debate.”
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“All of it feels like a girls’ club,” Bucher added. “The media protecting the league from real scrutiny or critique. I’ll ask again, what are they afraid of? Players can’t take it? That critiquing a woman in public is no way to treat one?”
On the list of things the league needs to address, this feels like it should be pretty low on the list. Things have gotten so bad the commissioner had to put together an anti-hate task force. As for men discussing the league, Bill Simmons have gone after the commissioner and Stephen A. Smith has taken shots at Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White. There is no shortage of men talking about this league.
The majority of NBA and NFL and MLB analysts and color commentators are men, but women have broken through to start taking those positions. The same will happen in the WNBA with men, but the sport has only blown up in popularity in the last few years. Whoever was covering the league before it had multiple national television deals is going to be first in line. Not to mention that the networks are going to automatically gravitate towards former players of that sport.
Bucher also pointed to a recent controversy as proof.
“It all comes off as safe and monotone and cookie cutter,” said Bucher. “Especially when it comes to controversial topics. DiJonai took Sophie Cunningham’s head off, and the broadcasters were debating whether it would be elevated to a Flagrant 2. They sounded afraid to say it, even after multiple replays showed DiJonai made no attempt to make a play on the ball. The studio analysts were no better.”
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Reaction to Wemby’s flagrant fouls
Would men be more willing to condemn a player in the moment? Victor Wembanyama is coming off an incredible playoff run but also committed some flagrant fouls along the way. The NBC broadcast didn’t exactly call for a suspension in real-time when Wembanyama threw one of the more flagrant elbows the NBA has seen in recent years. There are lots of shocked noises on the replay but Reggie Miller only says it will probably be a flagrant-1.
Then in the NBC studios at halftime Tracy McGrady, Carmelo Anthony and Vince Carter didn’t exactly go off on Wembanyama. Instead, they talked about how a suspension might hurt the Spurs. It was what you might call safe and cookie cutter.
Just another case of a controversial incident where there wasn’t much controversy in the booth or studio.
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