Interestingly enough, WNBA basketball isn't your grandmother's favorite sport. Not that it was, but it had potential, in the beginning, when "models" like Lisa Leslie and Rebecca Lobo were preaching about how they dealt with the challenges of being "ladies" in a man's world. Nowadays, the concern is no longer how to remain a "lady" but, instead, how to dunk like the boys. For one, the ladies are wearing the shorts hanging half-way down their rears (I'm guilty!) just like the boys...and [GASP] they're even a little guilty of "talking trash" just like the fellas...
Now, don't get me wrong, not all the players in the WNBA are little replicas of these special "hoopstas" I am referring to, but if you walk into a gym for a high school summer league tournament or if you've been around girls after a high school or college basketball game, you will see a fair share of the girls sporting baggy shorts and big sneakers (I can't believe I just used the word sneakers, but my grandma would be proud!)...
Girls are taking basketball seriously in many respects- the intricacies of the game, the ways in which "flashiness" and solid fundamentals can enhance the effectiveness of a knowledgeable player, and most of all, being a fashion icon can speak volumes before you even step onto the basketball court- but you better bring some game to back up those baggy shorts or you might not be invited back to the gym.
All this to say that while the WNBA is the ultimate achievement for the girls who have the ambition and ability to play at that level, it is also the standard for thousands of young ladies who are striving to find their identity in a sport that has been dominated by women who are nothing like the men basketball stars. And it's good to finally have some girls in the "league" that are feminine, yet tough, without being "girly!"
Keywords: Athletics, Basketball, Girl's Sports, Sports, WNBA
