Is dunking the key to attracting a larger audience to the WNBA?
Chicago Sky forward Elena Delle Donne thinks so; it’s one reason she suggested on social media and in an interview with USA Today that the WNBA should lower the height of the league’s basketball goal rims.
“I think it would bring a whole different aspect to the game and bring viewership as well and show the athleticism of our women,” she told USA Today. “We do every single thing on that court that the men do, other than the dunking. And, obviously, there is a handful of athletes who can dunk.”
Delle Donne cited regulations in other sports that differ based on gender, such as a lower net for women’s volleyball and closer tees in women’s golf.
“Why not lower our rim and let every single player in the league play above the rim like the NBA can?”
For one, Indiana Fever guard Shenise Johnson said, lowering the rim would detract from the artistry currently at play on the court.
“I think it’ll take away from our skill level,” Johnson told the Recorder. “If we lower the rims, people are just going to try to dunk and do layups. People aren’t going to work on the actual art and skill of shooting, the art and skill of dribbling the basketball.”
Johnson called the suggestion “an absolute insult” and “an awful idea” and said she’s found her teammates are also opposed.
Layshia Clayton, another guard for the Fever, shared her thoughts in a blog on espnW. Clayton called the suggestion “short-sighted” and voiced concerns about the impact it could have on female athletes.
“Not only do I think that lowering the rims would become a significant source for further ridicule and a step back in gaining equal respect — I also think it misses the point. People don’t tune in to the NBA for the sole purpose of watching dunks. People watch because it’s embedded in our culture to do so,” Clayton wrote.
“To lower the rims would not only further isolate young girls and women in the sport, it would become another excuse as to why we aren’t good enough.”
Kate Fagan, a writer for espnW who played basketball at the University of Colorado, also predicts ridicule if the rims were to be lowered.
“If history is any indication, instead of jaws dropping over these slam dunks, jaws will start flapping — about how anyone can dunk on a lowered rim, about how watching women dunk will never be as exciting as watching men dunk, about how men (or women) won’t pay to watch someone dunk on a hoop that they themselves can dunk on,” Fagan wrote in a piece on espnW’s website.
She added that, like Johnson mentioned, there is value in on-court skills besides just dunking, and Stephen Curry’s popularity goes to show the fans appreciate such skills.
“People don’t tune in to see Curry soar above others for dunks,” Fagan said. “They watch to see his trickery with the ball, his ability to create his own shot and his eye-popping precision from long distance.”
Johnson added: “He’s changed the NBA with the 3-point line.”
Johnson said it’s always good to see conversations about the WNBA, which often lacks in media coverage compared to other leagues. But she’s concerned about what the lower-rim suggestion says about her sport, and it leaves more questions than answers.
“Are you saying we’re not exciting enough? Are you saying we’re not good enough? What are you saying? There are a lot of questions that come into play when you talk about lowering the rim.”
