RebKell's Junkie Boards

[GlennMacGrady]

I was going to do a poll, but I really have two questions of interest and anything anyone wants to talk about along those two lines.

1. Were you a MBB fan before you were a WBB fan, or did your basketball interest start with some level of WBB?

2. Do you currently watch just WBB or both WBB and MBB?

MBB was my favorite team sport since I was a young boy in the 50's. I played and watched it at all levels almost obsessively.

I began to lose interest in MBB, especially the NBA, in the 1990's. I started watching WCBB in the mid-90's, which became a concentrated interest during the 2000 season. Soon after that I became interested the WNBA and girls high school games.

Currently, I watch WBB almost exclusively, but will occasionally watch a MCBB or NBA game, usually during playoffs.

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http://www.youtube.com/MagicBusBasketball

[beknighted]

[summertime blues]

I was a very casual MBB fan....I went to Wisconsin and the men's team was so godawful when I was there that it wasn't worth watching! When I moved to Tennessee MBB was a little better, at least in the days of the Ernie & Bernie show, but what really captivated me was the beginnings of the Lady Vols dynasty. I had been a pre-Title IX tomboy, forced to play that hideous split-court game and hating it and not good at it anyway because I'm too short. (I would probably have run cross-country and track if they'd had girls' sports in those days) That first decent Lady Vols team had a girl on it from the town where I was living in TN and that was a big deal too. Next thing I knew the Lady Vols were playing in the AIAW tournament, and, well, there we were. I was hooked. I had season tickets for a long time. I watch WBB whenever I can catch it on TV, definitely in preference to MBB, which I only watch if Wisconsin or Tennessee is playing (and has a decent team) or during the NCAAs. Since I moved to where I live now, I am also something of a fan of JMU WBB but could care less about the men's team. I also try to follow DePaul a bit and now LA Tech.

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Don't take life so serious. It ain't nohows permanent.
It takes 3 years to build a team and 7 to build a program.--Conventional Wisdom

[pilight]

[FollowtheCardinalRule]

My sister played on the girls team in middle school, I was in charge of stats. The middle school team always ran into one squad that had a huge girl who could do anything--then I arrived at high school--and the girls team there dominated the county, and was competitive at the state level.

My college had a fantastic womens program who had the unfortunate distinction of playing in the same conference as DePauw University--a team that has been consistently in the Top 5 of the rankings every year for DIII.

I also grew up watching Stanford because of my Dad's connection to Stanford as an alum.

The mens teams were never as good--outside of the one year where Stanford hit a buzzerbeater to beat Arizona in a HUGE upset--I was at a friends house and I remember walking away in disgust because I thought that Stanford was done for.

[bekcat1]

I was a MBB fan before women. I went to McNeese St University the same time Joe Dumars was there (our matchups with LA Tech who had Karl Malone were the most fun). Our women's team was abysmal back then. I had the honor (?) of playing the national anthem before the women's home games, after which I would leave (like I said, they were horribly bad. They're much better now).

I was a Pistons fan while Dumars was there (the Bad Boys years), then I started losing interest. In 1997 I watched the WCBB National Championship game between Tennessee and Old Dominion and I was hooked. Now, I will watch an occasional MBB game, but am a HUGE fan of WBB college and pro.

[dinkytown]

1. Were you a MBB fan before you were a WBB fan, or did your basketball interest start with some level of WBB?

I was a MBB fan first but I think mainly because thats all I was exposed to until we were able to get cable and satellite in the country growing up. I didn't start watching WBB until shortly before Whalen arrived at Minnesota. I remember a pretty bad Minnesota team nearly upsetting a ranked Illinois team at the Sports Pavilion. Must have been 1997-1998 season from what I can find on Gopher schedules. That was one of the first women's games I really got into and one of the first I was able to watch on TV.

2. Do you currently watch just WBB or both WBB and MBB?

I watch WBB before MBB (or football for that matter) if both are on but I watch both.

[Queenie]

I came into basketball ass-backwards- started with the WNBA, picked up college as methadone during the long offseason, started watching the men because they were there.

I mostly watch WBB, and will always pick WBB over MBB, but I'll put a men's game on for background noise or if there's something good on.

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Ardent believer in the separation of church and stadium.

[NoDakSt]

A casual men's basketball fan first; followed Patrick Ewing at Georgetown when I was in high school and really got into March Madness. When I enrolled at North Dakota State that all changed. The bison women's team had a great following both in the Fargo media and with fans. it was a really great atmosphere back in the 80s. It was probably about 88 or 89 where I started following Division I women's basketball. I also follow men's basketball currently but more in tune with WCBb.

[myrtle]

My older bro played, so first started watching him and then wanting to emulate like little sister's do. So basically watched male version first, semi-casually college and pros. But once I was playing, as soon as WBB became more available (visually), that became first in line. I watch men's version some, but can never get enough of women's.

[NoDakSt]

I think the first sports related message boards I posted on back in 1996 were the womens basketball boards on AOL.

[Marquette Fan]

1. Were you a MBB fan before you were a WBB fan, or did your basketball interest start with some level of WBB?

Yes I followed Men's Bball first - I didn't really know much about Women's College Bball until I got to college.

I did go to an all-girls high school where we were state runner-up's two of the years I was there. I followed their team so closely that the coach had me video tape their games my senior year since I was at so many games anyway. Fun fact - the long-time coach at my high school was the first Women's Basketball Coach at University of Cincinnati (coached both at the same time I believe). Support for women's athletics in Cincinnati was so awful years ago (not sure it's really any better now) that it never occurred to me that I could be going to Women's College Basketball games during my high school years.

I started going to some of the Marquette Women's games early on in my time there and started going to most of their games my junior and senior years. My senior year I stayed on campus during Spring Break for the Great Midwest Tournament and saw an awesome comeback against DePaul in the semi's and the greatest game I've ever seen when they made an improbable comeback against a good Memphis team to win the conference tourney and grab the automatic bid. I took a cheap bus trip to Penn State that year to see them in the NCAA's - they lost to NC State. I went to my first WF4 in 1997 bumping into first year head coach Terri Mitchell there and that was the first time I realized she knew who I was.

2. Do you currently watch just WBB or both WBB and MBB?

I watch both. But if I have no rooting interest, I will generally choose to watch a WBB game over a MBB game. There are way more MBB games on TV so that's one reason I end up watching a number of those.

[Marquette Fan]

[Queenie]

[CBiebel]

[CBiebel]

I followed Mens a bit before. My high school was a state powerhouse, with 4 straight state titles, then 2 years after I graduated (and the year after the 4th straight), 4 starters graduated, a 5th changed his sport, the coach retired and the team won 1 game.

I followed the Men's Basketball team at ND quite a bit (plus, being in the band I played at about 1/3 of the home games. They divided the marching band into 1/3 for the BBall games since there were so many people in the band.

The story of how I started following Women's Basketball is in another thread here.

I don't follow the Men's team as much. I'll check out a few games from time to time.

[lvf08]

I started as a WBB only fan, but now I do watch both (college and pro).

[mzonefan]

I grew up in SoCal with the Lakers - mostly listening to Chick Hearn calling the games on the radio - Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and eventually the "showtime" era with Magic Johnson.

I was one of those kids who played every sport as the school seasons came around, so I did play a bit in jr high and freshman year. I didn't have much BB talent.

Although I'm the same age as Cheryl Miller and heard about her and the USC teams of the early 80's, it never would have dawned on me to go to a game. I went to water polo and swimming events at the 84 Olympics (my main sports) but in retrospect wish that I'd seen that USA WBB team perform in person.

I moved to Ann Arbor in 92 and started going to the games as something to do with friends in the middle of winter. It was cheap and very social. The Michigan team was pretty awful under Trish Roberts. When Sue Guevara took over, I was hooked. I've been extremely involved and have missed very few games since. 97 was my first Big Ten Tournament.

My MBB college in-person viewing consisted of watching a few games with my dad at the small college in our hometown. In Ann Arbor, I've gone to a few of the men's games, but I mostly watch on TV or follow scores.

It's funny that this all started with the NBA. I have no interest in it at all now.

[mzonefan]

[Phil]

I was a casual men's bb fan until I moved to Chicago, then attended an NCAA regional in Providence where Danny Ainge played. Started following DePaul men.

Started following UConn women in 95, when I was back in CT. Oddly, became more serious about it after moving to Baltimore, perhaps because I had to go out of my way to follow them.

Started going to Final Fours in 2001, haven't missed one since.

Still follow UConn closely, but wbb much more broadly, with interests in New Mexico, Hartford, FGCU, WV, St. Francis (NY) and Washington.

Also follow USA basketball, so it is a year-round sport.

I follow WNBA casually, NBA somewhat during playoffs, and some mens's game.

[PRballer]

I had two older sisters play in high school in the early 90s, and would go to their games and be in awe of the athletes on the court. I picked up the game playing myself and being a boy who played, was around the NBA and would watch the Jordan years. Phoenix, Houston, those NBA teams.

Around that same time I saw my first women's game on TV - it was Virginia playing Lamar in the NCAAs in 91? Tammi Reiss and Dawn Staley and the Burge twins. I was hooked.

I've been following women's college basketball since about 91/92 and the WNBA since 97.

Thank god for ESPN and this forum, but I also go see games when I can.

[Dennis1361]

I was a huge men's college bb fan, pro not so much However I still follow some mens teams such as USF < Stanford and Cal> I went to USF (Not Fl) and started WBB with Stanford in 1991. Pretty much only attend WBB I have had season tickets to Stanford Women since 92. I would not and do not watch or attend mens pro bb and wont till they start playing bb again

[newkid]

As a kid, and in my twenties and thirties, I watched the NBA finals, and very occasionally attended a Texas women's game. Football was my number one sport. Then my daughters started playing, and I saw a lot of middle school and high school girls basketball. When they were still in school, I started watching women's college ball. That led me to the WNBA as some of my college favorites graduated. My daughters became big mens college ball fans, and they got me interested. And that eventually led me to be a bit more of an NBA fan -- I don't watch many regular season games, but I pay attention, and I watch all of the playoffs.

I prefer women's to mens, and I prefer college to pros for either gender. But I enjoy it all.

[readyAIMfire53]

As a sports fanatic in the pre-Title IX days, I loved the sport the first time I put the ball in the basket. All women's sports are primary for me, including basketball. Now, growing up in LA, I was/am a huge LA Lakers fan - Jerry West and Elgin Baylor ruled. And, yes Chick Hearn was on my transistor radio under my pillow when the lights went out. I watched every game that was televised. Also in LA was the UCLA dynasty, but my dad went to USC so did not become fanatical about UCLA.

I once watched the Japanese Olympic Team in an exhibition game and knew at that time that any women's event would supersede any men's event. I dreamed day and night about playing in front of a crowd. Pre Title IX, it was a pipe dream. Neither my high school nor college had girls/womens basketball teams. I caught some UCLA women's games later while taking care of my grandma. They got slaughtered by Louisiana Tech. I got to see Jackie Joyner-Kersee on that UCLA team. She could jump out of the gym.

When I first moved to Durham 32 years ago, I joined a city league team and we'd go to Duke women's games after practice. With our kazoos, we were the entire band. The only women's games on TV back then were the men, so I watched mostly ACC men. I have attended and rabidly followed the Duke women for 32 years until I chose not to watch McCallie ruin another group of talented young women.

I have followed the WNBA since the first tip off, attending several Charlotte Sting games. When mismanagement was killing that time, I switched to the Washington Mystics, the second closest team by distance from home.

I currently watch men's bball occasionally. Duke I watch every televised games. I watch some NBA games, usually involving a team someone in my office is a rabid fan of so I can talk about the game at work.

I posted on rec.sports.basketball.women. I actively posted on the secret espn board and have met some of those folks in person. I will almost always choose watching a women's athletic event over just about any game played by men.

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Follow your passion and your life will be true down to your core.

~rAf

[Richard 77]

Since I was raised on a farm, sports weren't really on my radar. I never knew the Milwaukee Braves, there was no NBA or NHL in Wisconsin as a kid, the only team I knew in the sixties were the Packers. I knew the three major sports though, my brother loved baseball, and we owned a football and basketball. I enjoyed basketball the most because I was alone a lot and you needed others to play baseball or football. At least I could shoot hoops by myself in the barn. It was a metal net, by the way.

If there was a pee-wee league for kids somewhere, I didn't know about it. Didn't really get into sports until high school, played football until I blew out my knee as a junior, stunk at tennis, and couldn't get on the basketball team unless I joined as a manager.

I can watch baseball, but I'm not a big fan and I hate the Brewers for leaving the American League. I like football and the Packers, but don't care for their current GM. I can watch hockey as well, but I'm not a big fan of that either.

Now, regarding basketball, I was never a big fan of the NBA though basketball is my favorite sport, I just don't like basketball on television. Not to mention those who know me know my other reason for my dislike of the NBA. Basketball is meant to be viewed in person, but NBA tickets are too expensive anyways. As for collegiate men's basketball, I don't really follow it until they go dancing and I have a bracket.

Got into girls basketball in 1984 in support of a friend's sister who was playing at the time. Followed the high school game for awhile until moving on to the collegiate game in the early 90's. When the 1996 Olympics gave strength to creating two professional leagues, I joined the fan base of the WNBA and I haven't looked back since. I'll remain a fan of the WNBA until the day I'm no longer here. I also follow NASCAR, but will probably stop once Kenseth retires.

If someone ever creates a professional sport for women's hockey, softball or volleyball, I might become a fan, but I don't see any of those sports being created soon. Oh, now that I think about it, I do remember playing kickball and dodgeball. I wasn't good at those either.

Please purchase and read Janie and the Basketball. I mention some of these points in my introduction.

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If you cannot inspire yourself to read a book about women's basketball, or any book about women's sports, you cannot inspire any young girl or boy to write a book about them. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Richardstrek