I don't get it%u2026women's hoops supporters constantly complain that not enough people are respecting, watching and becoming fans of the game but when someone in authority suggests a pilot program to try to increase fan interest they get all indignant and defensive.

As most of you that have played the game understand, basketball is a game of angles, trajectories and elevations all of which are based upon the location of the goal. It seems pretty obvious that changing the height of the goal will impact all aspects of the game, not just the ability to play above or below the rim. Since we all know that our WNBA heroes actually make most of their money playing in Europe maybe we should listen to FIBA and show some respect since the game seems more appreciated there than here in the States.

In spite of your feminist sensibilities, the women's game has been played with a smaller ball for many years both in Europe and the States, so in fact the "girls" aren't handling the bigger balls the men use. Maybe they can, but they aren't.

Finally please don't promote Brittney Griner as something that should in any way represent where women's basketball is going. Griner may some day be deserving of such a reputation, but right now she needs to work on recovering from her disgraceful blind side punch that broke the nose of a Texas Tech competitor and put her out for the rest of the season last year. All of us should hope Griner does a lot of growing up. Until she does the last thing we should be doing is holding her up as some kind of hero for little girl roundballers to emulate. That is exactly what women's basketball doesn't need.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 1:44pm EDT

Even if they lower the rim their isn't going to be a lot of exciting dunking. Men can jump that's the difference it's not like the NBA is full of 6' 10 guys who throw up lame high schoo dunks like Griner, some NBA players literally seem to fly... That is whats exciting. Sure you need to appreciatee all aspects of the game but electric dunks are what make the NBA unique. Baseball is a great game by itself but without the long ball it's not complete... That is why the WNBA will always be a let down, regardless of the height of the hoop.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 8:05pm EDT

I believe that lowering the rim is a poor choice by FIBA and the rest of the Women%u2019s Basketball world. I play at the University of Southern California and it is a struggle to get respect from fans and even our own peers. The woman's game is so much more than just fancy dunks or playing above the rim. Yes I think it is great and exciting when a player, like Brittney Griner, can get above the rim. But at the same extent, what makes the women's game great is the way we bring the fundamentals back into the sport. The game was created by fundamentals and even some of the greatest male players in history can't dunk. But what made them great are the little things they did. Pistol Pete was one of the greatest passers of all time. He was fancy and brought a new angle to the game, but it was below the rim and it still caught everyone's attention. Sue Bird is one of the best female basketball players of all time. She is not tall and jumping over people to make the crowd watch her. She keeps her game simple but still fun to watch. With her amazing passes and the way you can always count on her to knock down the game winning shot.

People who only look at the NBA as a source of entertainment are going to focus on the thrilling excitement of a highlight dunk. They are highlight watchers, not real true fans of the game itself. A true fan can separate the men%u2019s and women%u2019s game and not look at either one based on how many points of excitement there were. I do think the women%u2019s game is getting more exciting as the years go on. But nobody gives it a chance. There is a strong stereotype with women%u2019s basketball that it is boring and our games are like watching paint dry. This might be because we actually run plays, or because we do not travel and follow the rules of the game. But unless you are apart of the women%u2019s game and understand what we go through on a daily basis to compete, then you would not care about our game. For people who want to change the way we dress to catch more male viewers, or lower our rim so that we can play above it, is to lower the game itself. We say the women%u2019s game is already looked at from a lower standpoint than the men%u2019s game. Why lower it more, literally, and make us seem even lesser than the men? This would make our sport into a strict entertainment center. Uniforms men want to see and women dunking seem perfect for the common male. But what about the woman who loves basketball and plays it for the passion? This destroys her dream and put males on top in yet another aspect. Women already get paid less and don%u2019t get any respect, as it is, why make things worse by lowering the standards to our game?

Monday, October 11, 2010 at 8:51pm EDT

Yes! Yes! Exactly! We don't need to lower our standards.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at 3:28pm EDT

Research and be performed to see what the average WNBA players height is in relation to the hoop, and perform the same research for the men. The men are much taller making it easier to reach the hoop. I think the Men's hoops should be raised so the ratio between the average height of the male and the height of the hoop is the same with the girls. The men would have just as much of a disadvantage making shots and dunks as the women. Women look bad and aren't as exciting to watch to "joe schmoe" spectators because women have to try so much harder just to get the ball up. I know people who like Woman's basketball better because it's more about playing the game and actually using their skills than getting dunks and show boating.

Another idea is for girls to simply jump higher. Being a weightlifter and being around the strength and conditioning industry for years, I know a lot of work goes into box jumps, increasing verticals, performing the Olympic lifts, etc. So I am not saying they don't work hard on that. If programmed and taught properly, I feel women can increase their vertical leap to reap more results on the court.

The rim is 10 ft high. A female basketball player is usually at least 6 ft tall. That means their amount of reach is about 2.5 ft. Just standing there and reaching is roughly 8.5 feet for a 6 ft girl. That means the athlete needs only jump 18 inches. I'm not a basket ball player but my vertical is 23 inches. So I think an actual tall, basketball player with even the slightest head start could dunk a ball easily.

Don't lower the hoop. Just appreciate that the players work harder to get the same attention and results the men do.

Friday, October 15, 2010 at 4:20am EDT

*research should be performed

Friday, October 15, 2010 at 4:20am EDT

NO just because women do not dunk does not mean the rating for basketball is lower. it is because women and men play for different reasons. or should i say people see it differently when a man plays ball he is a baller. it is all about the bling bling who he crossover who he got guard. when a woman plays it takes her woman roles away. she has to be a go getter work hard. no matter how good looking she is or not she has to work hard like everybody else. thats what make it different. you wanna see the bling or the hard work? man do work hard also but it is not seen in that way

Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 5:19pm EDT

Lowering standards isn't an answer. Such a "solution" would hamper the development of female athletes that is already underway. There are several women who dunk now, a club that is growing. Maya Moore (only 6' tall) can dunk, though she only ever does it in practice. And Griner, whatever else you may think about her, dunks with real authority. (She was doing more than "high school" dunks when she was in high school!)

Sport is a quest for the best athlete, and for that reason the very best athletes generally get the lion's share of attention. Lowering standards doesn't fool anyone, but it does slow women from moving into the elite levels of sport where the rewards are greatest.

Friday, October 22, 2010 at 5:46pm EDT