Finally…A Reason to Watch Women’s Basketball…Maybe

Every once in a great while I’ll swallow my pride and watch a marquee women’s basketball game like Tennessee against Connecticut or something. And I will, without a doubt, cover women’s basketball as a writer because, well, any job is a good job at this point.

But it’s pretty rare that I can actually find a reason to watch women’s basketball of my own free will. Kind of like me reading a Jay Mariotti column. Not happening.

I guess marketing it as a “more fundamental” game just doesn’t do anything for me. If I cared about fundamentals do you think I’d actually watch the NBA? Come on. I want athleticism and dunks. And this doesn’t count.

After doing my usual mid-day sports section perusal, though, I think I finally found a reason to watch some women’s hoops: blood lust.

Yes, sir. It is Texas A&M’s goal to, “make people bleed.” Seriously, check it out for yourself. That’s crazy talk, sir! And I like it. Sure, it’s just a metaphor. Just let me dream for a minute, OK?

The Aggies play No. 1 Tennessee tonight with a trip to the Final Four on the line and I tell you what, if any of the baseball games on the Extra Innings package lose my attention (ha, good one) I might actually watch.

This is all news to me, but Texas A&M apparently has a reputation for, uh, overly physical defense. Assistant coach and “defensive coordinator” Vic Schaefer seems like the kind of guy that revels in knowing that other teams thinks his Aggies are bullies on the defensive end.

Bullies, you say? Outstanding. If there’s one thing that might actually catch my attention it’s Texas A&M throwing ‘bows at Tennessee. Candace Parker could probably use a touch of humility. Make her bleed! Maybe we could get something like Tyler Hansbrough’s bloody face last year at the hands of Gerald Henderson. That would be sweet.

Now, I’m not specifically condoning any intentional blood letting. That would be wrong. I’m not an ancient Roman or anything.

I’m just saying, if you want to expand your demographic and maybe actually fill some of those gyms up, a little rough stuff might not hurt. Those MMA guys would be all over it. But really, there’s no chance of recruiting me. I’ll catch the highlights.

Maybe.