UConn's Dominance Brings Back Old Ghosts

As I watch the NCAA Women's Semifinals, I think back to the question of UConn's dominance being bad for college women's basketball.

On MLB's opening night, UConn destroyed Baylor, in a game that was competitive early, but became a laugh-er soon after the second half began.

How can women's college basketball attract an audience, when we all know the outcome. Many believe reality television to be a new concept. Sports, the ultimate reality television show, has existed for decades as a television audience favorite. We like sports-- I believe, partly because the outcome can be affected up until the last second.  Not the case with college women's basketball.

We knew the Huskies would win. We knew they would win bigi—n this case it was by 20 points. Now they will take on Stanford in the championship. The Cardinal, a team UConn beat earlier in the season by 12 points, comes in as an underdog.

With the NBA Playoffs approaching, many basketball fans have focused on the final stretch of the season. LeBron James showed up at Fenway park, to further hype the Yankees/Redsox season opener. Baseball fans will be watching many of their favorite teams play for the first time this week. So where does women's college basketball fit in this scheme?

Women's college basketball will always have a core audience. With the NCAA Men's tournament apparently expanding to 96 teams, ESPN will more than likely wiggle it's way into the deal. UConn may help drive women's college basketball coverage into the same fate as the NHL. 

I'm not sure how the problem can be solved. Maybe the problem will resolve itself. Certainly something has to change. Or women's college basketball may find itself fading back into the shadows.