UConn Women's Winning Streak Shows Lack of Competition in Women's Basketball

In case you haven’t heard, the Connecticut women’s basketball team just finished wrapping up its 89th consecutive victory by blowing out an overmatched Florida State team tonight. The win moves the Huskies ahead of John Wooden’s early 70s UCLA teams which won 88 straight games before being toppled by Notre Dame in January of 1974.

This particular streak has brought out some heated debates recently because, in its essence, it’s the most classic and simple battle of all humanity - Men vs. Women.

According to some, if you’re not completely in awe of this accomplishment then you’re simply just a misogynistic "put 'em back in the kitchen" minded women hater.

While it is no doubt quite an achievement for this team, this program and the school of Connecticut, I guess you can count me on the side of the many so-called “haters.”

While I’m not exactly ready to sink to the level of asking Maya Moore to go cook me a steak, I do have to admit that I haven't been anywhere near as overwhelmed by this UConn streak like I have been by other great sports moments over the last decade or so.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that I’ve probably watched a combined 20 minutes of women's basketball action in my lifetime (not counting my many repeated viewings of Juwanna Mann), maybe it’s the fact that the Huskies are coached by the walking ball of ego known as Geno Auriemma or maybe, and more likely, it has to do with the recent realization that women’s basketball has become simply a one team show.

The UConn Huskies are now the Mircrosoft of the sport world—they have monopolized the game of women's basketball in their favor and the fact that they can dominate the competition with such ease and regularity is clearly indicative of that.

Now, do they deserve any blame at all for this?

Absolutely and certainly not. But the facts are the facts.

Auriemma has the formula down. Get your hands on the nation’s best player, surround her with some great talent, push the right buttons at the opportune times, and watch as they cruise to a championship, handily beating everyone in their path.

The UConn Huskies shouldn’t be congratulated for winning 89 straight games over mostly inferior opponents, they should be congratulated for getting to the point where they are now head and shoulders above everyone else in the sport.

Good job, well done. But until you find yourself a worthy adversary that is able to challenge you, don’t expect America to give you the credit you probably deserve for such a feat.

We’re Americans, we like competition. Look at the country’s most popular sports league, the NFL.

Parity, parity, parity.

Nobody wants to see one truly great team dominate year in and year out. We’ll lose interest.

It was fun watching the Patriots beat up everyone on their way to going 18-0, but the most enjoyable and rewarding part (at least for those outside of New England) was watching them finally get cut down by the Giants at the end. It meant someone finally stepped up to their level and met the challenge.

After a while, it gets to the point where you win so much, everyone turns against you a bit.

Nobody likes a showoff.

Look at some of the most hated teams in America—Yankees, Lakers, Cowboys—they’re some of the most successful franchises in sports history.

Success breeds contempt.

So UConn, while your accomplishment is great, don’t be shocked that you’re not going to be hailed as the greatest team in sports history anytime soon.

While it does sound strange to say, the most important thing you can do now is lose.

Maybe after a loss we can look back and really fully appreciate this tremendous streak. But first you have to show us that you’re human. We have to see that there’s somebody worth a damn out there in women's basketball who has what it takes to compete with you.

Sports is competition. Sports isn’t total domination.