UConn Women's Streak Ends: Why Loss To Stanford Hurts Women's Basketball
The UConn Lady Huskies saw their record 90 game win streak come to an end in Palo Alto on Thursday night, as they were defeated at the hands of their arch nemesis, the Stanford Cardinal.
As you well know, Stanford also happens to be the very team that beat UConn before they embarked on their epic streak.
Now that the streak is over, everybody wants to know what's next for Geno Auriemma and the Huskies. But what does the loss do for women's basketball as a whole? To put it simply, it doesn't exactly do the sport any favors.
With that in mind, here are 10 reasons why the Huskies' loss to Stanford hurts women's basketball.
10. No More Geno Auriemma Press Conferences
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I want to get this silly little point out of the way before we get into the serious stuff, so I hope you don't mind.
Geno Auriemma is a very charismatic guy, and he's definitely not shy in front of a camera. He seems to totally realize that when it comes to sports, it's nothing sacred.
Case in point, we all cracked up when he got in front of the cameras on Thursday night and said, “This losing stuff is getting old, man. I hate it."
Now that the streak is over, it's a good bet that he's not going to get nearly as much airtime. And because he is the one of the only recognizable faces in the sport, that's a shame.
9. Money
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This is probably a bigger deal than I'm making it out to be, but I'm going to put it down at the bottom of the list just because I'm not sure of the actual figures.
However, it's pretty obvious that the UConn women were good for business, for both the university and the NCAA. Of the many things that they are going to lose with the ending of the streak (most of which will be addressed ahead), one of the more important things that's being taken away from the sport is money.
True, this isn't really an issue for the WNBA. But we may as well be honest—nobody watches the WNBA anyway. If women's basketball is to get any attention, it's going to be at the collegiate level. So on balance, the sport as a whole is probably going to have to find a new cash cow.
8. The Way They Went Out
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For a team that had won 90 games in a row, the Lady Huskies sure didn't look good on Thursday night. They shot just 33 percent from the field, they never led in the game and even Maya Moore looked completely baffled.
In short, they didn't go out like heroes, which I think is how most people were hoping the streak would end if and when it finally did.
Indeed, you can't always have a storybook ending. But it sure would have been nice for the streak to have one. I'm not pointing any fingers, mind you. I'm merely saying that the loss was a bummer, which just doesn't bode well for women's basketball.
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7. Parity
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It may only be one loss, but the general consensus is that parity has been returned to women's college basketball.
Given the amount of attention that the streak brought to the sport as a whole, that should scare the heck out of anybody with a vested interest in it.
I shall explain why in a moment.
6. The General Public Wanted The Streak To Keep Going
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There has been a lot of talk in recent months about how the streak was bad for women's basketball.
That is utter nonsense, as the amount of good that the streak was able to do for the sport was significant.
And in fact, it was pretty obvious that the general public, which is to say the "casual" fans, wanted the streak to keep going.
Now that it's over, the widespread fascination with the sport is probably over too.
Which brings me to my next point...
5. No TV
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Lost in the shuffle during all the ruckus that ensued after the buzzer sounded on UConn's first loss in nearly three years was the fact that the game was being watched by a record audience.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Thursday's epic clash was the most watched regular season game in the history of women's basketball, posting a 1.5 metered market Nielsen overnight rating.
Moreover, it managed to achieve that while there was a major college football Bowl game going on at the exact same time.
Now that the streak is kaput, ratings are not only going to plummet, but you can bet that fewer games are going to even be televised nationally at all.
4. The Huskies Are Human Now
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Ever since they started the streak in April of 2008, the UConn women were unstoppable. And once the streak got big enough to grab our attention, we as a nation couldn't get enough of Maya Moore and the Lady Huskies, as I have already argued.
Now that the streak is over, it is apparent that there is parity after all in women's basketball, and that the Lady Huskies are no longer the titans of the sport. And despite the fact that they are still very good, there is also no team to take their place atop the ranks.
Every sport needs that one heroic team. And right now, women's basketball doesn't have one.
3. The End Of UConn Dominance?
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Because the streak is over, and because the UConn women's team is indeed human again because of that, you have to wonder if this is the last we're going to see of UConn's dominance.
A bold proposition, of course, and it is pure speculation. But all good things must come to an end, and this was certainly the case with UCLA. After John Wooden left in 1975, they didn't win another NCAA championship until 1995.
True enough, Geno Auriemma probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but it's still hard to imagine the Huskies enjoying this kind of success ever again. And make no mistake, their success is good for the sport.
2. Respect For The Game
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I don't think it's any secret that women's basketball as a whole doesn't get nearly as much respect as men's basketball, whether we're talking college or the pros.
But the UConn women definitely helped changed the general perception of the sport, as it was obvious to anybody who was watching what they were doing that women can ball with the best of them.
So while you have to expect that this respect will linger at least for a little while, you have to remember that respect is definitely perishable. And now that the standard has been set so high, it's not likely that the sport will ever be as highly thought of again as it is right now.
1. Spotlight Is Gone
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Ah yes, the point at last.
Let's face it, of all the positive things that UConn's 90 game win streak did for women's basketball, nothing was more important than the fact that it put the sport in the national spotlight.
Indeed, as the Lady Huskies sped towards that record 89th win, they were the story of the day on ESPN every day they had a game. Geno Auriemma was probably right when he said that the only reason people gave a damn at all was because they were breaking a men's record, but one also suspects that he was grateful that the attention was coming at all.
Now that the streak is over, women's basketball will go back to being what it was in the national consciousness before—an afterthought.
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