Women Be Shopping

Do you ever wonder how it is that women find themselves sitting courtside in NBA games? Well, you're not the only one. This has been as unanswered a riddle as the chicken or the egg. To first answer this riddle, we first must pinpoint as to why women have suddenly become such avid NBA fans.

Let's take my hometown Miami Heat and their 'bandwagon' fans. Granted, this city is one where winning breeds fans. True fans, of course, would support their team through the good times and the bad. True fans, of course, would know some of their team's accomplishments, and true fans, of course, would know the names of the team's current and past players. Or so you would think.. There are even tall tales out there of mythical "fans" going out to watch a movie when meaningful playoff games are about to start. Some support that is, huh. To gauge better knowledge of those that we are talking about, below is something that should be handed out to all Miami Heat 'fans' as they enter the arena..

Once completed, we can hopefully start to get an idea of how the courtside seats seem to be occupied my more women than men. Being a Psych major, I will hypothesize that more women will leave the "Last team you were a fan of:" question blank, as well as their 'Age'. Let's see how the null hypothesis fairs as long as the Miami Heat stay relevant.

To go back to the original question of how it is that women find themselves sitting courtside in NBA games, we could assume that perhaps they are looking to attract some athletic genes into their ancestry tree. Or perhaps, they work in well paying boutiques. Or maybe, they have a good 'relationship' with an arena employee. I'd like to think that these women who occupy a courtside seat have contributed something to society to say they have earned that experience. Unfortunately, just like how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, the world may never know.

Who is Jason Whitlock?

Jason Whitlock is the individual that I would owe it all to if I ever get rich and famous from blogging. He is the straw that broke the camel's back, although he might actually break the camel's back if he sat on it. I digress. His FOX Sports article titled 'Heat can be beat and Lebron knows it" has to be one of the strangest and ranks right up there with the worst case of "hey, 'Like' my article on Facebook please so that I can keep my job' articles that I have ever read.

Yes, I am a homer. Yes, I will support my Miami Heat team. And yes, I have doubted them at times but never have I been as ignorant or lacked as much appreciation for a team that has globally taken over the sport that allows me to pays my bills. Jason Whitlock has done just that. I am aware that he is a lifelong Indiana Pacers fan, but for why? Maybe because he feels Reggie Miller should have had more famous moments other than his miracle versus the Knicks in the playoffs some eons back. Other than that, they are not as relevant as he would want them to be.

Let's analyze some excerpts of his article: First, "Is Frank Vogel as good as Tom Thibodeau? No. But Vogel is better than Spoelstra. Erik Spoelstra is not an elite coach. I’m sorry. He’s not. Anyone who watched the Bulls battle Miami over five games recognized the coaching advantage Chicago held over the Heat." Hey Whitlock, explain to me then why Spoelstra was higher in the NBA coach of the year voting than Vogel. Convince me as to how Vogel is a better coach when Spoelstra beat Vogel with a Bosh-less Heat time last season in the playoffs and brought about his 'Pace and Space' offense. All you have is a 7-foot center. Must be hard to coach that player: "Hey Hib, just stand in the middle and put your arms up. There that should do it. I am so much better than Spoelstra, but not Thibs. dum di dum dum dum".

Another excerpt: 'I’m saying the Heat are vulnerable, and they know it. LeBron knows it. That’s why he’s pretending Pacers coach Frank Vogel disrespected the Heat by not calling Miami just another team. LeBron is looking for an emotional edge because he knows Miami’s physical edge is much less pronounced with Wade needing milk of the poppy (Game of Thrones reference) to play on two legs.' Now, maybe a stray dog was picked over Whitlock during P.E. class in middle school when it came time to picking teams and since then he has held a real resentment to those with athletic skills far superior to his, which i am sure is not saying much. Otherwise, I don't know why he feels that he's entitled to mention the 4 time MVP and 1 time NBA Finals MVP in such a negative way AND to include a Game of Thrones reference, in which I feel that the show's creator deserves an apology.

I believe in the freedom of speech and the right to press and all that jazz. But sometimes you have to understand that what a sports writer does is a privilege, not just their job. And this 'columnist' Whitlock needs to realize that before writing a 'column' like this just because he knows it will get hits and grind gears. If you decide to read Jason Whitlock's article, beware: it is dark and full of terrors (Game of Thrones reference).

***ADDENDUM: GAME 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.. Hey Whitlock, good coaching decision by Vogel keeping Hibbert on the bench for the last Heat possessions, including the game winning shot by the MVP, Lebron James.