[WBB fan]

As fans, I think most of us are relatively powerless in influencing the direction of our favorite sports, except by the power we have in buying tickets. In women's basketball, as with most collegiate sports, the direction seems to come from the NCAA or the lure of big money from the media. Changes can come in the way the game is played or coached — creating rules for moving back the three point line, returning to four quarters of play, dealing with rough play by limiting contact, etc. Over the decades the rules have favored dunking the ball, which has changed the nature of play in the men's game dramatically. 
It’s too early to evaluate the influence that recent changes at other levels of the game will have, but from my vantage point, they will make even bigger changes in the game we have come to love. I'm speaking of such recent changes as establishing the transfer portal, commercializing the game through name-and-likeness incentives, and emphasis on the dunk as an added value to the game. These changes seem to favor colleges in big money markets or teams that are seen as darlings of the media.
The fundamentals of the game are still dribbling, shooting, and passing, but, in all sports wins are influenced more by recruiting, ie, competing for the highest ranked ball players. PR antics, such as rappelling from the rafters to announce yourself as the new coach, are as much a signal to aspiring players as they are to the fans (careful though: coming in like a lion, if you don’t win, insures your departure will be like a lamb). Let’s hope that this kind of fanfare doesn’t challenge future new coaches to create even more bizarre stunts to get attention. The big splash with glitz and glamour seems to resonate more with the emerging culture. 
Maybe it just me, but I still long for the glamour of the well-executed play — the drive to the basket, the legendary swish of the made shot, or the timely steal followed by the roar of the crowd after the successful fast break. I guess that’s why I remain such a devoted Stanford Women’s Basketball fan.

As for me, I long for a dignified start to the game, introduction of the players. I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority, but I really dislike the way the Stanford players are now introduced at the beginning of the game. It's hoopla drama as far as I'm concerned, not my taste at all.

[WBB fan]

As fans, I think most of us are relatively powerless in influencing the direction of our favorite sports, except by the power we have in buying tickets. In women's basketball, as with most collegiate sports, the direction seems to come from the NCAA or the lure of big money from the media. Changes can come in the way the game is played or coached — creating rules for moving back the three point line, returning to four quarters of play, dealing with rough play by limiting contact, etc. Over the decades the rules have favored dunking the ball, which has changed the nature of play in the men's game dramatically. 
It’s too early to evaluate the influence that recent changes at other levels of the game will have, but from my vantage point, they will make even bigger changes in the game we have come to love. I'm speaking of such recent changes as establishing the transfer portal, commercializing the game through name-and-likeness incentives, and emphasis on the dunk as an added value to the game. These changes seem to favor colleges in big money markets or teams that are seen as darlings of the media.
The fundamentals of the game are still dribbling, shooting, and passing, but, in all sports wins are influenced more by recruiting, ie, competing for the highest ranked ball players. PR antics, such as rappelling from the rafters to announce yourself as the new coach, are as much a signal to aspiring players as they are to the fans (careful though: coming in like a lion, if you don’t win, insures your departure will be like a lamb). Let’s hope that this kind of fanfare doesn’t challenge future new coaches to create even more bizarre stunts to get attention. The big splash with glitz and glamour seems to resonate more with the emerging culture. 
Maybe it just me, but I still long for the glamour of the well-executed play — the drive to the basket, the legendary swish of the made shot, or the timely steal followed by the roar of the crowd after the successful fast break. I guess that’s why I remain such a devoted Stanford Women’s Basketball fan.

As for me, I long for a dignified start to the game, introduction of the players. I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority, but I really dislike the way the Stanford players are now introduced at the beginning of the game. It's hoopla drama as far as I'm concerned, not my taste at all.