Pat Summitt Breaks Record, Sports Fans Collectively Yawn

[CraigSca]

Why is ESPN beating the hell out of this story? I realize it's a great feat, but we need to temper the fact that it was done in women's basketball, where parity isn't exactly the name of the game. Also...it IS women's basketball, where they still play home games in the NCAA tournament to ensure attendance of > 100.

So...why is ESPN beating this story to death? Political correctness run amok?

[albionmoonlight]

So...why is ESPN beating this story to death? Political correctness run amok?
I wouldn't give them such deep motives for good or ill.

They want women's basketball to become more popular so that they can make more money showing it to us. I don't think that it is any more or less than fiscal self-interest.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I disagree.

We saw Eddie Robinson's win record at Grambling given far more hype than this, and I was far less impressed by it frankly.

Summitt is one of the great basketball coaches ever.
Not a great "women's coach", just a great coach. Period.

[wade moore]

While I partially agree with you that it is not quite the feat that Dean Smith achieved, it is definately worth noting. If a DII coach passed this mark, I would expect it to get this much press even though it's not as big of a feat either....

Let Pat Summit have her due. There may not be parity, but it is still a pretty incredible accomplishment.

[Ragone]

I don't understand why this record is combined.. to be honest.. its two totally different games.. hell tennessee gets 10-15 gimme wins a year playing a weak womens sec

if dean smith had 10-15 gimme wins a year... he'd probably have 1300+ wins :P

[miami_fan]

Why is ESPN beating the hell out of this story? I realize it's a great feat, but we need to temper the fact that it was done in women's basketball, where parity isn't exactly the name of the game. Also...it IS women's basketball, where they still play home games in the NCAA tournament to ensure attendance of > 100.

So...why is ESPN beating this story to death? Political correctness run amok?

Probably because it is just a great achievement. If I remember correctly, there was great ballyhoo when Eddie Robinson passed Bear Bryant. And then when John Gagliadardi passed Robinson. Also as stated before, ESPN is providing exclusive coverage of the women's tourney it would make sense for them to beat this story to death. Also it has the sappy elements of a 22 yr old head coach taping ankles, washing the uniforms etc. that make for a great story.

[Bo Jackson's Hip]

What would sex with her be like? :D

[KWhit]

What would sex with her be like? :D
A full body dry heave.

[NoMyths]

I actually watched the game last night (go Purdue!...er, wow, we friggin' suck) and was furious at how amateur the commentator analysis was. Don't remember who the male voice belonged to, but about the only thing out of his mouth all game was repetitions of the "880 wins!" thing. Meanwhile, Tennessee was absolutely mugging Purdue on the court, and the refs weren't calling any of it. Tremendously sloppy play, exacerbated by the over-the-line physicality. A terrible job all the way around. I don't think I've yelled at a TV during a sporting event as much ever.

[Ksyrup]

Pat Summitt's achievement did not change the way I don't watch women's basketball as much as Freddy Adu revolutionized the way I don't watch soccer. But it was closer than you might think.

[bosshogg23]

I dont understand why the record needs to be combined either.

For that matter DII and DIII records dont/shouldnt count vs. DI only records.

And Warren Moon's numbers from the CFL dont count.

[albionmoonlight]

I dont understand why the record needs to be combined either.

For that matter DII and DIII records dont/shouldnt count vs. DI only records.

And Warren Moon's numbers from the CFL dont count.
I don't quite get what you mean.

Pat Summitt, as an undisputed factual matter, has won more games than any other NCAA DI Basketball Coach.

Dean Smith, as an undisputed factual matter, has won more games than any other NCAA DI Mens Basketball Coach.

Quinn Snyder, as an undisputed factual matter, has won more games than any other NCAA DI Mens Basketball Coach named Quinn Snyder.

If you choose to view Summitt's or Smith's or Snyder's records in context and say that some mean more to you than others than that is fine. But how can records--which are nothing more than facts, properly defined--not "count?" Should the media be banned from mentioning them upon pain of death? Should we have our memories erased?

I'm not quite sure what you want here.

[wade moore]

Bravo albion, bravo!

[JasonC23]

I swore the subject line said Pat Summerall when I opened this originally. Wow, was I confused for a few minutes...

[Wolfpack]

While it may be true that other coaches who have set records got a lot of press when they did it, this one seems to have been hyped to the heavens more. I don't remember a large runup for things like Robinson's record or anything like that. However, ESPN has had this bone in their mouth for a couple of weeks now and haven't let it go.

While technically yes Pat Summitt has more wins than Dean Smith, the quality of work is heavily, HEAVILY in Dean's favor (and as a State fan that's a hard thing to say). If Dean had to coach in a sport where only a half-dozen other schools gave a complete tinker's damn about it while he was coaching, he'd have racked up the wins in the same way. Fact of the matter is, Dean earned most of those wins the hard way, in an ACC that was pretty much considered from the 1960s through the time he retired in 1993 as the single best conference in the country. He was consistently great, but he was also consistently challenged, something I don't think you could ascribe to Summitt. It's only been in recent years she's really had to fight for everything and really only UConn has been consistently better for any stretch of time she's been coaching.

It's sort of like all the women's soccer titles UNC likes to crow about. That's fine, smashing. Now, if there were something more than a handful of schools who actually tried to compete with UNC for those titles, I'd have more respect. I'm not saying I don't respect what Summitt has done, I just think getting to 880 in women's hoops is a far easier task than in men's hoops.

[heybrad]

I once ate 114 shrimps on a Sizzler All You Can Eat Shrimp Dinner. Where the hell was ESPN on that day?

[mhass]

Hey, Brad

I heard she's being considered for Tennesee's men's job. I don't think that would be such a great move for the Vols.

[QuikSand]

Quinn Snyder, as an undisputed factual matter, has won more games than any other NCAA DI Mens Basketball Coach named Quinn Snyder.

You don't want me to pick nits with this, correct?

[albionmoonlight]

You don't want me to pick nits with this, correct?Would I tell a dog not to bark? Or a rainbow not to be beautiful? One must do what it is in one's nature to do.;)







*I guess that I can add "doesn't even spell his own name right" to the growing list of reasons to dislike Mr. Snyder. For the curious, this list includes, but is not limited to: greasy, previous affiliations with Duke, and corrupt.

[mhass]

*I guess that I can add "doesn't even spell his own name right" to the growing list of reasons to dislike Mr. Snyder. For the curious, this list includes, but is not limited to: greasy, previous affiliations with Duke, and corrupt.
Please add "looks like a child molester." I cannot see past this obvious trait and will forever consider him "icky."