# Is Sue Bird the Michael Jordan of the WNBA?



## OZZY

Sure she did not put up great stats but she held more than her own in her first year. And I compare her to MJ because MJ was a symbol of the NBA. He brought it to a new level when he became popular. You saw his face everywhere, and when people thought of the NBA they thought of this great young super star named Michael Jordan.


I think the WNBA needs Sue Bird to be that super star on the court and in the media. She is obviously very attractive, and that will sell more jerseys and so forth because of her looks. She is also a great compeitor and can bring excitement to the WNBA. But look are very important in the world of sales and Sue Bird is flat out gorgeous.


The WNBA needs her to be the best player in the league, that will increase the attendence and the overall revenue 











She almost has to succeed for the WNBA to be really successful, and I think she will. 








*Reason that she will succeed, her extreme competitiveness and passion for the game! *


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## Jehuisthere

only problem is she plays in seattle which doesnt get as much exposure as other markets....


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## OZZY

> only problem is she plays in seattle which doesnt get as much exposure as other markets....


 I don't think that matters. I believe she had the hottest selling jersey in the league last year.

I'm not a huge WNBA fan, but I'm a fan of Sue Bird for two reasons. He looks obviously and her passion and intensity for the game.


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## OZZY

What is this, no comments? Come'on Sue Bird and here market-ablility is a key to the success of the WNBA!

Lets start a discussion here! :gossip: 


You know there is some truth to this statement:yes:


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## ltrain99

As a resident of ct i know the power suzy can have over people, she very well can save the whole league Shes the total package, skill, looks, personality and charisma


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## Gym Rat

Sue is a complete package, no doubt about it. But the Michael Jordan of the WNBA? I think we are going to have to see her game improve before I am willing to go that far out on a limb and she probably needs to win 6 WNBA Championships! 

I think Coop started out having the kind of game a Jordan-type player would have. But Coop certainly isn't as marketable as Sue. Her age and the I am retired/not retired thing keeps adding to her Michael-like qualities.


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## OZZY

> I think Coop started out having the kind of game a Jordan-type player would have. But Coop certainly isn't as marketable as Sue. Her age and the I am retired/not retired thing keeps adding to her Michael-like qualities.


 I'm not clearly talking about talent or even production. Michael Jordan brought the NBA a new image, a new hero and he sold like hot cakes everywhere. 

That is what I think Sue Bird can be for the WNBA, again she was the best selling jersey last year and that was not just luck. She has skill obviously but I compare her to MJ in terms of marketing. MJ had the "looks" I guess and he probably would have never got some many contracts without them, and Sue Bird has the same thing....

MJ was popular even before he won championships because of buisnesses like Nike etc.


Sue Bird has that ability to sell in the market place. She is very, very attractive and she obviously has great skill.

But again I'm looking at it from a marketing viewpoint, not from the viewpoint of the best female basketball player ever. Even though she could easily become that in time.



















*And if I know my athletics, she has the same fire that only burns in all the great ones.*


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## Gym Rat

I agree with you on her "marketability", no doubt. It would be nice if she played for a franchise in a bigger market, like Chicago. I do love Seattle so that isn't a slam.

But I think when you compare players to MJ, it is a total package that includes game and marketing. True, MJ was already popular before the championships - but the great player and champion he became makes it difficult to put anyone else in that category without the same credentials. 

I do hope Sue Bird becomes the MJ of the WNBA. It could do nothing but help the league.


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## OZZY

Well at least Dime magazine agrees with me. Sue Bird is flat out gorgeous and she will be huge in the buisness and marketing world of professional sports!

Good job Sue, now all you have to do is preform like everyone knows you can!


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## Tom

God...how i would love to be a floor cam!


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## Gym Rat

Did you read the article???

LINK to thread discussing Seattle article


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## OZZY

> Did you read the article???





> Yet in the Dime magazine piece, Bird says: "It doesn't really matter to me why people come out to the games. If they come out to watch the basketball, then that's great. If they're coming out to look at the players or the funny-colored ball or whatever other reason, that's fine too. Whatever draws fans is good."


 I agree with Sue on this one!

The WNBA is not that popular right now ok. And if it takes a hot chick to drum up some interest then so be it. These are women athletes, and some very attractive women athletes I might add. To say the WNBA is the only women's professional sport use attrative women to promote the sport is wrong. 

Why do you think tennis has those girls wear such tight suits and why don't they stop it? Well it sells tickets and gets attention to the game. Look at volley ball and the pictures of that so called famous player, they do the same thing. And look at gymnastics, my gal Jamie Dantzscher is hot! And they used that in a "fun" tournament where they dance and just have fun basically it was not a competition, and look at what the beautiful Jamie is wearing.








Attracts a little attention I would say.


The WNBA has no attention, this is a way they can get it! They are not the only sport to do it and I have no idea what that guy is talking about. They are women that play basketball, and in American culture women are center pieces of buisness at times. They sell because sex sells, and using that to the WNBA's advantage, well I don't see the harm.



















Sure I could see how some might think taking these pictures makes them less of a athlete, making them look like a model. But I still respect Sue Bird as a competitor! She is passionate as hell, and very intense, just because she takes some pictures that make her look like this soft little ladie it doesn't make it ture!

And that comment she made "I'm not as nice as you think I'm" is EXACTLY right! She is not nice, and saying that shakes that soft label, just because they look like so called weak passive female model doesn't mean they are that...


P.S. Pro basketball does do some promotional shots of there players, just look at GQ magazine, I think a few NBA players have been on the front. And yeah I bet Mr. Stern was real pissed that Tony Parker made that 50 most beautiful list, more like he was saying yessss..... Sorry if I sound a bit harsh, I was just pissed at what that guy said.


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## Gym Rat

OZZY - I think Sue should do whatever she is comfortable with. Obviously, she is comfortable with that image and good for her. She is confident in herself in many ways. 

From a marketing standpoint - people are talking. That really is the objective, right? Do I worry about the type of people this is marketed toward? Nope, I hang out here don't I!!! :laugh: 

Seriously, whatever they can do to promote the league works for me. I want to league to survive. I know plenty of women who objectify male NBA players, so what is the difference? There isn't any.

So Ozzy - I agree with you take on this one. Good for Sue and Good for the WNBA. And to all of those woman out there that find it offensive - what is your problem? Haven't you ever objectified an athlete, entertainer, actor, actress, whatever? We all do, that doesn't mean we don't respect them or their athletic abilities.


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## Gym Rat

I took this from a post on Stormfans.org. 



> I cant believe she agreed to do this. Sponsoring the WNBA is one thing...but?...Sue? The bet is this. If sue bird gets better than 3 to 1 assist to turnover ratio. The morning host has to buy season tickets, and some other additional compensation. If she gets below 3 to 1 to ratio...She has to bend over the hosts knee, and get a spanking! Holy crap..I cant believe sue agreed to this, but I have to admit..she is a gamer.


Mixed reactions over there. I go back to the original topic of this thread... would Michael Jordan make a bet like this? 

One thing is for sure... Sue Bird is coming out of her shell.


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## OZZY

> Mixed reactions over there. I go back to the original topic of this thread... would Michael Jordan make a bet like this?


 I would say MJ would make that kind of bet, if someone challenged him he would do it. But the only thing that is kind of sick with this bet is the sexual feel of it just because she is female. That is the only reason if feels and seems wrong, because she is a woman.

But she will never get below a 3-1 turnover ratio and hey it gets peoples attention! I congradulate Sue on having the guts to do that, and heck that will be talked about on mourning and night talk shows all over America. So the WNBA and Sue Bird are getting noticed.

But to answer your question MJ would do that, maybe not a spanking but he would do something like that if some challenged him to it. And Sue is a competitor just like MJ.


I would still rather see her model though than get spanked What ever works....


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## OZZY

*How is my girl Sue doing this year?*


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## talula

Last night Sue reached 200 assists for the season. I'd say she's doing quite well.


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## Gym Rat

But her team is losing... lately, that is. Tonight to the Silver Stars, a team that is NOT playoff bound. 

Sue has made Lauren Jackson an MVP candidate. But... without winning it all, she is no Michael Jordan.


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## OZZY

> Sue has made Lauren Jackson an MVP candidate. But... without winning it all, she is no Michael Jordan.


Well just ask Pat Riely about this, a player is not great until they show the ability to pass the basketball and make players around them better. MJ did that with Bulls, Duncan with the Spurs and Shaq did with the Lakers. True until Sue Bird wins a title or plays great in the playoffs no one will look at her as being great. But I think she has the right combination of athletic talent, basketball skill and mental aggressiveness to be great.


The scariest thing about a strom is you can see it coming up in the sky, but you can't do anything about it. Sue Bird is a storm off in the distance at this point, but in time that storm will get closer.


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## Comets_Always23

*MO on females and media exploitation*

First of all, I don't think Sue Bird is the Michael Jordan of the WNBA. I think that title belongs to someone like Swoopes, Cooper, Holdsclaw or Catchings.

Next, the fact that the WNBA has gone to those stupid commercials that show the players' feminine side is a slap in the face to what women athletes have been trying to bury for years. People should already know women are feminine because they are females. It doesn't take a genious to figure that out. These women athletes should not have to prove that to anyone.

Thirdly, none of this does any good to prove that men don't have one track minds. That is purely terrible.

There is nothing wrong with having a crush on a baller, because I have a mad crush on Heat guard Eddie Jones. Crushes are different from sexual exploitation. Crushes are normally harmless and healthy, so I am not faulting anyone for having a crush.

I believe that women athletes should care about their fan base and how they go about getting a fan base if they want to be taken seriously. I also believe men should get out of their comfort zone and treat women's sports like men's sports. Change the mindset. Whatever men do at men's sports, do the same for women's. Men should watch more women's sports period: not one game every month or year - Half the games and work up. Maybe then sexual exploitation will decrease. 

Lastly, if the media want to do media exploitation of women, do the SAME for the MEN. Make it even and let women enjoy seeing a man in a wifebeater and tight jeans or leather pants. Let Ray Allen, Eddie Jones, or Allan Houston prove to us that they aren't such good guys. Have Vince Carter, T-Mac, or Iverson have a fashion show in magazines. Have any of NBA athletes pose shirtless with cars and motorcycles!

Sexual exploitation is unacceptable and inappropriate. However, since the media wants to use this tactic with the women to gain fans, the NBA won't mind more fans as well. Tell the NBA ballers to hit the weights and the ab machine because the NBA season isn't that far away. Heck, why wait for the season to start when there are magazines out there that need a nice front cover and features?:yes:


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## OZZY

I totally respect your position. But women in general control the media in terms of selling. Sure NBA players do not show as much skin as some WNBA players have in ads but really that is just fashion. Males usually wear suits and are dressed up in ads, but women are almost the exact opposite. But don't blame NBA players for that, blame the fashion community. Either way both WNBA and NBA players wear the same uniforms.

And I do not have a crush on Sue Bird, true I think she is very pretty. But I like Sue Bird because she is mentally aggressive. I have not see that kind of passion and intensity in many female basketball players. She is a flat out competitor and has great leadership ability.


And I compared her to MJ, if you would have read the entire thread you would have picked up on this, because she has a combination of looks and skill. Come on, MJ sold because he had a combination of good looks and athletic superiority. He would have never been as popular or as well know if he did not look good. This is another area of marketing but take Eminem for example, he would not sell as much if he was not considered "good looking" by most. 




> Thirdly, none of this does any good to prove that men don't have one track minds. That is purely terrible.


If you want to change millions of year of genetics go right ahead. But males are genetically supposed to recreate, thus they look at all the possible mates they could get. That is why they "look" at other women married or not. Males have a high sex drive because if they didn't you probably would not be here right now.


Sure you could assume I'm just a guy that thinks Sue is hot. But really the WNBA is not in a position to just sit back and do nothing in terms of marketing. If having the best players in the game do modeling shots for magazines and comercials, well then so be it. They need to build a fan base by any means necessary. And I don't see how it is degrating them as athletes?


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## Comets_Always23

*IMO...*

I didn't mean you in particular, OZZY, had a crush on Sue Bird, though you do have a lot of pictures of her.

I don't believe women control selling; I believe men still control selling and marketing. I don't believe it is fashion that has NBA men in suits or their jerseys while women wear the outfits. That has to do with media too. I don't blame the NBA for that at all.

Yeah, Sue Bird has the combination of looks and skills, but so do Catchings, Holdsclaw, Swoopes, and many many others. Of course though, I do recognize that this is opinion.

I don't want to change genetics, but being wired to look doesn't men you have to do just that. It's a struggle, but it can be done...

I still believe the WNBA can do better in drawing fans than making the players hyper-feminine.


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## OZZY

Yeah I can't say I am impressed that Sue Bird already has a WNBA crown under he belt. I admit I did not pay attention to the WNBA finals, I did not even see them but it is good to here she is winning at that level. 

I love her competitiveness, and it just shows that competitiveness is key because she has won a title and was a major reason for Seattle winning as well.


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## 4ever_bball_fan

Dude or Dudette...

Do you just trot this thread out once a year for old time's sake? Sue Bird is Sue Bird, not to be compared to any other player. She has won at every level of basketball in which she has competed, including internationally this winter in Russia. The team she played for was in the finals of the Russian national club championships and lost 3 games to 1.

She is now back in Seattle with the Storm...with some key subtractions and additions while she was away. Last year she earned mucho respect from me in the way she played so tough during the WNBA Championship...both with the broken nose and after the surgery...she never missed a start. She started the Storm's pre-season game last Saturday night in NY after getting off a plane from Russia and only practicing with the team once. She has an unbroken string of not missing a start in her professional career.

Can Jordan say that?


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## TRACIELOVESCOMETS

Muahaha at this topic. Sue is a great player but comparing her too MJ is going a tad bit too far.


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