ESPN’s Hoopalooza – forget women?

On Monday, one of the biggest sports news networks, ESPN, proves the purpose and need for media outlets like becauseiplayedsports.com. The coverage of men and women’s sports are indeed unevenly balanced.

“Hoopalooza”, ESPN’s first annual College Hoops Tip- Off Marathon, kicked off on Monday. It was 23 consecutive hours of college basketball coverage, 14 live games, and special college basketball related programs.

According to http://www.espn.com , the coverage will included  games played in five different United States time zones. There was 14 different conferences and leagues playing. Sounds like any college basketball fans dream. Except if you’re a women’s college hoops fan.

ESPN, notes under a highlights list:

-Nine live games on ESPN, including a women’s matchup.

Wow. One game. Although, I’m not sure why I would think there would even be one game, they did make it clear that “ the new initiative will highlight the beginning of the 2008-2009 men’s college basketball season.”

I’m not trying to knock ESPN, I am a men’s basketball fan.  I am also not implying they don’t cover women’s basketball, in fact, they have a whole women’s basketball section of their website. However, my point is would this ever happen for women’s basketball? Could you imagine, 23 consecutive hours of women’s sports?

Not likely.