Results of the Women’s Final Four Summit last week:
Three sessions – youth development, business of basketball and the state of the game – brought together stakeholders from the international, professional, collegiate, high school, youth and media ranks. (Watch video from the summit here).
Concerns with ratings and attendance, developmental opportunities for coaches and athletes and numerous other areas call for a shared vision, according to Anucha Browne, the NCAA vice president for women’s basketball championships who spearheaded the event. Browne said similar gatherings on a yearly or quarterly basis will potentially occur within a smaller group.
I was in attendance, and jotted down what I felt were key points made by speakers in the three panels:
– We need more rivalries in women’s basketball, as they draw fans.
– The decline of female coaches in the sport is a serious concern.
– We need to put key players of every level together for yearly discussions, as the issues are the same across the board.
– We must find a way past this plateau of interest/viewership.