Do you watch women's sport?

I like watching women at the olympics: figure skating, track, gymnastics. On the occasions those events are broadcast outside the olympics, I try to watch. Tennis, of course. And volleyball, both beach and regular - this is one sport where I'd rather watch women, because the men's points are always so short. Women's basketball is atrocious.

Oh, swimming, diving, and surfing, too. Besides vball the team sports suck.

I actually prefer indoor to beach volleyball. Beach has very little in the way of strategy in comparison to indoor volleyball, whose complexity is far greater. I really don't like the libero system, however.

I also watch a lot of women's tennis, although I prefer mens. And while I prefer to watch the attractive ones, I am a very big fan of tennis as a game and will sit through virtually any match if the level of competition is good.

Are there other women's sports? Does the Olympics count?

I watch women's tennis regularly. And not necessarily for the Hot Slavic Jailbait Factor, either. Qua sport I prefer watching women's tennis to men's tennis.

I actually prefer women's tennis to men's (at least on TV--I have no idea what pro tennis is like in the flesh, where I assume it's a completely different experience. Hockey opened my eyes on that one) because there's a lot less "massive serve, opponent barely manages to return, server hits a winner", or "pseudo-massive serve, even more massive return, server barely manages to get to the ball, returner hits a winner". I like the longer volleys. The tension builds.

But women's basketball: ugh. I love basketball. It's my favorite sport. But I simply cannot watch women's basketball. Every year I decide to try giving the WNBA another shot, and every year I make it through about ten minutes of a game, then change the channel in annoyance. It feels like watching a community rep production of Shakespeare or Beckett: it just reminds you how good it COULD have been.

Honestly, I'm straining to find something besides tennis where I actually prefer the sport as played by women. Pool, I suppose, but that still falls under your uncle's theory, m@t.

Women's tennis do have better rallies. I will give it all up to see Federer maul his latest victim, but besides that, men's tennis is hardly intriguing. In person, the men's game gets more exciting because the power is really impressive and one cannot see the court and rallies the same way as on tv, that make the ladies' game fun to watch.

A sport is a sport, unless it's promoted or broadcasted in a way that diminishes or falsely elevates skills, which, in case, it becomes something else. Go "Lady" Terps!

Most often, I switch the channel. It's not alluring to me. But, yes, as long as I don't have to deal with 'apologetic' or similarly condescending delivery, I'll watch tennis, soccer, and college basketball (during a tournament and later rounds). Anyone want to make a comparison between the last World Cup's women's and men's teams? It wasn't so much about victory, as it was about the women's far greater ability to play as a team. If it's "sold" as top-notch competition, then it better had be such, and there are rewards to be had. If it will be sold as equal to men's sports, then don't make apologies on-the-fly. Let it stand for the viewer. So, again, most often, I switch the channel, but there are things to see at times, if one wishes to bear the "insult" or how the sport(s) is/are presented.

Tennis only. I can't stand to watch women's golf. There is no reason why a woman should not be able to putt or chip as well as a man, but aside from Annika they're all pretty much atrocious at it when compared to professional men.

The women's pole vault final at the Athens Olympics was one of the most amazing displays of sporting prowess I've ever seen. Truly amazing.

I also agree that women's tennis is more entertaining to watch. Power serves have made men's much more boring.

Women's basketball is just no fun to watch, at least from home. I've never been to a WNBA game. I don't know why it is, but the women players seem to have zero grace.

Count me in as a fan of women's tennis, particularly of the Belgians (Clijsters and Henin-Hardenne) and Hingis.

For all other women's sports, I have an interest level somewhere between celebrity golf and strong-man competitions.

I once made the mistake of telling an advisee that I thought women's football was utterly boring. How was I to know she was on the soccer team? Boring boring boring boring boring boring.

But I do like tennis, vball, and those Olympic-type sports. But not footy.

bob