Dawn Staley Displeased With Media Coverage Of Women's Basketball

South Carolina's Women's Basketball Coach, Dawn Staley, continues to be disappointed regarding the media coverage of women's sports.

When dissecting the contrast in coverage between men's and women's basketball, including Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks, we must start with the draft eligibility rules for men's and women's basketball to provide context for this issue. Many of us know the one-and-done rule and how it has brought excitement to men's college basketball.

Kentucky, for example, who is consistently in the national limelight, has been the rule's poster child, sending three No. 1 overall picks to the NBA in the past 13 years. This rule sparks excitement in men's basketball fans every year who hope their favorite team can land the next great NBA prospect.

However, the same cannot be said for women's hoops, as to be eligible for the WNBA draft, players must be four years removed from high school or turn 22 years old before they can declare. This rule helps player development in women's hoops but is undoubtedly an obstacle for premiere programs that eventually run out of roster spots and, thus, can't consistently offer top-notch prospects or pitch significant early playing time.

This makes Dawn Staley's rise to prominence with South Carolina that much more impressive, as the Philadelphia native has won two national championships, seven SEC tournament championships, and been named a two-time AP and Naismith Coach of the Year award winner. Comparing her coaching statistics to Kentucky's Hall of Fame Coach John Calipari, who took the SEC by storm much like Staley, Staley's list of accomplishments is more comprehensive than Calipari's. Still, when it comes to national coverage, the difference is night and day.

What will it take for women's sports to get the same respect when comparing apples to apples, who knows? At a press conference this past Saturday, Coach Staley relayed a message of disappointment regarding how women's sports are being covered when they're gain sustained relevancy in the sports world.

"For me, what's good for the game is to call the game like you see it, don't create narratives, don't create things that are advantageous to players that will get the most clicks," said Staley. "Don't create narratives that will give certain players or certain programs the edge because there is room for all of us to be in this space. We can lift up our entire game," she added.

@dawnstaley Expounds About Her Team Still Being Undercovered Despite Being On The Verge Of Making History.

While Also Making Valid Points About Some Athletes Being Advantageously Covered For Reasons Other Than Basketball.#ArticleComingSoon @rahdigital247 @BTS_Report pic.twitter.com/NKAmocfe3x

— Bacon Network (@baconnetworkllc) March 20, 2023

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