Shis issue: (Y Let bygones be Bynum’s And more! (¥ What's in a name: Sports teams, mascots, and racism (Y The price of mediocrity: The Bears ink Cutler Here's to you, Mr. Robinson » Whitecaps appoint new coach Eric Wilkins Sports Editor “sports _ @theotherpress.ca n December, after a month and a half of scouring the globe for the top coaching talent, the Vancouver Whitecaps made the announcement that their new head coach was to be none other than the highly- regarded...Carl Robinson. In other words, the club took six weeks to turn around and toss the keys to their assistant coach. Nothing against Robinson here (more on that later), but it wasn't quite the definitive move the club should have been making. Ina market that featured Frank Yallop, Bob Bradley, and Jason Kreis, it’s difficult not to feel more than a little disappointed. With the stale taste of failure still lingering from Martin Rennie’s reign, it seems a little counter-intuitive to put his right-hand man in charge. The club could use a winner. An experienced manager. Someone who could inspire faith not only in the players but in the fans, who are getting a little tired after three years of relative “meh.” While it’s easy to allow the club the excuse that neither Yallop nor Kreis were ever going to come here, Bradley was certainly a possibility. Bradley has been very public about his desire to coach in Europe, but when he took the time to come out to Vancouver, you can be assured it wasn’t just to take a walk around Stanley Park. He was ready to listen. However, whatever the ‘Caps’ pitch to him was, it wasn’t good enough, and that’s completely unacceptable. To have an established coach pass you by for a small Norwegian club that plays out of a stadium with a capacity of 7,000 is a downright embarrassment. Bradley could have put Vancouver on the right path and sorted out talented diva Darren Mattocks. C’est la vie. Tossing a towel on the spilt milk fora moment, the Whitecaps aren't in the worst situation. Robinson, despite his lack of head coaching experience is a well-respected figure, both at the club and elsewhere. Even Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey gave his vote of confidence in the no-nonsense first-year man. Taking a look at recent history, there’s even a good chance Robinson sees some level of success. Mike Petke, a veteran of the game himself, led the New York Red Bulls to the top of the table last season. Admittedly, Petke inherited a talented roster that To have an established coach pass you by for a small Norwegian club that plays out of a stadium with a capacity of 7,000 is a downright embarrassment. included the likes of Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill, but Robinson isn’t exactly working with a Toronto FC roster himself, here. Camilo Sanvezzo, Mattocks, Kekuta Manneh, Erik Hurtado, Gershon Koffie, and a multitude of others comprise the squad. With the right coaching, they might just have what it takes to take the league by storm next year. Know the score? Contact: Eric Wilkins, Sports Editor M sports@theotherpress. ca www theotherpress.ca Carl Robinson new head coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps // By CP Sex appeal » WNBA not as popular as NBA Courtnie Martin Sports Reporter Wwe most people can probably name the 2013 NBA Champions, there are significantly fewer people who know the WNBA title-holders. Men’s basketball has always reigned supreme. Although women’s basketball has made strides to improve its fan base, the fact of the matter remains: women’s basketball isn’t as entertaining. The biggest differences between the two are : fundamentals and skills. While : men wow the world with the : finesse of reverse layups and : fast-break dunks, the women : simply play basketball with : an occasional outstanding : crossover or an unexpected : give-and-go. Women’s : basketball lacks the athleticism : to pull in the crowd. One of the most : controversial and recently : discovered reasons behind : the rise (and simultaneous : lack thereof) within the : women’s basketball fan base : and exposure is those who : support the sport: the lesbian : community. The fan base is : much broader in the NBA. Everyone and anyone from all over the world will fly in and spend ridiculous amounts of money to watch men annihilate one another on the court. Although continually making strides, society has not yet completely accepted the LGBT community, and this slow-to- move-forward thinking could potentially be affecting the variety of support within the sport. Once you've noted the difference in skill set, agility, athleticism, “oohs and ahs,” and fan base between the two, a succinct “duh” could explain why women’s basketball is still not as popular. On a more political standpoint you could factor in the theory that media sells—meaning, which sex is more publicized? You have the “Jingle Bells” commercial where some of the NBA’s finest play the song by shooting basketballs at threes, while the women have produced very boring commercials—if at all. Not to mention, how many women have huge contracts with Nike and Adidas? Sheryl Swoopes was the first woman to havea basketball shoe named after her with Nike in the ‘gos, and Candace Parker had contracts with Gatorade and Nike bringing in an insane $3- to $5-million annually— : not so insane in the NBA, : where it’s not hard to namea : few prominent athletes with : endorsement deals: Michael : Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, : Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, : LeBron James, Kevin Durant, : ete. To make matters worse, : men make an average of : $5-million on their contract : while woman are struggling to : hit six figures. All these things : line up with what sells. As : talented as some of our female : athletes are, the league is still : quite young and the talent isn’t : equivalent quite yet. Hopefully, : one day it will be.