Hey SportsCenter, meet my friend Title IX

After watching the highlight shows earlier this week, I could tell you about Urban Meyer's esophageal pain, exactly how much fluid Andrew Bynum had drained from his knee (2 1/2 ounces), the make of Tyreke Evans's car (Benz s550), and that Ben Roethlisberger wore a yellow T-shirt at his first practice back with the Steelers. Here are some of the things I couldn't tell you: who won in the WNBA, and which women are still alive in the French Open. I can, however, tell you all about Venus Williams's controversial undergarments.

This is from a column in last week's Washington Post by Sally Jenkins. I understand and empathize with her observations. She's right. I showed that paragraph to a guy friend and he responded with intrigued enthusiasm, "Ooh... Venus Williams has controversial undergarments?!?" It is unfortunate because female athletes should get the credit they deserve, but the limited coverage they do receive often revolves around clothing or undergarments. Brandi Chastain's sports bra is a good example. I have a theory as to why there is so little coverage: Women's sports are boring to watch.

I'm sorry Ms. Jenkins, and I'm sorry to all my sisters out there who are athletes (and could probably kick my ass.) Women's sports are not as fast, not as gritty and not nearly as fun to watch as men's. I am a huge hockey fan, I'll watch any game that's on - at any level. But I would tune into women's hockey only if it was the only game on. What can I say? The no-checking rule really dulls things down.

Jenkins' column goes on to ask:

Ever had this experience: You want the score of a women's game, and can't get it? You wait through a half hour of the evening news or ESPN's "SportsCenter," hoping to be rewarded with a fleeting mention of the Mystics, or the NCAA softball championship. You stare at the crawl line, trying to read the tiny print, only to hear about an NFL player's Achilles' in June.

As a matter of fact, NO. I have not had that experience. I have however had this experience: Living in DC and transferring every day at the Metro station within a few feet from the Verizon Center, yet on game nights, I see no indication that there is a Mystics game at all. No one in Mystics jerseys, no WNBA caps, nothing. I board the same Metro that is often crowded with Capitals fans or Nationals fans on their game nights, but I'm oblivious to the WNBA because I see no fans, no hint of a sporting event in the neighborhood. Do the scalpers even sell tickets on the street? I have no idea. Despite the Mystics banners inside the Verizon Center from their record-breaking attendance, I see little exposure of the team anywhere.

But then, that is really the whole point of this column. The author acknowledges that female athletes and fans are used to being marginalized in the sports news. And it's easy to understand why they would be marginalized, given the lack of interest, and the lack of money in women's sports when compared to men's. There's big money in men's sports at every level. Women's sports simply don't have the audience or the money. But that seems to be the author's beef. The highlights shows are not acknowledging women's sports because there's no interest, but her argument is that there's no interest because the highlights shows don't cover them. These shows set the agenda. She points out:

...it's difficult for any sport to develop connections with viewers when no one sees their replays, hears their echoes, or gets to know the players.

Again, I can't argue with her, she's right. I am a sports fan and SportsCenter often plays on a continuous loop on my television. There's not really much that I'd rather watch. I can relate. There are some sports that I will always go out of my way to watch, but everything else in the sports world I rely on SportCenter or other highlight shows to tell me what is important. If something were to change and suddenly these shows consistently covered women's sports, would it create more interest and awareness by sports fans? Possibly. Would it make women's sports less boring? Probably not.