FIBA is considering some changes to international women's basketball, including lowering the rim to bring dunking to the game—finally—as well as new, monocle-fogging uniforms that'll make the sport "more attractive for spectators and media." We've come a long way, baby.
FIBA secretary general Patrick Baumann used the end of the women's world championships to create a little bit of buzz for the sport. Here's what he said about the prospect of new uniforms:
"We're not talking about going to beach volleyball," Baumann said.
"We're talking about keeping it comfortable, but making it more feminine.
"They are great athletes, but also beautiful athletes and there's no reason not to show it."
Here is a picture of Patrick Baumann, for clarity's sake.
It's worth noting, too, that the announcement came after the ladies from Belarus played in the tournament wearing jerseys that looked a lot more like nighties:
Patrick, Patrick: As far as I know, the reason the WNBA and international women's basketball aren't as popular as their male counterparts isn't because of the loose-fitting uniforms. It's because they don't play as exciting a style as the men. Creating a more entertaining product is a great idea, and the way to do that is through deft rules changes (like lowering the rim), not turning women's basketball into the hardwood version of the Lingerie Football League. If you truly are looking for "new talents and more players that can play the game"—and if that isn't code for leggier blondes who can hit the step-back three—that means you want to make the game more attractive to young girls, not horny men, and I'm not sure how the former demographic will be at all inspired by a uniform that really accentuates Sue Bird's ass.
Basketball body considers sexier uniforms for women's game [Courier Mail]