Is UConn's Dominance Killing Women's Basketball?

STORRS, CT - It's a subject that has been mentioned in conversations off and on over the last few years, but came to a head on a national level on Twitter late Saturday afternoon.

Shaughnessy, a sportswriter with the Boston Globe for the past 35 years who will receive the J. G. Taylor Spink Award at the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies this July, tweeted that message at the conclusion of the 60-point victory by the UConn women's basketball team over Mississippi State in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament.

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma responded to Shaughnessy's post by stating, "Nobody's putting a gun to your head to watch, so don't watch, and spend your time on things you think are important."

Auriemma compared his team's dynasty to the impressive run in the early 2000s by golfer Tiger Woods, which revolutionized that sport.

"When Tiger was winning every major, nobody said he was bad for golf," the Hall of Fame coach continued. "There are a lot better writers than Dan Shaughnessy, but that doesn't mean he's bad for the game."

On Monday morning, radio show hosts Toucher and Rich interviewed Shaughnessy on 98.5, a Boston station known as The Sports Hub.

"It's not good for viewers or for ESPN," Shaughnessy said. "When your tournament, your featured thing, has 60-point victories by one team, that’s won 119 out of 120 by an average margin of 19. You don’t win by 60 in a tournament, folks. What I like about sports is competition; you tune in wondering who’s going to win. And when that’s extracted, it’s not for me, that’s all.”

Patch would like to know your opinion. Is the UConn women's basketball dynasty a good or bad thing for the sport? Tell us in the comment section below.

Photo credit: Scott U via flickr creative commons