Anthony Davis and Brittney Griner
Blog post by Mark Chipperfield
This blog post looks deeper into the comparison that can be
made between the player of the year in men’s basketball (Anthony Davis from
Kentucky) and the player of the year in women’s basketball (Brittney Griner
from Baylor). Personally as an intense follower of the game of basketball I
find this comparison to be fascinating. There are many similarities between the
two in terms of physical stature, how they play the game and how they are
viewed by the general public.
Based on the slide we
saw in class there is an obvious comparison between the two in terms of
physical stature. Anthony Davis is listed as 6’10’’ tall and weighs 220 pounds
while Brittney Griner is listed as 6’8’’ tall and weighs 208 pounds. They also
have comparable wingspans while wearing the same size 17 shoe. It is
interesting to me that in a time when guard and wing play are dominating both
the NBA and WNBA that two big post players are simultaneously dominating the
game at a collegiate level.
Probably the place where these two are most similar is
actually in their playing styles. Statistically these two are very, very
similar. Both are shooting very similar field goal percentages with Davis
shooting 62.3% and Griner shooting 60.7%. Both of these are very high as a
result of both players putting up the majority of their shots in the paint.
They also use their length in order to get their shot over smaller defenders.
It is interesting as well that both are in the process of developing a
consistent jump shot. They both shoot relatively well from the free throw line
(Davis at 71% and Griner at 80%) so it is likely that they will have the
capability of expanding their games by extending their range. The place where
these two impact the game the most of course is on the defensive end. With both
setting NCAA single season records with the number of blocks they tallied up
this past season. Griner was able to average 5.2 blocks a game while Davis
ended up with 4.7 blocks a game. Obviously having anchors like this to protect
the paint is important to team success as both lead their teams to national
championships over the past couple of days.
A final way that these two athletes are comparable is through
the negative way some members of the general public look at them. When watching
Kentucky play with a group of people it is close to impossible to watch a full
game without others making jokes about Anthony Davis’ unibrow. With Brittany
Griner I have heard many people say thoughtless comments like “she has to be a
man”. It is sort of strange to me that these two legends of college basketball
can be viewed negatively by some. But in the twitter age when everyone is
trying to make the funniest remark in 140 characters or less maybe this is just
the time we live in.
I really enjoyed reading this blog post and it has a lot of great points. I also think it is ironic that this year in college basketball there has been a lot of scrutiny on the top women’s player Brittney Griner from Baylor, and Anthony Davis from Kentucky. I would be lying if I haven’t noticed on twitter the “shes a man” and “look at that unibrow”. I have also been taken back when I first heard Brittney Griner speak in an interview. But that doesn’t take anything away from who Brittney Griner and Anthony Davis is and what they do. They come into the game and onto the court game in and game out and perform at their best level. I applaud them for not acknowledging any of the negative comments and I am happy that it didn’t affect any of their games. They had career years and could not have done anything better. They are champions and I agree with the twitter comment that people are just trying to be the funny guy. It is easy to target the best players and poke fun at them. Like the saying goes, “haters are going to hate.”
ReplyDeleteMike Harrington
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI was just saying the same thing myself today. Davis and Griner are both so similar. From the wing-span to the shoe size, to even the play style, they seem to be the same person in a different body. But I have an idea that could help stop some critics. What if they were to play each other in a one on one game. If Griner were to win it would show she may actually play like a man, or better. If she were to lose, than it would give a backbone to the stereotype that men are better athletes.
ReplyDeleteTyler Schaefer
I really enjoyed reading this blog post and after we had talked about it in class, it really got me thinking to how similar Brittney Griner and Anthony Davis are. Until seeing the slide in class that compared their height, shoe size, wingspan, etc., I never realized how much they really did have in common. While Griner and Davis have physical features in common, they also have the fact that people are constantly making rude remarks about them. With neither of them letting the negative comments bother them, it goes to show how great of athletes they are with each of them carrying their team to a national championship and winning the title. It's easy to make negative remarks about the star athlete on the team because they are usually the ones getting all the attention. Griner and Davis both proved this year that the comments don't bother them by having a phenomenal season.
ReplyDeleteHeather Cox
Mark, this is a great post, and it seems like this was an interesting topic in class. Both of these players are phenomenal and well deserving to earn Player of the Year honors. What’s even more amazing to me is Anthony Davis’ growth the past two years. As a junior in high school, Davis was a 6’ 2” guard. Fast forward to today, he’s now a 6’ 10” center at Kentucky. Talk about an incredible growth spurt!
ReplyDeleteFinally, I think the reason people poke fun at Griner and Davis is simply based on jealousy. People wish they were as athletic as those two basketball stars, but because they aren’t, they feel the need to try to put those athletes down to try to make themselves feel good and possibly ‘equal’ to them. While some comments may be in jest, people need to learn that these athletes are human just like everyone else. Appreciate the athletic ability of these two collegiate basketball players. Their skills are what make sports great and fun to watch.
Adam Kufner
I agree with Mark on a number of the things he mentioned, I was a religious follower of basketball this past winter and in the NCAA tournaments. And when they showed the comparison between Anthony Davis and Brittney Griner on ESPN I was in awe, I didn’t realize how similar they were. I guess I just realize that men’s and women’s play can’t be compared in my opinion. Although Brittney Griner might average a few more blocks per game, or Anthony Davis’s wing span is a couple inches longer their playing styles respective to their competition is similar. Struggling in my short life not to be turned down when asking to play with the guys I will agree that Brittney Griner is still not on the same level as Anthony Davis and most likely never will.
ReplyDelete-Alyssa Robinson
One area that Mark didn't mention in which these two players are different is that Griner's impact on college basketball has been over a 3 year span, Anthony Davis' impact has been just one year and that is likely how it will stay. This area is not just different for these two players but in each separate game in general; men can afford to leave early for their payday in the NBA well women like Brittany Griner can't do that because the maximum they can get paid is 150,000. This is just another way of keeping down females in our society. I think the NBA can learn from this and by lowering the cap that "rookies" can make that might encourage some of them who are not ready like in my eyes Trey Burke from Michigan, to stay more years in school and maximize the opportunity given to them. Now all that stuff doesn't really go along with the comments Mark made but they are definitely relevant.
ReplyDelete~Max Householder
I have a similar argument with some other people saying that Brittney Griner and Anthony Davis are not playing on the same level. According to a an ESPN article written by Karen Bush states “she's (Britteny Griner) a foot taller than the 5-8 average height of the players -- and to men as well. Proportionally, she would be two inches taller than Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, who's 7-6” (Bush 2011). This article clearly demonstrates how she is not playing on the same level. She should have ten times as many blocks and points since she dominates in the height category. Like stated in class, women’s basketball is played on a horizontal and men’s are played on a vertical level so when there is a woman that plays on a different level than the other women it is difficult to deal with. However, it is not like she can control her height, it is just an advantage for her. Unfortunately, because it makes her so different she takes a lot of criticism for it.
ReplyDelete-Nathan Latta
Bush, K. (2011, 3 20). Brittney Griner stands tall above the crowd. Retrieved from ESPN: http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-opinion/6240911/women-ncaa-basketball-tournament-baylor-brittney-griner-stands-tall-crowd
Post by David Arnold
ReplyDeleteI'm going to throw out a comparison that I'm kind of surprised no one else has thrown out yet, and that is Brittney Griner and Wilt Chamberlin. After watching youtube clips of the two I don't think it's unfair or a stretch to watch the two play side by side and think, "Wow, Brittney is changing the women's game just like Wilt did to men's basketball fifty years ago".
Wilt could create any shot he wanted just because he was so long and could reach above everyone else, as is the same with Brittney Griner. They also altered every single shot the other team would take because of their extreme length compared to the competition at the time. Once Wilt was done everyone was wondering when the next great center that would dominate would come along. The same will be said once Brittney Griner is done playing basketball. She's changing the mold of how the women's game is being played and it is such a pleasure to watch!
I think Max brings up a very interesting point with his comment about Male players being able to leave early for school where Women players do not really have the same responsibility. Is there really a better way to describe the difference in Men’s and Women’s professional sports than looking at the players’ salaries? I find it extremely unfair that Men’s athletes get paid at an astronomically higher amount than Women’s athletes do. Now part of that is due to the amount of money that the leagues themselves earn and naturally with Men’s sports leagues being more popular they are going to make more money. But I feel like it is really appalling to look the salaries the players make. An elite Men’s player like Anthony Davis will be able to play in the NBA for the next 15 years and make enough money to live off for the rest of his life. While an elite Women’s player like Brittney Griner will not make near enough money to live off after her professional career is over. Which puts more pressure on Women’s collegiate athletes because they have to really focus on their schoolwork because they will more than likely have to use their degree to have a career.
ReplyDelete-Comment by Mark Chipperfield
I also find this comparison to be a very fascinating one and very interesting for many reasons. From the stand point of these two being players of the year, there are many comparisons. From the size, to the statistics, to the importance to their teams. But one question I have is it fair to compare? The two athletes are amazing athletes in among themselves. Davis, known for his shut down play and his aerobatic dunks is a spot light player. He is the type that makes the highlight real night in and out for his huge dunks and plays. Griner, while making huge plays of her own in being one of the few women to dunk in a game though plays a different type of game. I have heard many people say that comparatively Davis is a substantially better player, but is that fair to say or compare? The two styles between the different types of basketball (men's and women's) is huge. The women, play more of a horizontal game. They utilize passing, working the ball around the outside, and shooting more than the men's do and stress those area's in game play. The men on the other hand play a much more vertical game. They play up to the rim allot more, and utilize dunks and alley oops substantially more than the women do. But who is to say this is better? Personally I do not think it is. Each style of game play has it's benefits and highlights, and one is not better than the other. I feel when talking in comparisons of these two players, it is very hard to compare them on game play. In importance of the player to the team, or fan interaction the comparison can be made, but I do not believe statistically or game play wise it is a fair comparison to make due to the different styles of play. This does not mean that one is better than the other. I believe that in NCAA men's and women's basketball this year they were the two best and most important players in each league. To their competition they were they best, and they played the best throughout the season. For people that begin to compare the two and say one is better than the other is wrong, because that comparison could never be made in a fair manner.
ReplyDeleteComment Above Posted by Brady Munger
Delete