You can be as stupid and boorish as the boys — yes, you can!

So.

The WNBA has had its first benches-clearing brawl.

Congratulations, women.

That’s the import of a column by the L.A. Times’ Helene Elliott, who says that Tuesday’s fracas between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Detroit Shock was a good thing because videos of the incident already had drawn some 250,000 viewers on YouTube and “that kind of exposure is priceless.”

Elliott also said it was a good thing “because it forces us to think about the ways we perceive female athletes — and the way female athletes perceive themselves.”

In other words, male jocks tend to be respected for a tough disposition but we expect women athletes to be feminine, which is unfair.

Elliott concludes: “Tuesday wasn't a dark day for the WNBA. It should signal the dawn of an era in which female athletes are appreciated for being competitive and fiery. No apologies necessary.”

That’s a great attitude. I can’t wait until the WNBA has its first Ron-Artest-into-the-stands-to-punch-a-fan moment. Then, I guess, the league will have REALLY arrived.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-elliott24-2008jul24,0,5814206.column