The other night when I heard it yet again - this time from two of my favorite kids - I knew I had to write about it. And what better day than International Women's Day.
I'm talking about girls who don't watch girls or women's basketball. They'll watch the dudes play, whether it's high school, college or pro. But they won't attend a girls or women's game. To make matters worse sometimes, they'll then disparage the women's game. It's an attitude surprisingly more prevalant than us older folks would imagine. Here are some examples.......
Last month a signee at a low-key Division I school told me she hadn't seen the 2008 game when Candace Parker dislocated her shoulder.
"I don't watch women's basketball," she explained.
I wanted to ask her, who do you think is going to watch YOU play in college?
The other day it was two girls who had just played in a high-stakes game, and only wanted to go to the boy's City Championship game that evening.
"The girls game is boring," one kid said.
The other one smiled, "except for our game."
I politely told them I was walking out on them, and I did.
It's ignorant and self-hating to degrade your own sport, and I'm not sure what's happened to some kids to make them turn on themselves. My other thought in dealing with such attitudes is that those girls would learn so much more about the game - and be better players - if they watched WOMEN'S basketball, which is different than men's. They're only cheating themselves.
Females are the one sex that sometimes degrades themselves. I'm surprised it still goes on. I walked out on the two the other day, but for the most part I encourage girls and women to support women in basketball, and I'm doing so now.
Girls, watch your own sport. Women too. The only one you're hurting by not doing so is yourself.
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I'm totally with you on this. In fact I would say that those girls will not become better players by watching the boys, as they try and hotdog like the boys and probably look like they don't know the game.
I know a father who was a very good player himself but had girls and a lot of his friends kept asking him to coach their sons, he declined and told them all I do is girls basketball. I have such admiration for this man as he has given himself not only to his own girls but has also helped many others in the process. We need more men like that. And as you say we need more women to stand up and support women.
Beautifully said!
if nobody showed up to these girls' games, they wouldnt play anymore.
JERSEY
Excellent point!
However, I would like someone who thinks like these girls to explain why they aren't persuaded by your reasoning...
I brought this blog post to the attention of the two girls I referenced in it. I'll try and interview them if they still aren't persuaded.
Most girls are not sports fans. They go to games because boys play and other boys are there. Most know nothing about how the game is played. They view it as a social occasion and nothing more.
We're not talking about girls in general - we're talking about female athletes. And most female athletes go to games and sporting events.
Well, I know here in Berkeley, Cal does a great job attracting young girls (and boys) to the Saturday afternoon games with Cal Kid's Days. My daughter and many of her pals from her soccer/softball and bball teams come to the games and love the experience. Cal players come out to the court and sit at tables signing autographs etc and it seems to be a big hit.
I do think an extra effort needs to be made by parents, coaches, etc. to encourage young girls since our society doesn't assume, nor expect, girls to enjoy sports to the same extent that boys do.
However, with encouragement, I find that many girls fall in love with game and see the players as young women they can admire....always a good thing in a world with too few role models for young women.
Yes I hear that too and I was once like those girls, and even thought my brother was wasting his time with the girls league until my daughter became a baller, and then I was greatful. Even my daughter is a reluctant observer, except for a few teams her friends are on...and has no desire to play in WNBA but wants to play overseas-so she says. It is strange.
That's exactly what I'm talking about. It's some kind of twisted self-hate thing. It really bugs me.
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