Like the rest of the country, over the past month, I’ve been captivated by the USWNT and their World Cup run. The team’s win was inspiring for so many reasons, and once again provides renewed hope that their success will lead to greater equality, pay, and publicity for women’s sports.
However, I feel like we as a country express the same sentiment and have the same conversation every few years after the World Cup or Olympics. Impressive women capture our attention for a brief moment, but then as we all inevitably get busy, their day-to-day athletic performances tend to fade into the background and we refocus on the men’s sports that still receive the majority of the airtime, despite the overwhelming dominance of our country’s female athletes.
Even though I would like to think of myself as a fan of women’s sports, outside of following Nebraska Volleyball and sometimes Women’s Basketball, as well as the major tennis tournaments, I rarely devote any of my time to watching/following any other women’s sports. All the conversation following the World Cup has given me the chance to reflect on that fact and realize that my own personal lack of support is in fact, a contributing factor to the continued representation gap in sports. Ouch.
So, what am I going to do about this new realization?
Meet your newest WNBA fan! I am committing to watching every nationally televised game for the Atlanta Dream (NBA TV, CBS Sports Network, and Twitter) through the end of the 2019 season. I want to find a favorite player. I want to find an opposing player I can’t stand because she’s so good. I want to better understand the companies supporting this league. Perhaps most importantly, I want to put my time, and eventually money (their colors are outstanding, so no doubt, I’ll be buying some gear), where my mouth is AND demonstrate to my son that women are also phenomenal athletes worthy of our support.
If I can’t watch a game because of work, family obligations, etc., I am now set-up to receive all the team alerts and will be actively following their social media accounts. If you run into me, I beg of you to ask me how the team is doing. Just one person asking me about the WNBA and the Dream as a result of this post would provide more of a boost than I have ever personally given the league.
Why the WNBA?
I remember being incredibly excited about the launch of the WNBA in 1997. I was ten years old, had just started playing organized sports, and was an avid Sports Illustrated for Kids reader. I’d written letters to Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Leslie, started watching a ton of women’s college basketball, and by Junior High, had dreams of playing in the league myself. While that dream obviously didn’t pan out, the WNBA showed me as a young girl that you could be a strong, female, athlete. It encouraged me to keep playing, and had I not continued playing sports through high school, I know I wouldn’t have ended up working in the sports industry today.
Side Bar – I STILL have dreams about playing high school basketball. I have always forgotten my shoes, shorts, sports bra, etc., and am running incredibly late for a big game. If I do manage to play in the dream game, I have lost the limited athletic ability I once had, and it’s a painful thing to watch as I struggle down the court. Let’s realize, that I am 32, and there’s a part of this WNBA dream that still won’t die.
Why the Atlanta Dream?
Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to have been introduced to the Dream’s Head Coach, Nicki Collen. She and I spoke in the spring and the culmination of the Women’s World Cup and our interview going live last week spurred me to act. She’s a mom to three, incredibly genuine, and I can’t help but cheer for someone who so generously gave their time to me. Not to mention, the Dream’s 2019 season hashtag is #DreamOn, which also happens to be my all-time favorite song (do yourself a favor and enjoy some classic Steven Tyler) AND the track that I listened to prior to every single basketball game my senior year of high school. It was meant to be.
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So, as a woman in sports, that hopes to see just as much equality in the board room as on the court, this is the small step I’m taking today to contribute to the cause. If I truly believe in equality for women in the workplace, this seems like the least I can do. I hope my new fandom spurs an interest in the other amazing female athletes and leagues across the country. I know this won’t make an immediate difference, and that it will take many more sports fans tuning in to make real progress; but, I’m excited to learn and support a league that continues to inspire young athletes all over the world. #DreamOn