Men’s and women’s basketball treated differently
Every day, I hear numerous people around campus talk about gender equality and progress. So it’s odd how so many draw the line at women’s sports. It seems as though there is an illogical distaste of women’s sports. People don’t seem to think it’s as important.
Why is it this way? I’ve heard excuses ranging from, “They aren’t athletic enough,” to “It isn’t appealing to watch women not act feminine.”
Shannon Kelly
Any decent person should be disgusted by this. The level of athleticism in women’s sports is equal to any men’s team. Also, such standards of femininity are as outdated as those that say it’s not my place as a woman to write my opinion or play trombone. Yet, “educated” adults buy into this mindset.
I have attended every home game for basketball and traveled with the teams for tournaments as a member of the Vandal Basketball band for the past three years. Likewise, I’ve seen a steady attendance gap between men’s and women’s games, despite the women’s amazing success.
Watching women’s college basketball in a different setting is a real eye-opener.
In 2013, the women’s basketball team became WAC champions and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament against UConn. The University of Connecticut basketball arena, which dwarves the Cowan Spectrum, was packed with fans from around the nation who were cheering on women’s basketball teams. I had never seen such enthusiasm for women’s basketball. It was similar to how men’s basketball or football is treated in Moscow.
But the telling moment occurred while I was waiting in line at a concessions stand. The Idaho team and band were naturally a novelty to a primarily Eastern crowd and two Connecticut fans struck up a friendly conversation with me. Their questions gravitated toward the UI athletic scene and one of them assumed the women’s basketball team must surely pack our arena. After an awkward pause, my only response was the truth — people in Idaho largely ignore female athletic events.
If there aren’t men playing or women in tight clothing, it probably won’t draw much of a crowd. One of the women commented back, “Idaho is a rather backward state.” What do you say to something so unfortunately true? We do operate backwards when it comes to gender equality.
It has been awkward at the past few home games when more fans from the opposing team have filled the stands than the Vandals. I doubt it is motivating for the members of the Vandal women’s basketball team. They are back-to-back WAC champions, and yet they are treated as if they are secondary to the men’s team.
In a state plagued with fewer opportunities for women and a slow record on progress regarding human rights, I feel it is the duty of Vandals to break down this outdated wall of sexism. I challenge UI students to attend as many of the remaining women’s basketball games as they possibly can. They deserve more than just the band. They deserve fans.
Shannon Kelly can be reached at [email protected]