I was with one of my male friends the other day and he asked me, “Is the WNBA still a sport?” After I stared at him rather peculiarly I patiently explained to him that the WNBA was never a sport. The sport is basketball, and yes, the basketball organization for women is still in effect.
It then occurred to me that women are underappreciated in the world of sports, in particular basketball. Saturday, I covered the Lady Rattlers basketball game against the Lady Rams, and it was so quiet before tip-off I thought I heard a pin drop.
Don’t get me wrong, all the fans in attendance were faithful. But the problem was there were not enough of them. The energy that both teams brought on the floor was great, the DJ was energetic, but the crowd that was there could only do so much.
I then proceeded to watch the men’s game. Before the men came out for their warm ups, the stands were beginning to fill with anxious fans. Some of them had shakers and some had on jerseys, but they were all there. When the opposing team came out for warm ups, the crowd starting booing! And you could actually hear it! The crowd literally held its breath every time the other team made a shot and when the men of FAMU dunked, I thought the roof was going to lift off.
I really knew I’d seen it all when I saw the wave being started. You could hear the uproar from outside the building. I’m not saying that men don’t play hard because we all know they do, but ladies, do we not sweat?
When I saw the Lady Rattlers play Saturday I didn’t see a group of dainty, submissive females. I saw ballplayers. Real ballplayers who like to win, play hard, fight tough and show what sports is all about – unity.
So what if they aren’t known for dunking? Men aren’t known for their hygiene, but that’s doesn’t mean they all stink. The sad truth is that not even women are as into the WNBA as the NBA. Maybe some of them believe it isn’t as entertaining or feel the organization doesn’t get enough publicity or maybe like my male friend, they have no idea what the WNBA is.
All I know is I wait for the day when a boy is wearing the new Tina Thompsons on the court.
Long gone are the days where women are confined to the kitchen. The desperate housewife days are over guys! First we made waves in the corporate world, then in the industrial world, and it’s about time we start breaking the glass on some of these backboards around here.
All I’m saying is she’s a bad oman if she can shop, bake, clean, work, go to class (on time of course) and still shoot a jump shot better than a man.
It’s time female athletes got our props!
Keara Jones is a junior broadcast journalism student from Orlando. She can be reached at famuansports@hotmail.com.