I elected to attend the New York Liberty’s exhibition game at the University of Oregon on May 12 as a media member rather than a fan. When the Eugene women’s basketball fanbase rallied together in support of former Oregon stars Sabrina Ionescu and Nyara Sabally during their pregame introductions, though, I couldn’t help but feel emotional.
Matthew Knight Arena hosted a sold-out crowd of 12,364 fans, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, with few empty seats from the upper bowl to the courtside seats. I felt my heart thumping through my chest to the rhythm of the crowd’s ear-shattering applause. In my four years as a student at the University of Oregon, I’ve attended nearly every Oregon women’s basketball home game, but I’d never seen an environment close to this one.
Nothing else at that moment seemed to matter to the Oregon faithful besides giving two Duck legends their flowers one last time. The arena was powered by a pure love of the women’s game. In what sometimes feels like an incredibly divisive world, this was a community united by an appreciation for a pair of athletes who represented something far more than just their play on the basketball court.
As an Oregonian, I grew up watching the Oregon women’s teams with Ionescu and Sabally on them. I fell in love with the women’s game because of them. I followed them to the pros, where they introduced me to more women’s basketball players and teams. Those late 2010s to early 2020s Oregon teams were what sold me on a career in sports media — and made me realize that I want to specifically cover women’s sports.
It felt like I went back in time five years when Ionescu drilled a 3-pointer from the bottom of the Oregon half-court logo midway through the third quarter. She played the Matthew Knight Arena crowd the same way she did in her college days. It was like she never left.
Those Ionescu-led Oregon teams were electric and consistently earned packed crowds, but they also kept the fans in their seats the full 40 minutes of basketball. I think what was even more important than Ionescu’s play on the court was that she helped the Ducks go from bringing in a few thousand fans every game to over 10,000 fans each time she was on the floor.
Recent WNBA draft picks from the past couple of years — such as Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese — sparked NCAA television viewership records and then ushered in new fans to the WNBA. A few years before their generation, Ionescu had a similar impact when it came to growing women’s sports, especially in the state of Oregon.
Ionescu and Sabally signed jerseys and posters pre-game, several feet in front of where I was standing on the sidelines. I scanned the front few rows behind the hoop and saw dozens of young girls excitedly waiting to meet the stars. Those young fans won’t know a world where the audience looks like anything less than the one on Monday night — large and enthusiastic.
As media members, we’re taught to separate our fandom from our coverage in the name of professionalism and building trust. At the same time, if you don’t remember why you fell in love with sports in the first place, how are you supposed to connect with fans?
The starting lineup introductions broke me out of my typical pregame coverage trance. All I could think of was why my journey began.
It’s exciting watching and covering teams that host NCAA Tournament games or athletes who are named Big Ten Player of the Week. I’ve always been enamored, though, with the community aspect of sports. What else would bring those 12,364 fans together into one building? Where else does an entire arena applaud the same moment in time all at once?
I always hoped I’d cover the WNBA at some point in my career. I’m grateful that I got the opportunity to see the Eugene community show out for women’s professional basketball as a student writer for The Daily Emerald. The return of Ionescu and Sabally to Eugene provided a reminder of the power of sports to bring people from different backgrounds together.
