Like any male sports fan, I love the physical, rough and tough nature of the NFL and NBA. I live for men’s college basketball. I wait anxiously as time clicks off the clock and watch closely for the last-second buzzer beaters.
Women’s sports always paled in comparison.
I watched the WNBA in its infancy. The novelty quickly wore off. Many of the best games are left off mainstream television. Newspaper coverage is minuscule.
Last fall, I joined the sports staff of the Oregon Daily Emerald and they assigned me to three women’s sports: volleyball, basketball and track.
Looking back a year later, I couldn’t be happier.
The egos are far fewer. There are great stories just waiting to be discovered. Female athletes are willing to talk at length, for the most part, and are open about their experiences.
Women’s athletics offer the same excitement male athletics do. Should Oregon students actually attend, they’d discover why. Last year alone contained several memorable moments by women athletes:
Guard Kaela Chapdelaine nailing five three-pointers in an 81-73 Oregon win against Washington.
Point guard Tamika Nurse, overwhelmed by emotion, breaking down and tearfully describing the seniors’ impact after Oregon’s final home game last season versus UCLA.
Rebekah Noble speeding around Bowerman’s corner as the crowd rose to its feet and witnessed the track sensation complete the 800-meter race at the Oregon Twilight in 2 minutes and 2.85 seconds.
It’s these individual moments that make women athletics great. Do men have them, too? Sure they do.
What’s missing at these women’s events is the large gathering of students always there for football and men’s basketball. Women’s athletics are never going to rival male athletics for popularity. I realize that. Male sports are too ingrained in our culture.
But by not attending, students are missing out.
Promising second seasons for coaches Tara Erickson and Jim Moore for soccer and volleyball, respectively, have their programs on the cusps of NCAA berths. Taking into consideration the Oregon football team’s loss to Washington State, it now looks suddenly like soccer and volleyball are having more promising seasons.
Already, there have been multiple highlights, from the volleyball team’s home win in the Civil War rivalry to an upset of then-No. 8 California on the road. The soccer team is undefeated in Pacific-10 Conference play.
On Friday night, Nicole Garbin capped Oregon’s thrilling 2-1 come-from-behind win against Oregon State with a point- blank goal in overtime. The moment, so perfectly timed, seemed almost scripted with Oregon’s all-time points leader winning her last rivalry game.
The reason why there is widespread lack of fan following for women’s sports can be tied to the lack of exposure. Television networks are never going to prominently show women’s sports because of the lack of interest. Students rarely know about the teams when they come to school, and, they figure, why bother going? It’s a catch-22.
College is a student’s best opportunity to see these talented athletes perform. Oregon students need to take a chance and attend women’s sports events. Maybe you’ll grow attached like I have.
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