March 25 , 2005
Women's hoops: Playing on a level court
Kristy Curry
Head coach of the Purdue University women's basketball team
The popularity of women's basketball is exploding along with the talent, heart and hustle on the basketball court.
The fans come because they want to see good games played by strong, capable athletes — male or female. What these fans have in common is excitement, enthusiasm, love for the game and, often love for a specific team.
Throughout these games, an electrifying energy permeates the arenas. Win or lose, this special energy is there before, during and after every game. The people I see in Purdue’s Mackey Arena and countless others represent all ages, genders and races. There are young girls and boys, college students, adult men and women, families and retired folks.
This atmosphere is a stark contrast to the early days of women’s "basket ball," as it was known, when Stanford University and Cal-Berkeley squared off for the first women’s intercollegiate basketball game in 1896.
The crowd was small, and it was all female. Men were barred from attending. It was not socially acceptable for men to watch women perform in sports. In fact, women were posted at the windows and doors of the auditorium to make sure no men viewed the spectacle.
This was just five years after James Naismith of the YMCA Training School in Springfield Mass., invented the game. It would take nearly 100 years and require the passage of federal legislation before women competed on basketball courts and in other sporting arenas as equals to male athletes.
These women athletes have developed a strong fan base. Just 20 years ago, women’s basketball was on the fringes of big-time athletics. A decade ago, it started drawing real attention from the media and the public.
Women's collegiate basketball has been and continues to be one of the fastest growing spectator sports in the nation. Today, about 70 percent of sports fans are watching women’s sports on a regular basis, and basketball is the most popular. Of these, 31 percent are women and 39 percent are men, according to the Behavior Research Center of Arizona. This explosion in popularity evolved in just two decades and can, in large part, be attributed to Title IX, the 1972 Education Amendment that prohibits gender discrimination in educational institutions that receive federal funds. This amendment changed sports for everyone.
Title IX meant that for the first time, women had the same opportunities as men. For example, when the amendment passed, the average Division I university offered two varsity sports for women. Today that average is more than eight, according to the National Association for Girls and Women in Sports. The change also impacted K-12 sports, allowing girls to develop their athletic skills at a young age.
That first generation of girls who had the equipment, venues and coaching staff to develop their athletic abilities has now come of age, and fans are in for some great thrills.
Just five years ago we had about 20 great players in women’s basketball. Today I estimate we have 80, and in five more years we will have hundreds. Attendance at women’s basketball games will continue to increase because these outstanding athletes make Dr. Naismith’s game interesting. Women play very pure basketball beneath the rim, and their game above the rim is starting to evolve.
Athletes in Division I universities are 44 percent women, according to the National Association for Girls and Women in Sports, and it is a sport that is on its way to being financially self-supporting. The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Issues Committee cited three areas to encourage this growth: marketing and promotion, recruiting and the quality of the game.
I'm glad there is a new world for my daughters, Kendall, 2, and Kelsey, 4. There is itty bitty ball and soccer in the fall and t-ball in the summer.
The growth and improvement in women's athletics has been amazing to watch. And we’ve only scratched the surface.
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