Notre Dame and Texas A&M played for the NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Championship last night. But you can be forgiven for having no clue because, instead of commanding network coverage like the men’s championship game between UConn and Butler, the women’s was relegated to cable. This, of course, guaranteed only a fraction of the viewership.
Meanwhile, this women’s championship game was far more exciting to watch than the men’s. And this game even featured a Cinderella storyline that emulated the men’s – with Texas making it to the “big dance” for the first time and both teams defeating the top teams in their respective division; i.e., Texas over Stanford and Notre Dame over the prohibitive favorite to win it all, UConn.
(Given that the UConn men won the national championship on Monday, what an historic feat it would have been for this school if the UConn women had played to expectations and won too? Ah well….)
Anyway, for a little perspective, can you imagine the US Open Tennis Association agreeing to air the men’s final on NBC but the women’s on cable? Mind you, the TV executives who are responsible for dissing women’s college basketball like this are the very ones who wonder why they can’t get better ratings for the fledgling women’s professional league – the WNBA.
Then, of course, there are the mainstream sports writers and analysts who treat the men’s game like the holy grail of sports, but treat the women’s like the plague. For example, you’d be hard pressed to find another commentator who covers both men’s and women’s championship games in the same spirit and with the same level of interest the way I do.
More important, though, what does all of this say to female college athletes, as well as to the young girls we encourage to have the same interest in sports as young boys…? Frankly, it says that male chauvinism, sexism and discrimination against women in sports not only still exist but are blithely tolerated….
Sorry girls….
Nevertheless, here’s to Texas for defeating Notre Dame 76-70 to win its first NCAA title in school history!
