USA Today reports on which colleges have sent both men and women's basketball teams to the NCAA over the years and the factors, such as having a football program, which support that. Several are quoted as saying that recruitment opportunities are important as well, which includes draws to schools with already successful programs and state of the art facilities.
I follow women's basketball, in part, because of my own interest in sports, but also because I worked in an EEOC office while earning my law degree years ago at a college and met one of the women who pushed for Title IX. I remember her predicting how long it would take for women's sports to achieve recognition and success and have watched its evolution in different sports over the years with interest.
Women's basketball has followed a unique path. In part it's because of the work of people like coach Pat Summitt and Vivian Stringer, who were willing to work so hard for so little at first, who expect their players to be successful and who coach in a way that not only emphasizes sports, but the development of the whole person. This has led to a legacy of graduates of women basketball programs who have played in the WNBA, Olympics, and work as sportscasters, coaches and in other related jobs.
It's exciting to see growing opportunities and increased coverage of women's basketball and I hope that this kind of interest will expand to other women's sports, as well as sports for people with disabilities. As someone who traveled the local wheelchair tennis tournament for many years, paying my own expenses, playing on weekends and returning to work weary Monday morning, I know what it's like to do sports for the love of it.
And so I was delighted to see that the Tennis Hall of Fame will be inducting wheelchair members. (h/t to Wheelchair Dancer, btw.)
Printable brackets for the women's NCAA basketball tournament can be found here.
4 comments:
I agree we need a title IX for adaptive sports. As it is now, adaptive sports like sit skiing is so expensive few can participate. Adaptive programs do the best they can but how many can afford to purchase a sit ski that costs thousands of dollars.
Bill-I've been reading about your skiing with interest. I used to ski with the program Ski for Light and enjoyed it a great deal, but no longer do because , as you say, its so expensive to do it any other way.
I'm a great believer in working toward renting out handcycles where bicycles are rented, adaptive skis at lodges, etc. so that more people can try these sports out.
Skiing is expensive, no doubt about that. If one thinks and invests well in advance it is possible to ski at a reasonable cost. For example, I purchase a young adult season ski pass for my son in the summer at a huge discount. We also have a share in a ski house. He owns his own ski gear. All this is great but when you figure in the cost of adaptive ski gear it is like hitting a brick wall. Adaptive programs do the best they can but there is only so much they can do. I agree there is a great need to make adaptive rentals like skis and bikes widely available. You must get back out and try skiing again. Aside from the fact it is great fun it provides a feeling of equality and empowerment. Next year I will try cross country skiing which I noted Ski for Light does.
Cross country skiing is really great too. You're so right about the feeling of equality and empowerment. I went places on the cross country ski that I could never have gone in a wheelchair and enjoyed it so much. I'll definitely be out there again.
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