From the Inside: Witnessing UConn Women Make Basketball History

What the core community of women's basketball looks like

Today, I witnessed the University of Connecticut women’s team make basketball history.

Their 80-51 victory over Ohio State in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden, UConn accomplished their 88^th straight win, tying the ULCA men’s team for the longest winning streak in basketball history.

I saw beautiful things happen this evening. UConn showcased the highest level of defense, greatest level of hustle, and best offensive cohesion that I have ever seen in the game of women’s basketball. The Maya Moore/Tiffany Hayes duo looked unstoppable. For example, by halftime, Moore accumulated 20 points and Hayes had 19, while no player on Ohio State had over 8 points. In short, the Huskies made fifth-ranked Ohio State look like high school B team.

Yet, as I experienced this, I was reminded of some not-so-beautiful things that I saw this week. For example, references to illogical “apples-to-oranges” analogies that say, “There isn’t such a thing as a record for all of college basketball. It’s either a men’s record or a women’s, and never the twain shall meet.” I also saw articles and tweets openly criticizing the media for not giving women’s basketball any well-deserved love.  While that the Huskies deserve more accolades, I’m deciding not to go down the criticism path tonight. Instead, I saw a much bigger opportunity, one that doesn’t necessarily depend upon the media or fans of men’s basketball.

I call it, “community.”

We (the fans of women’s basketball) have the power to take control of the sport and build an audience from the inside-out,. All we need to do is start talking to each other. Tonight was a perfect example of what we are capable of.

When I walked into the stadium and saw that the only open seats existed at the 400-level, I began to smile ear-to-ear. I thought, “way to show some love, New York.” Those present set in the stadium set a women’s college basketball attendance record at the facility, with 15,232 butts in seats. I began to look closer and see who comprised this loud, energetic group.  Here’s what I found:

Mostly adults – seemed equal, men and women, maybe slightly more women. Most clearly had a direct connection to the sport or to the players. I sat right in the middle of the UConn friends and family section, who are directly connected to the players. This is an example of an extremely active, highly connected, localized community. There were a lot of blue sweatshirts, tons of hugs and high five’s all-around. This group clearly comes to every game and represents the foundation, or the core of the women’s basketball community. Their energy and dedication keeps the sport going.

I also saw older players present like Sue Bird, Rebecca Lobo, Asia Jones, and Meghan Gardler, along with iconic coaches like Vivian Stringer. I spotted business executives from the WNBA and the Liberty, professional agents like those from MK Sports, and media members like myself, Graham Hays at ESPN, and Amanda Rykhoff over at espnW.  I also saw women’s basketball players overseas like Swin Cash and Tina Charles, tuning in online and tweeting their support. This represents the middle tier of the community, or those that bridge the gap between the active players and those that casually follow the game (arguably the most important group).

Last, I also spotted some fans of women’s basketball. These include folks who heard about the game and decided they wanted to come experience it. Inclusive were some high school teams and coaches, who probably never come to games, but a dedicated coach realized the significance of the night and decided it was important enough for the girls to experience it. This represents the top level of the community, or the “first-timers.”

So here’s my argument – the Huskies were not cheated at all today. They got their well-deserved recognition. We were on our feet. The volume of support in Madison Square Garden was top-notch. Counting down from 25 seconds, everyone rose and started chanting, “Eighty-Eight! Eighty-Eight!” (see video below)  The level of  enthusiasm was comparable to any other professional sports game that I’ve experienced in my lifetime. And it came from the inside, from the core women’s basketball community.

We don’t need mainstream support to acknowledge achievement. All we need to do is come together and get a little louder. And we don’t always need a history-breaking record as an excuse to do it. It can start with a simple conversation, an email, a comment, or a tweet. We just need to start talking.

Congratulations, UConn. Thank you for your hard work in putting women’s basketball on the map, and for making this an exciting this year. Can’t wait for Tuesday, and can’t wait to build out my women’s basketball network from the connections I made tonight, and the blog posts I’ll read tomorrow.