A Thought-Out Opinion of Women’s Sports… on Deadspin?

I’m just as shocked as you are.

If you read this blog, you’ll know I’m typically a critical of Deadspin of their perspective on women in general, and female athletes in particular. They’re always game for a good joke at someone else’s expense.

But today, I read a long, thought-out perspective about the UConn women’s basketball streak, from a writer who actually attended the 88th win in the Garden. The post deconstructs the idea of a ”place” for female athletes in mainstream sports media. Regardless of whether or not I agree with her opinion - I especially disagree with the title of the post – I really respect author Emma Carmichael for thinking this through thoroughly. And for once, I find myself actually respecting the Deadspin editors for publishing it. Highly recommend you read it.

Personally, here’s my favorite part:

Two Sundays ago, when I joined about 15,000 other people to watch the UConn women defeat Ohio State in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden, I thought about that idea of “place” and of being “informed” about women’s sports. I sat in the upper decks next to a mother and daughter from upstate New York. Like everyone else around me, they were big UConn fans. “What brings you here?” the mom asked me a few minutes into the warm-ups. “Do you play basketball?”

I paused. The game was to be broadcast on ESPNU; the Garden had distributed its fill of press credentials weeks in advance; some kind of Very Important Record would be tied; and here was a real, three-dimensional “place” for women’s sports in one of the most beloved arenas ever built. And yet we all still needed a reason to be here.

“The hype!” I told her.

What’s the reason you attend women’s sports games? Are you a part of the women’s sports community, or were you there for the hype? If I were a guessing person, I’d say you were there for the former, and not the latter. What will it take for the women’s sports community to come together and grow?