The Importance of Women's Basketball

Blog 5: The Importance of Women’s Basketball

In my previous blogs, I have explained the history and evolution of women’s basketball. In this blog, I hope to show you why women’s basketball is much more than just a means of exercise and why it is important not only to a player but to women everywhere. Betty Lennox of the WNBA states, “Basketball has taught me how to believe in myself, how to carry myself, and also how to deal with hard times and setbacks.”1 Basketball is so much more than a game.It teaches people to lead and push through life with confidence. Basketball doesn’t just let girls get out of their comfort zone, it teaches equality for all women.

Lauren Jackson, a superstar international player, states that “it is ingrained in people that women’s sports are not as good as mens.” She continues to say it is important that we make a push for equality in women’s sports and that basketball is a great way to help promote women’s equality.2 Women’s sports are starting to make an outbreak with Rousey’s 14 second knockout, Serena William’s domination in tennis, USA Women’s Soccer Team winning the World Cup, and the USA Women’s Basketball Team just won its sixth consecutive gold medal, downing Spain 101-72. This score is not even close and shows how much power women’s basketball holds. Even at the highest level of competition, the USA women’s team doesn’t have competition. These are all examples of how women could impact the world by using sports. While these people are the best at what they do, they strive to be the best of the court and just use their sport as a platform to change lives. I believe this is why women’s basketball is so important.

It is easy to say that women’s basketball deserves to be equal to men’s basketball but not easy to put in place. Title IX which states that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”3 This was implemented to help women receive the equality they deserve.

Basketball was created as a means of exercise for a Women’s physical education class. This is a huge reason why basketball is important but, as I explained in this blog, there is so much more to basketball than exercise. It teaches life skills, leadership, ownership and equality.

References

1. Davinport, C. (2015, July 25). WNBA and gender equality - Swish Appeal. Retrieved October 20, 2016, from http://www.swishappeal.com/2015/7/25/9039003/wnba-and-gender-equality
2. Lennox, B. (2014). In Her Own Words: The Importance of Women’s Basketball ... Retrieved October 20, 2016, from http://teamfenom.com/in-her-own-words-the-importance-of-womens-basketball/
3. TitleIX.info - Title IX Home. (2016). Retrieved October 20, 2016, from http://www.titleix.info/