Sunday sports page: “Bumblin’ and Humblin” Michigan defeats Gophers 58-0, no scoring no tackling – “defense below rock bottom”. Monday sports page: “On the ‘L’ Train” KC defeats Vickings 22-17 – record 0-4 – “Near record of futility the season is over”. Timberwolves basketball moribund since the departure of Garnett. Rebuilding continues after year’s of futility. Will a new coach come to the rescue? Minnesota Wild hockey team some redemptive features but essentially restructuring mold. Headline 10/4 “It’s a show-me state of hockey” with waning attendance”. Can a few offseason acquisitions translate into victories and more tickets sold?
A breath of fresh air: HOME-COURT COUP (10/2) – Womens’ National Basketball Association – “wnba finals game 1; lynx 88, atlanta 74” . Target Center filled to nearly capacity, 15, 298, an audience with a large presence of girls, teenage women, young mothers cheering the physically aggressive Lynx crashing the backboard and zipping spectacular fast breaks. One young girl being interviewed replied: “It’s better than boys basketball.” Perhaps somewhat hyperbolic but in essence I agree.
My blog of April 16 titled: SO MUCH FOR GENDER EQUALITY observed that draftee Myra Moore, womens’ college basketbal player of the year in successive years will have a top WNBA salary of $59,547. What do you think the number one college male draftee will receive? Now with the season over and championship round in progress Moore is most likely to be the “rookie of the year” . Actually the Linx are a team with five stars and any of them may emerge in a given game – all are agressive, talented, unselfishly team oriented.
Fifty years ago in my youth womens’ basketball was an underscoring of the stereotype of female fragility that needed protection – no aggression please – just a few dribbles and you must pass the ball. A travesty that the feminist movement of the sixties-seventies took care of. My five daughters are all fine athletes – all excellent swimmers, two bicycled this summer across Iowa, two were lifeguards, two play golf with their challenged father, one was a deadly tall spiker on the Carleton team, a history of women-only travels in the wilderness lake country, one a frequent participant in triathlons. Wonder why their father is intimidated but delights in watching female athletics. Go – Lynx
ADDENDUM 10/8/11 Headlines: wnba finals game 3: lynx 73, atlanta 67; ENTITLED AT LAST; CHAMPS Lynx win a title, redemption and new credibility
The Bartling Scholarship 