Without sounding overly simple, this article is great. Almost every sentence, I found myself nodding and saying "yes" aloud. I believe the way for women's sports should and will be powerfully and uniquely different and impactful. I also believe that the lost, most important variable in this discussion for the future is the community level underrepresented adult competitive and recreational athletes who support BOTH youth, collegiate and professional sports. Women who support, play or coach/lead community based teams and athletes are untapped powerhouses just waiting for their turn to be asked what they think, how they want to give support, money and effort to women's sports that look and feel different - that feel like a place they want to belong. So many thoughts - all very much coming on in a jumble. Keep up the good work! :)
Thank you Lindsay, for this thoughtful article. The ACL “epidemic” is infuriating, because, as you stated, I clearly remember this very issue being raised in the 1990s, and we seem to not have learned anything from it. Sucks that without money into it, no meaningful research can be done into women’s sports—or women’s anything, really.
And yes, women’s leagues should NOT simply follow men’s sports models to grow. I guess as fans, we should do out best to raise hell when stupid decisions get made (e.g., Visit Saudi) and advocate for better options.
Mapping a path forward for women's sports
Without sounding overly simple, this article is great. Almost every sentence, I found myself nodding and saying "yes" aloud. I believe the way for women's sports should and will be powerfully and uniquely different and impactful. I also believe that the lost, most important variable in this discussion for the future is the community level underrepresented adult competitive and recreational athletes who support BOTH youth, collegiate and professional sports. Women who support, play or coach/lead community based teams and athletes are untapped powerhouses just waiting for their turn to be asked what they think, how they want to give support, money and effort to women's sports that look and feel different - that feel like a place they want to belong. So many thoughts - all very much coming on in a jumble. Keep up the good work! :)
This is an interesting topic. It would be great for women's sports to create a model that works better for their leagues.
Thank you Lindsay, for this thoughtful article. The ACL “epidemic” is infuriating, because, as you stated, I clearly remember this very issue being raised in the 1990s, and we seem to not have learned anything from it. Sucks that without money into it, no meaningful research can be done into women’s sports—or women’s anything, really.
And yes, women’s leagues should NOT simply follow men’s sports models to grow. I guess as fans, we should do out best to raise hell when stupid decisions get made (e.g., Visit Saudi) and advocate for better options.