Caitlin Clark, 22, of the Iowa Hawkeyes hits Jaylin Sherrod of the Colorado Buffaloes in the second half during the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on March 30, 2024 in Albany, New York. Driving with a player (00 years old). The Iowa Hawkeyes won 89-68. (Photo by Sarah Steer/Getty Images)
Has the way you think about women's sports changed? Last month's record-breaking 18.9 million people watched the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship game between Iowa and South Carolina, followed by 13.08 million who watched the Denver Nuggets defeat the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. There are 6 million more people than humans. Last year – there seems to have been a culture shift.
But for what? Do newfound fans also consider themselves feminists who are finally ready to invest?
These female athletes play for multiple individuals, one team, or one city. They play for something universal for women who know what it's like to have less income, less power, and be disrespected despite obvious skills and success: equality. I am.
When women are given the same resources and opportunities as men to be themselves, we shouldn't be surprised at what happens. Brava for the University of Colorado women's volleyball player's Sweet 16 performance.
The Indiana Fever and the city of Indianapolis will no doubt take advantage of the attention that WNBA No. 1 draft pick Caitlin Clark brings, and some of the nation's highest-profile games have already been moved to larger arenas and venues. is moving to. Ticket prices continue to rise and can exceed $500 in some cases.
When equality wins, capital gains. This is a classic “yes, and” model, and it would be a shame to miss out unless Denver makes a move to attract both a WNBA team and a National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team. Many of these professionals are from the Centennial State and are proudly representing the U.S. Women's National Team, which will compete in a friendly against South Korea on June 1 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. We would like to thank Denver FC for their commitment to making the latter a reality.
Women's sports can change the way the world views women and benefit communities that advocate for women. Women's sports have historically exemplified the low value that society places on women as a whole, but the past few months have proven that athletes are not the ones rising to this moment. Our society is finally standing up to meet women in a place where they have always led, loved, and won. In a way, gaining this attention means rediscovering what it means to be a woman in this world. So what we're seeing now is a reflection of the way women have always viewed themselves as great.
Even without professional women's sports teams, small businesses like Inglewood's Lady Justice Brewing are benefiting from the interest in women's sports. . Lady Justice, a woman- and LGBTQIA+-owned and operated company with a mission to “brew great beer and make the world a better place,” has partnered with media and commerce company Togethxr to share where you can watch We've increased access and visibility for everyone who wants it. game. Lady Justice, along with 21 other venues across the country, agreed to broadcast every game in the women's NCAA tournament, citing the reality that “everyone watches women's sports.”
The champion of the game is finally standing up for women. Insofar as this fandom leads to respecting the different roles that all women play in our lives as mothers, sisters, and daughters. boss, colleague, employee. Wife, best friend, lover. If we are leaders, learners, and teachers, we can live a new future. I want to live in a world where capital and equality can not only coexist, but where we can co-create the best we can imagine here in Denver.
Kristen Dalton is a freelance writer living in Denver and working in the cybersecurity field. She played Division I basketball at Lehigh University long before the NCAA started using her brand of March Madness in the women's tournament.
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