Evelyn Day 18
Good morning! I hope this day finds you well. Today is 3 April 2023.
This past weekend I watched some sports. Friday we started the weekend with some women’s basketball, as Iowa defeated South Carolina, and LSU defeated Virginia Tech to reach yesterday’s championship game. LSU ended up winning the championship yesterday, defeating Iowa 102-85. It was an interesting game, with Iowa’s stat setting an NCAA record for scoring in the Final Four, and LSU having a sub come off the bench to shoot 5-5 from 3-point range in the first half to set up a 13-point lead.
It was interesting checking the comments section after the game. There was the usual fan banter, with folks complaining about the officiating (and some of it was justified), and a lot of focus on the different styles of play. Lots of the commentary was by misogynistic men complaining about women’s sports – I guess some of these guys didn’t have any athletic women around them growing up. Lisa and I were rooting for Iowa, as she matriculated from Iowa with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Iowa, and she grew up in a nearby community. Another nearby community is home to a number of aunts, uncles, and cousins with strong Iowa ties, so it seemed natural to pull for Iowa.
I grew up around it. My mom played Iowa 6-on-6 growing up in northwestern Iowa. My sister played basketball and volleyball, and my daughters played basketball as well. My wife was a pretty good high school volleyball player, so it comes pretty easy for me to be a fan of the women’s game. Some guys, though, like to dig deep into the sexist barrel for rude comments about women’s sports – and the one thing I get out of it is that these guys never had female friends that played sports, and they certainly never dated them. For the misogynist, they focus on the superficial side of it, more concerned with how the girls looked rather than how they played.
Some guys can be real jerks.
One sport that I can point to… golf. If a guy can watch men play golf, then they can watch and enjoy women’s golf at the same time. The power off the tee is different – yeah, guys drive the ball a little longer… but there are women on tour that drive the as long and certainly more accurately than most of the guys at the country club. Inside of 250 yards, it’s the same game. The sand traps are the same, the water hazards are the same, the putting surfaces are the same.
I watch women’s sports. I watch basketball, volleyball, soccer, and I’ve been known to watch a fast-pitch softball game every now and then.
If folks are brought up with an appreciation for both types of play, our kids will all be better off for it.
I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.
Peace y’all.
