Women’s college basketball and softball have experienced substantial growth in spite of obstacles not limited to COVID-19. Women’s sports as a whole still struggle to achieve the same recognition and coverage as men’s.
“I've always thought it was great to cover (women’s basketball) because its stories are under-told,” Feinberg said. “When I first started doing it, you wouldn't see many women’s stories covered nationally. It was a chance to tell stories.”
Doug Feinberg, Associated Press national women's basketball writer, said women’s college basketball has possibly grown in intrigue because the players often stay at their respective schools longer than the men. According to the WNBA, draft entrants must be at least 22 years old during the year in which the draft takes place. These guidelines are not the same for the NBA, which requires draft entrants to be 19 at some point during the draft year.
“What’s great about women’s sports for the most part is the players stay at college for four years,” Feinberg said. “The fans get to know them for their entire college careers and watch them grow as people.”
2021 NCAA Tournament
The growing interest in women’s college sports is not always accompanied by equal treatment from broadcast companies and even the NCAA itself. One of the major stories to come from this year’s NCAA tournament was the inequity of weight room equipment the league provided to its men and women student-athletes. The issue was brought to light on social media by various members of women’s basketball traveling parties and later corrected by the NCAA.
Maria Marino, UConn women’s basketball reporter at SportsNet New York, feels a personal responsibility to hold the NCAA and others accountable for how women’s sports are showcased.
“These are athletes. They are incredible and you should recognize that the same way that you do any athlete,” Marino said. “I feel it’s my duty as a journalist and storyteller to make sure that people are accountable and not relying on old, tired narratives that don’t apply anymore.”
Marino emphasized that increased coverage of women’s sports is a profitable business decision for organizations.
“It’s so important to show data, numbers, and ratings to show that this is legitimately growing and taking off, Marino said. “If you're not on board then you're not really a smart business person. We’re tapping into this whole area of growth potential and frankly, profit potential."
"See this opportunity and understand that this is part of the future of being a successful business. If you don't see that, your business is eventually going to falter," Marino said.
Michal Sivo, social content specialist at UConn, strives to make the athletic department’s social content as diverse and equally distributed as possible.
“We’re always trying to figure out how to properly provide exposure to every program, as even as we reasonably can,” Sivo said. “I think that goes beyond just the women’s teams. All the teams want to make sure they are being heard. All the way from football to track and field. But especially with women’s sports, we have to make sure that they’re getting their fair exposure and day in the sun.”
On a larger scale, organizations like The Athletic have grown their coverage to meet the ongoing demands of the women’s college basketball audience.
Hannah Withiam, former managing editor at The Athletic and current managing editor at Just Women’s Sports, describes the progress made at her former organization.
“A step in our growth was we hired our first full time women’s basketball writer last July,” Withiam said. “That was key because for the first year we were really based on freelance content. There just aren't enough people covering the sport. Because of her, there could be reasons to hire more women’s writers and really build out the team.”
Looking at softball, the growing interest in the college game has likely driven the spike in interest for the professional game. Alexandra Licata, web manager of Athletes Unlimited, believes the diehard fans of various college teams follow those players into their pro careers.
“We used the term ‘college colors run deep,’ and that is so true," Licata said. “People were so hooked on their (Florida) Gators or their favorites from the softball teams that they watched at college. People want to root for their college team, but they also want to root for those athletes beyond college.”
Athletes Unlimited is a network of pro sports leagues, including softball, that strives to elevate underrepresented athletes and put those athletes in decision-making positions (https://auprosports.com/mission/).
In its inaugural softball season, Athletes Unlimited had all 30 pro games on TV or streaming, thanks to deals with CBS Sports Network and ESPN.
“It’s an incredible thing when women’s sports get coverage, how many people tune in,” Licata said. “At the end of the day, if you can put outstanding talent on the field --whether it’s men or women -- people are going to be interested in watching.”
Photo: Kristan Bravo
Feinberg says the interest in women’s sports starts with individuals. As the women’s high school basketball coach at The Dalton School in New York City for 27 years, he tries to instill an appreciation for the game in his players.
“The passion I have for coaching and for covering women’s basketball, I think has been passed on through my coaching,” he said. “[My players] pay attention to college hoops. Friends of mine who are in the physical education department started paying attention, too. It snowballs and people want to talk about it.”
Feinberg went on to say that the majority of his own players might not reach the college level as student-athletes, but they appreciate the sport and will likely attend games as fans.
"It’s important to me that I can help pass along interest in something and watch it grow,” Feinberg said. “The next generation and the generation after that, if they’re interested in women’s sports, it’s good for everybody.”