omen's basketball began
in the winter of 1892 at Smith College. Senda Berenson, an instructor at Smith, taught basketball to her students, hoping the activity would improve their physical health.
Today, if you are a talented female basketball player, you can possibly play professionally
in the WNBA and even if you did not make the pros, women's basketball is a thriving sport in colleges all over the country, with female players setting themselves up for success later in life with athletic scholarships to colleges. However, this was not always the case.
Title IX, the federal law dictating equal treatment between the sexes in college athletic programs, did not become law until 1972 (and it took a number of years for the effects of the law to show up in college sports). The Olympics did not have women's basketball until 1976. So if you were a great female basketball player before this era, there were few avenues for you to benefit from your skills.
The game continues to evolve for women. The process seemed to kick into overdrive in 1979 after Ann Meyers was actually given a tryout with the Indiana Pacers before being cut. Some seem to think this was a publicity stunt. Perhaps it was, but the women’s game was here to stay.
Now every few years there is a new and improved model. There was Nancy Lieberman, known as the first lady of hoops, Sheryl Swoopes, Cheryl Miller (sister of Reggie), and Lisa Leslie, an outspoken advocate for women's basketball.
Although in today's high school girl's games, you may not see as many rim-rattling dunks as men, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. They tend to focus more on the spirit of teamwork and cooperation—the foundations of the game. Combine that with the will to compete like a champion and you have a game all its own and well worth watching.
BECAUSE
OF THEM
WE CAN
W
Nancy Lieberman
Cheryl Miller
Lisa Leslie
Sheryl Swoopes
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