Written by We are all from somewhere, and this is important because it is the beginning of our story. We don’t know how our story ends but we know where it started. Everybody has a story. Each story is different, and each one is interesting. People enjoy sports for many different reasons, but I want to hear the stories. They make sports enjoyable and allow us to connect to make that connection to a wider world, as the psychologists suggest we seek.
I felt a sense of conviction lately due to the story regarding the disparity in weight rooms between the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments. The clear implication was that the men deserve better facilities because they are more critical. Their event gets better ratings and generates more revenue. The men’s tournament certainly gets more publicity.
But does that mean we have to feed them better? I have bought into what the media has been selling for far too long. I have to admit that I have been quick to ignore the women’s tournament and many women’s sports. By limiting my choices of which sports to watch, I was depriving myself of new stories and connections. I thought I had cured myself of this when I started following European soccer, but it turns out I was guilty of ignoring sports closer to home. You don’t have to span the globe to expand your horizons. So I started searching for an interesting story in this year’s NCAA Women’s tournament.
I immediately found the story of Paige Bueckers, the freshman phenom on the Connecticut Huskies. She does amazing things on the court and has become a celebrity due to social media. Drake follows her on Instagram. The GOAT says she is the best player in basketball already. Better yet, she’s from Minnesota so that makes her “super.” I’m from Minnesota, too, so I will be rooting for her to win the tournament because of this connection.
Minnesota is a magical land of lakes, hockey, and casseroles. Except they call a casserole a “hot dish,” and almost all of them have tater tots. Minnesota has two seasons, winter and road construction. Both are intense. Prince was from there, and he was cool. I bet you didn’t know that Purple Rain was originally intended to be a country song and a duet with Stevie Nicks.
Many think of wood chippers and the statue of Paul Bunyan featured in the movie Fargo when they think of Minnesota. I’m from southern Minnesota, up in the valley of the Jolly Green Giant.
Even though I moved away when I was four, I still consider Minnesota home. I’m from there. Sports have helped maintain that connection. I cried as a kid when Drew Pearson caught the “Hail Mary” from Roger Staubach, a play that never should have happened. He was clearly out of bounds on the 4th & 16 play that set it up. Years later, I enjoyed watching Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, and Gary Gaetti lead the Twins to two World Series wins. They are a part of my story.
Bueckers has done a great job of telling her story on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Her game highlights fantastic, and she has a clear purpose. She has a story to tell and uses these platforms effectively. It is the future of sports, and I hope this drives a better balance between men’s and women’s sports. People can choose who to follow rather than being spoon-fed by the networks.
Golf is another area where there is an unnecessary separation between the men and women’s competition. Hopefully, that will change in the future. The Korda sisters are getting a lot of attention and are also very active on social media. I turned on the tournament this week to see Michelle Wie West’s return after taking two years off following the birth of her daughter. The competition between the Americans and the South Koreans is heating up. Women’s golf is very popular in South Korea. There is no reason why it cannot be more popular here in the US.
Within the next year, we will have both a summer and winter Olympics. Stories are a huge part of the Olympics. The segments they televise on the athletes are often more interesting than the competitions. Marketers are getting wise to this and are working with NBC to determine which athletes will be featured. They understand the importance of connecting an athlete’s story with their brand. There already is parity between male and female athletes in the Olympics. NBC estimates that 55% of its coverage prime time coverage will be on female athletes.
Hopefully, the NCAA and major sports organizations will start following the Olympics’ lead and do a better job of marketing women’s sports. The recipe for success is selling the stories, embracing modern technologies, and building a connection with the fans. They seem to be stuck on just selling the competition. In today’s society, we want more than the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. We want the connection to the wide world that the stories provide. Do that, and we will watch, just like we watch the Olympics.
For now, I’ll span the globe or at least dig deeper into the cable listings to watch more women’s sports and other sports I have been ignoring. I’m sure there are a constant variety of stories out there to find. You betcha!