In the early 20th century, women’s basketball was introduced in women’s colleges. Back then, players wore knit stockings and played in a court designed for men. The sport’s popularity and its new image challenged the notions of what a woman should be. Today, women play in a variety of professional and college leagues and tournaments. Here’s a look at what you should know about women’s basketball.
WNBA
Unlike men’s basketball, the NBA and FIBA play with a 24-second shot clock. The NBA adopted the 24-second shot clock in 2000, and the WNBA has been using it since 2005. Until 2015, the NBA and FIBA used 30-second shot clocks. Men’s college basketball games have 30 second shot clocks. Since 1985, WNBA games started with a jump ball. In 1993, the shot clock was lowered to 35 seconds. In 2015, the WNBA started using dedicated men’s balls.
FIBA
FIBA’s Women in Leadership Program is one of the key initiatives for advancing gender diversity and inclusion in the sport of basketball. It is designed to increase the proportion of women in leadership positions within the sport and develop new pathways and support systems to support female participation. The program has attracted 31 participants from 30 countries in 2021 and has also launched an internship program in the Pacific region. The new women-friendly marketing strategy for FIBA will aim to reach more women through more opportunities in the field of basketball.
NCAA
The NCAA has recently celebrated its 50th anniversary of Title IX, a landmark legislation that opened up sports to women. The NCAA is celebrating the progress that women have made in sports, but also acknowledges that work must continue. A study is currently underway to examine the impact of Title IX on women’s basketball student-athletes. Here are some of the statistics and facts from the most recent tournament. Let’s take a closer look.
NAIA
The 2022 NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship will be held March 17-22 in Sioux City, Iowa. The championship tournament will be held at Oman Arena. This tournament will be the first of its kind to include a college from outside the United States. Thomas More defeated Dordt (Iowa) 77-65 in the championship game. The Saints began the season ranked second in the preseason Coaches Top 25 Poll and remained there for the entire season. Dordt bounded from poll to poll, and finished the season ranked 21 in the final regular season poll.
Recruiting
While women’s basketball recruiting is not as hard as some of its male counterparts, it requires a lot of work on the part of the student-athlete. In addition to doing research and building a communication strategy, recruiting a college basketball player means marketing yourself to college coaches. You should develop a highlight video and email the coaches directly. Also, you should attend tournaments and camps to get in front of college coaches.
Distances
Researchers have used physiology and physiologic data to compare the distances traversed by men and women in basketball. Hodgson, P., Messersmith, L., and Laurence, J., used similar methods to study distances traversed by college basketball players. Miner, N., and others have also looked at women’s basketball distances and time spent walking, running, or dashing.
Uniforms
In addition to the traditional white and blue colors, many schools are now choosing to wear more vibrantly colored uniforms. For example, Kansas University has adopted a pink-and-red alternate uniform, which is often worn in conjunction with breast cancer awareness. The colors of these uniforms are usually bold and bright, and many are also available in collegiate and professional styles. The following are some examples of the colors used by women’s basketball teams.
Homophobic practices
There is a long history of “negative recruiting” in women’s sports. Coaches who are supportive of heterosexuality often suggest that they’ll be OK on their team if their players are gay or lesbian, while also stressing family values. These coaches even tell their players’ parents that they won’t be comfortable if they’re on another team. The shameful nature of these actions is beyond comprehension, but they continue to plague the game.
