Having lived in the state of Connecticut since I was born, and being taught by alumni and professors of UConn, I have seen my fair share of UConn basketball games on television. Whether it was at the family Thanksgiving gathering or March Madness season, I was watching the Huskies ball — and more often than not, the women’s team specifically. Watching a cast of characters that seemed like they didn’t know how to lose, I grew up with a respect for women’s college sports, which — as I learned in high school — wasn’t that common.
In my first month of college, sports like softball and women’s volleyball have quickly garnered my attention as I photograph them for The Daily Campus. I have found myself enamored with the culture and ethos of women’s sporting events, as they differ from what I have seen in the more-covered men’s events. The world and environment around women’s sports is overlooked, and there are many lessons that could be learned and practiced, both in men’s athletics and in our own lives.
Women’s sporting events are games of intensity; there is no question about that. Going to my first volleyball match at UConn, the team plays with grit, fury and a passion to succeed. That being said, the squad on and off the court is constantly uplifting, reassuring and advising each other to contrive a point, block or set. The way the team presents themselves on the court is a system of gratifying support.
In any of the big four sports leagues in America (NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL), it seems like a recent change in the sports is that “brotherhood” is emphasized. When players uplift each other on any social media platform, Sportscenter and ESPN will blow it up because it feels like a rare occasion. I do not in any way want to take the spirit and friction out of sports; fighting in the NHL and tension in the NFL are what keep the sports so interesting. However, I do believe that the backbone of women’s sports is a community that relies on generosity and empathy, and it is more than entertaining to watch. Aside from their out-of-this-world skills, the UConn women’s basketball team is so beloved for their togetherness. Watching the squad, they feel like a cohesive sisterhood both on and off the court. Between the K.K. Arnold TikToks and Azzi Fudd’s selfless play, there’s a community on the team that makes each and every game feel personal and valuable.
For everyone today, this nature and environment would set a perfectly reasonable precedent. Putting an emphasis on community and “one whole” is something that is not taught as a necessity today, yet if modeled by athletes kids love, could spark drastic change. This would not make the sport “soft.” In women’s sports, it is the chirping and cheering that creates rivalries, heat and overall fun. You don’t get anything close to “The Malice in the Palace,” but what you do get is loud, brazen dancing and hollering that makes every game feel like a post-season rivalry square off.
I first witnessed it while taking photos for softball: both dugouts had a chant, cheer or chirp for quite literally every play on their respective team or blunder on the other. They were never overtly rude or full of spite (as that would contradict the prior point), but always a little nerve-racking. It feels very “campy” and unique. It’s something that would make men’s sporting events so much fun but doesn’t occur as the leagues see themselves as overly macho. While men’s sports will only celebrate and dance on a touchdown, goal or basket because of an unspoken stoicism, the women indulge without fear of any scrutiny on every single play. In a modern age where it can feel impossible to smile and feel impossible to be hopeful, women’s sports place a smile on every fan’s face while executing breathtaking athletic feats. In a volleyball game I attended last week, when the players off the courts were bopping and grooving for their teammates, not a single person in the crowd was thinking about the doom and gloom of governance or worldly change. We could all learn from the shenanigans of women’s sports, as whimsy should always be accepted.
In women’s sports, the biggest rivalry of all is everyone vs. a lack of representation. The underrepresentation of our myriad sporting teams is only the start of the issues facing women’s sports because of America’s blatant disrespect. Aside from our world-renowned basketball program, I rarely see or hear about our plethora of sporting teams, and that is quite the shame. When walking into any venue, however, one thing is clear: the players play for the love of the game. They have an authentic love for the sport and team they play for, unaltered by game ratings or TV time. Humility is certainly something that can be learned from our college kids who fight for the win simply because they care.
As a whole, unmatched vibes make women’s sports a unique experience worth every second of a match, inning, period or quarter. Authenticity drives the culture, which is something all of us could learn from at the end of the day. So, uplift your community, act with genuineness and act for intrinsic reasons. Act as athletes in women’s sports do, and if you find yourself at a game, enjoy the ride.