Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Women's College Basketball Coaches
An issue the Clarion is following more closely following the Don Imus-Rutgers Women's College Basketball Team explosion, is the race in woman's college basketball. Vivian Stringer, Rutgers coach, said it best when she said, paraphrasing, "Ultimately the color that matters the most to the NCAA and the people who pay Don Imus's salary is green." This ultimate supremacy of the marketplace, though far from perfect, is an improvement over the horrifying racial relations that have existed in America's recent and distant past.
The Black Coaches Association reports four black woman have been hired to head coaching jobs this off-season, that is approximately 20% of the openings in Women's College Basketball. Unimpressive in a sport where nearly half of the athletes are woman of color, but an improvement over the only 9% of NCAA Division I women's basketball programs that were led by black women during the 2005-06 season.
The latest hire was Coquese Washington as the head coach of the Penn State women's basketball program. This is a program that was recently in the spotlight for another discrimination issue that is often swept under the rug and kept off the television set. Penn State coach Rene Portland resigned last month. A fervently anti-gay reputation had been a stain throughout her career. The university which had steadfastly backed her finally had enough after it recently settled, out of court, a lawsuit brought by a former player alleging that Penn State had allowed Portland to have a "no lesbian" policy.
Stringer and the Rutgers team handled the gender and race issues created by Imus's comment head-on, with grace and class. (Unlike their bully pulpit supporters.) The Clarion can only hope that the sexual orientation issue can be raised, too, albeit in a more appropriate manner. Remember, Imus and producer Bernard McGuirk also referred to the Tennessee women's team as fat, ugly cows, a stereotype perhaps less jarring, but no less unfair. It is just as wrong to impugn young women who participate in athletics for their sexual orientation. (or looks) (Judgments and accusations that true or false that are irrelevant to their basketball talents.)
As for Stringer who noted the color of decision would be green, she was oh so correct. Imus at first suspended by CBS Radio was only fired when advertisers started threatening to pull their advertising dollars. Money triumphed. Stringer, who showed herself to be not only a first class molder of young athletes, but also of young people, saw the green, too. Rutgers more than doubled her $450,000 annual salary with a seven year extension.
The Black Coaches Association reports four black woman have been hired to head coaching jobs this off-season, that is approximately 20% of the openings in Women's College Basketball. Unimpressive in a sport where nearly half of the athletes are woman of color, but an improvement over the only 9% of NCAA Division I women's basketball programs that were led by black women during the 2005-06 season.
The latest hire was Coquese Washington as the head coach of the Penn State women's basketball program. This is a program that was recently in the spotlight for another discrimination issue that is often swept under the rug and kept off the television set. Penn State coach Rene Portland resigned last month. A fervently anti-gay reputation had been a stain throughout her career. The university which had steadfastly backed her finally had enough after it recently settled, out of court, a lawsuit brought by a former player alleging that Penn State had allowed Portland to have a "no lesbian" policy.
Stringer and the Rutgers team handled the gender and race issues created by Imus's comment head-on, with grace and class. (Unlike their bully pulpit supporters.) The Clarion can only hope that the sexual orientation issue can be raised, too, albeit in a more appropriate manner. Remember, Imus and producer Bernard McGuirk also referred to the Tennessee women's team as fat, ugly cows, a stereotype perhaps less jarring, but no less unfair. It is just as wrong to impugn young women who participate in athletics for their sexual orientation. (or looks) (Judgments and accusations that true or false that are irrelevant to their basketball talents.)
As for Stringer who noted the color of decision would be green, she was oh so correct. Imus at first suspended by CBS Radio was only fired when advertisers started threatening to pull their advertising dollars. Money triumphed. Stringer, who showed herself to be not only a first class molder of young athletes, but also of young people, saw the green, too. Rutgers more than doubled her $450,000 annual salary with a seven year extension.
Labels: college basketball, sports
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