MOORHEAD — 493 people attended the Concordia women’s basketball game against nationally ranked team Gustavus at 5 p.m. on Feb. 7. Going into the game, Gustavus was ranked first in the MIAC conference and Concordia second; the last time they faced off was at Gustavus when Concordia lost by 4 points, a recipe for a great game. Memorial Auditorium was packed. I would know, I played 32 exhausting minutes during that game.
In the standing student section, the Concordia men’s football team donned crazy outfits and loud spirits. They come to most of the women’s games. Some stay for the men, but most leave. People came earlier than usual; some even took their seats an hour before tip-off. At tip-off, the atmosphere was buzzing, energy swelled and sweat polluted the air as the two top teams in the conference battled for the win.
The game was close; the fans were loud. The student section was standing, yelling and cheering; the parents were doing the same. It was good basketball. It was the type of game that revealed a team’s grit, pain and emotion. It is the kind of game that makes a person’s heart skip as they watch the plays develop and points are scored. The type of game that 493 people attend.
162 people attended the men’s game at 7 p.m. Gustavus’ men’s team is ranked third in the conference, and Concordia is fifth, a recipe for a good game. But both teams shot cold, fumbled passes and played poorly. At halftime, Concordia was trailing 19-28. Cobber SID titled the game recap: “Huston, we’ve got a problem”. The game was a blowout, and the fans were disappointed. The student section was sparse and sitting. Several people left at halftime. It was bad basketball, the type of game that reveals the hardships and setbacks in a team. It is the kind of game that 162 people attend.
The women’s team played the early game this year, and the men’s game followed immediately after. Most people stay for the men’s game. People always go to the men’s game. That is just how it is. That is how it has always been. I grew up believing men’s basketball was better and superior because that is what I was told; that is what I saw. I played for a state championship in my senior year of high school. We played in the main gym in front of at least a thousand people. Half the student section sat; half stood. The men played in the constellation champion earlier that day, not even in the main gym. The student section stood, and more students followed a lesser-important game. People always go to the men’s game. That is just how it was; that is what I grew up learning.
Most people never complain when women’s sports receive less attention than men’s, but some people dare to complain when a women’s sport receives more attention than a male’s. As a college athlete, things such as: “Men are just more athletic than women… that’s why people like it more” and “I could totally beat you in a 1v1” have been said to be countless times. I do not care. My gender does not define my sport; the type of ball I use does. The scoreboard at the end reads numbers, not an M or F. I want to clarify I do not support women’s sports over men’s. That would make me sexist. I support good games over poor games, taking gender out of the sport. That is what makes me a feminist: simple equality.
In 2023, some fantastic events took place for women’s sports. Nebraska women’s volleyball broke the record for attendance in women’s sports, with 92,003 fans packed into Memorial Stadium. Caitlin Clark is currently selling out basketball stadiums. Women’s basketball nearly tripled in media attention. Sabrina Ionescu shot in the three-point competition from the NBA line this year, only losing to Steph Curry and tying Damian Lillard, Trae Young and Karl-Anthony Towns. In an interview, she said: “If you can shoot, you can shoot. It doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or a girl.” Good basketball is finally being recognized. The same people who would say “men’s basketball is just better than women’s” are now saying, “Catlin Clark is one of the best basketball players to exist.” The tides are turning, and the waves of equality crashed into the shores of Concordia on the night that the Cobbers faced the Gusties.
Part of me feels bad that over 300 people left when the men’s game began; the other part of me wanted to say: “welcome to what I’ve faced for the last 20 years.” We are coming to the age at which women’s sports are gaining the popularity they deserve. People should have an open mindset that sports do not need to be defined by their gender like they often are; their likability should represent them. People pay to go to basketball games; as players, our job is to give them a show and the type of game they enjoy. And to everyone who has the audacity to complain that more people are starting to attend women’s games over men’s, I have some advice: have the men play better basketball.
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