It's not track but I have noticed in our state that XC numbers have been going on a downward trend for the past ten years. Our team is down about 40% since 2011 and we are now the largest team in our state but we were not back then.
Being from the UK I'm not familar with WNBA, but it sounds similar to what's happening in road cycling at the moment.
There is a desperate push from certain sectors of the sport to create a bigger professional women's scene, but it's just not happening. It's appalling to watch because the standard is so low, people just don't give a ****.
For whatever reason, unlike athletics, women are just not suited to racing road bikes. There's probably only 30-40 female riders in the whole protour that wouldn't get destroyed in an amateur mens cat 1/2 race.
As a good runner (and a girl), I played both basketball and soccer. If you're a runner-type, it's a no-brainer to play these sports over volleyball or softball where you mostly just stand around. I was so much faster than some of the other girls in my not-very-competitive league I'd sprint to the other end on a fast break and have time to miss the first shot and make the second. But I digress.
I am 40-something. When I was young, basketball was well-established and soccer was just getting started. I was on my high school's first ever soccer team . . . in seventh grade. At that age, I couldn't even make the JV basketball team. So basketball had a lot less competition from soccer back in the day.
Lack of cuteness wasn't really an issue. I would say the uniforms for soccer and basketball and volleyball were equally "cute" back then. Volleyball players didn't start dressing half naked until later. Basketball uniforms were looser, but so were soccer uniforms. They were basically the same. And softball uniforms were (and are) awful. Ironically, the WNBA may be hurting things. When I was playing basketball in the early 90s, my role models were the older girls in high school playing, who were popular and athletic. I'm not sure my teenage self would have wanted to be like the very uncute WNBA players.
Whatever the reason, I think it's unfortunate that girls' basketball is fading. Basketball is a great sport for people of all heights and ability levels. I remember playing in a game as a ~5th grader that ended 2-1. Yup, four quarters of girls scrapping to score one basket and one free throw. Probably like watching paint dry for an unconnected observer, but I'm sure my Mom was cheering enthusiastically throughout, and as a player, by golly, it was fun. Yes, height matters, but in smaller schools there just aren't that many tall kids and there's plenty of opportunity for average height kids. And again, it's a runner's game!
My theory about cycling is that it's such a quintessentially European sport and Europe is extremely sexist, much more so than the US in many European countries, so opportunities for women to cycle have been limited. I am not surprised that the UK struggles to find participants, but I think it's unfortunate you're so negative. As a woman who does triathlons in part due to lack of pure cycling opportunities, I would love to see more of a chance for women to cycle competitively.
My theory about cycling is that it's such a quintessentially European sport and Europe is extremely sexist, much more so than the US in many European countries, so opportunities for women to cycle have been limited. I am not surprised that the UK struggles to find participants, but I think it's unfortunate you're so negative. As a woman who does triathlons in part due to lack of pure cycling opportunities, I would love to see more of a chance for women to cycle competitively.
There is a crit circuit a mile and a half from my house that has had exactly the same number of women's races as mens this year. The women's race has got a max of 12 entrants, compared to 50-plus for the mens.
British Cycling also runs free women's only training session at that track (and many others) every week all summer - they've struggled to get more than 5 or 6 participants per session, and often only had two. I know because my fiancee is one of the few women who goes regularly, and I also know the (female) coach.
Don't moan about lack of opportunities, they're there, the vast majority of women just aren't interested in taking them. And God forbid any of you should create your own and just go out for a ride with some friends...
Go-Ride British Cycling’s development programme for young people, Go-Ride, offers many opportunities for young females to get involved with cycle sport.
There is a crit circuit a mile and a half from my house that has had exactly the same number of women's races as mens this year. The women's race has got a max of 12 entrants, compared to 50-plus for the mens.
British Cycling also runs free women's only training session at that track (and many others) every week all summer - they've struggled to get more than 5 or 6 participants per session, and often only had two. I know because my fiancee is one of the few women who goes regularly, and I also know the (female) coach.
Don't moan about lack of opportunities, they're there, the vast majority of women just aren't interested in taking them. And God forbid any of you should create your own and just go out for a ride with some friends...
This is why the Women's Tour de France they keep trying to resurrect for 40 years is a terrible, terrible idea. Very few women are even interested in competitive cycling, it's not going to happen. And men are not interested because they follow the more elite in the men's race.
Europe is extremely sexist, much more so than the US in many European countries
Hahahaha! Hope you never want a termination.
European is too broad a term. Sweden has a pretty equal society while Italy may have less of one, depending on who you ask.
Anyway, back in the '90s a lot of "cool girls" played bball, interesting how it changed. I played in jr. high but when I got to high school I decided to stick with two sports, mainly because I was a forward at 5"7" in jr high (tall for my school) and then I could have made a terrible guard in high school.
There is a crit circuit a mile and a half from my house that has had exactly the same number of women's races as mens this year. The women's race has got a max of 12 entrants, compared to 50-plus for the mens.
British Cycling also runs free women's only training session at that track (and many others) every week all summer - they've struggled to get more than 5 or 6 participants per session, and often only had two. I know because my fiancee is one of the few women who goes regularly, and I also know the (female) coach.
Don't moan about lack of opportunities, they're there, the vast majority of women just aren't interested in taking them. And God forbid any of you should create your own and just go out for a ride with some friends...
This is why the Women's Tour de France they keep trying to resurrect for 40 years is a terrible, terrible idea. Very few women are even interested in competitive cycling, it's not going to happen. And men are not interested because they follow the more elite in the men's race.
Did you watch the TDDFaZ this year? It was quite a good event.
This is why the Women's Tour de France they keep trying to resurrect for 40 years is a terrible, terrible idea. Very few women are even interested in competitive cycling, it's not going to happen. And men are not interested because they follow the more elite in the men's race.
Did you watch the TDDFaZ this year? It was quite a good event.
Maybe "good" as in an older brother being forced to attend his little sister's birthday party. No one is watching the Women's Tour de France unless they are given no choice, not even women.
The statistics don't support the Theory of Lesbianism. That article says basketball is down 19% in girls, track is up 10%, but soccer is up 25% in the same timeframe. You would think there would be more or the same number of lesbians in soccer as basketball since neither wear "cute" uniforms.
Soccer players still have regular female type bodies. You can't get a 6'2", 180lb woman to play soccer worth a crap. Women that more closely resemble men are naturally more likely to be attracted to women and basketball players fit that classification to a T.
You realize this is an incredibly silly thing to say... Person's build has nothing to do with determining your sexuality
I mean are you seriously arguing that slender Men are more likely to be gay than muscular men
And that tall women are more likely to be gay than petite women
And you don't realize that that is insanely laughable ludicrous nonsense
Based on the article, I'm not seeing a significant crisis here.
It's still one of the most popular high school sports.
As a woman, I cringe when people seem to think the answer is because it's not "cute". I don't think that's it. But girls feel a lot of societal pressure to conform. it's not about wanting to wear a skirt. That's too simple. But it can be about peer pressure and outward appearances. If they are teased or put down for playing a sport that appears more "masculine" or if there is stigma around it they won't want to play it.
So the answer might not be to put on cute spandex or a skirt. The answer might be to reduce the judgements around playing sports like basketball or softball.
Anyways I never played basketball. Why? I was told that you had to be tall to be good at it and I knew that I wouldn't ever be tall.
Everyone needs to stop worrying about what other people think. I did my thing in school and didn't care if people thought it was cool or not. It's mentally weak to change who you are to fit in.
Soccer players still have regular female type bodies. You can't get a 6'2", 180lb woman to play soccer worth a crap. Women that more closely resemble men are naturally more likely to be attracted to women and basketball players fit that classification to a T.
You realize this is an incredibly silly thing to say... Person's build has nothing to do with determining your sexuality
I mean are you seriously arguing that slender Men are more likely to be gay than muscular men
And that tall women are more likely to be gay than petite women
And you don't realize that that is insanely laughable ludicrous nonsense
Being from the UK I'm not familar with WNBA, but it sounds similar to what's happening in road cycling at the moment.
There is a desperate push from certain sectors of the sport to create a bigger professional women's scene, but it's just not happening. It's appalling to watch because the standard is so low, people just don't give a ****.
For whatever reason, unlike athletics, women are just not suited to racing road bikes. There's probably only 30-40 female riders in the whole protour that wouldn't get destroyed in an amateur mens cat 1/2 race.
"Women are not suited to racing road bikes"? Wow...that some BS statement. Does not matter if they could ride with Cat 1/2 men just like it does not matter than the best female runners would be challenged by good high school boys.
