Trojans in the Galen Center went wild last night after the USC women’s basketball team reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 30 years.
Freshman guard Juju Watkins has been a star all season, but the media hype for USC’s women’s basketball hasn’t always existed.
Junior Mikena Moore attended the energy-filled game last night. She noted that women’s basketball has long been overshadowed by men’s basketball.
Moore: I think women and especially women in sports have always had to prove themselves.
Moore said athletics departments often center the men’s teams.
Moore: Everything has always been built around men, and for men.
This higher standard for women’s teams to gain recognition has historically translated to less media coverage.
Thomas Johnson, a junior and sports web editor for Annenberg Media, said there were few reporters covering women’s sports teams at USC in the past. Clearly, that’s changed.
Johnson: I was the only one in the postgame press conference. It was just me talking to the two players, just me asking questions. And that would never happen at a men’s game, like professional outlets will cover it.
Annenberg Media sports managing editor and anchor, senior Will Simonds, noted having similar experiences to Johnson. Simonds said he noticed the increased media attention for last night’s women’s basketball game.
Simonds: Comparing that to what we’ve seen this season, and especially last night, where you’ve got a ton of press there, you’ve got Galen Center, you know, with 9000 people, and it’s definitely kind of a stark contrast.
He said that, in general, there’s a connection between a team’s success and fan interest -- but it’s still imbalanced between men’s and women’s sports.
Simonds: The men’s basketball team didn’t perform particularly well this year. But, you know, because of those big names. So, you know, Isaiah Collier, Bronny James, like people are still showing up to that. I don’t think woman sports necessarily quite get that benefit of the doubt.
Simonds said he hopes that the recent increased coverage for women’s basketball will continue.
Simonds: I think this is definitely good momentum for this woman’s team, especially because Juju Watkins is only a freshman. So I think this is going to definitely be an upward trend that continues over the next few years.
The women’s basketball team will hopefully keep the momentum going as they advance to the Sweet 16 in Portland on Saturday -- and it sounds like everyone will be watching.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Jinny Kim.