I’ll admit: it took longer than it should have to get me here. I deemed the surge of popularity in women’s basketball a Caitlin Clark-induced fad, a parental pat on the head from society to sports’ little sister for one good dance recital. Was this mindset chauvinistic? Embarrassingly, yes. Undoubtedly. But Kentucky’s win over Louisville may have changed my way of thinking for good, and I’m now ready to jump on the women’s basketball bandwagon if there’s still room, and you’ll have me.
Part of the reason my interest in the women’s game never bubbled above the surface was Kentucky’s lack of excellence. Their unthinkable win over South Carolina to win the 2022 SEC Tournament drew a double-take and a head nod but even that achievement wasn’t enough for me to get fully on board.
The last women’s game I attended in person was in December 2013, when the men’s and women’s teams played a doubleheader against Baylor at the Cowboys’ AT&T stadium. It was arguably one of the greatest women’s games of all time, going into four overtimes and breaking about every scoring record in the books. The ‘Cats won 133-130 in a thriller that ended with only five players left on Baylor who had not fouled out.
And yet, instead of soaking in the magic I had just witnessed, I shared in John Calipari’s annoyance that the game took so long and further delayed the subsequent men’s contest that ultimately did not start until after 11:00 p.m. EST.
As I get older, I’ve noticed my mental capacity for acquiring new interests narrows each year. Even when Kenny Brooks was hired, I did not fully dive into Kentucky women’s basketball like so many others. However, after a few good recruits, and then a few more, and the sheer wall-to-wall coverage the sport received (shout out to KSR’s Phoenix Stevens and Katie Hutchison), it became harder and harder to dismiss the swell of awesomeness bounding toward me like a big blue tsunami.
So, when Kentucky took on Louisville Saturday night, I found myself watching it with the same fervor as a men’s game. My non-Kentucky fan friends who I was hanging out with that evening mocked how focused I was on my phone, watching with bated breath every free throw Kentucky shot in overtime on ESPN+. When the final buzzer sounded and Kenny Brooks finished off his first statement win as head coach, my sports pride muscle flexed more than it ever has for women’s basketball.
I may not yet know which Clara pronounces her name like “air” and which one prefers “are,” but I’m here and ready to learn. Women’s basketball is more than Caitlin Clark shooting 30-footers and Kentucky’s program is piquing at the right time in history. If the women’s game is generous enough to forgive my past thought transgressions against it, I’m ready to spend several seasons making up for them.
Go ‘Cats.
