There's a big sporting event nearby, the World Cup quarter-final match between Australia and France is about to take place, so outside in the winter sun, the whole big chunk is heading towards the stadium, filling the road from curb to curb. It will be done. People chant, sing and play musical instruments. At one point, they stop, kneel, sway and sing in unison.Sha la la la la la la, we are green and gold …”
Once the seats are filled, Australian Matildas great Sam Kerr appears on the giant screen – nothing fancy, just her face as she sits on the bench before the game – and… It seems like a big cheer is coming from my stomach. Of people who can't even help it. It's natural and not forced.
The second walk takes place on a warm Sunday morning in March 2024 across Iowa City, USA. Stroll bursts out of the hotel elevator and arrives in the breakfast lobby, where a middle-aged man wearing a shirt that says “Clark” sits at his three separate tables. Clark' and 'Clark'. It continues on through the city and the Iowa River without too much fuss, but then it reaches the concourse of an arena where there are so many people with the last name Clark.
Sometimes you'll see a Clark sitting alone or in a long line at a kiosk, but sometimes you'll see a Clark with another Clark, a Clark holding hands, or if you're lucky, a Clark and a Clark. It is more common to see Clarks all together. together. This includes the one photo of him that might be obtained from the stands, i.e., Clark and Clark in one line of him, with Clark, Clark, Clark, and Clark, Clark, and Clark just in front of him. Even the one photo of him in it doesn't count. Mr. Clark is right across the aisle.
Once the seats were filled, down below, the great Caitlin Clark appeared on a giant screen, wearing a T-shirt and white alligator-like shoes, nothing flashy, and as she emerged from the tunnel, her belly buttoned up. A loud cheer erupts. Of people who can't even help it. It's natural and not forced.
No matter how you define or interpret this moment of respect for female athletes, the planet has reached a surprising crossroads. At some sporting events, you can't even really tell which gender sports competition people are walking, excited about, and even want to watch. The walk looks the same, feels the same, sounds the same, as if the hustle and bustle were an ideal amalgamation.
It can feel as if a new generation has slipped in, quietly but unmistakably, and with a fear of powerful women like Clarke, who pouts into the crowd after a picturesque assist. It's full of people who don't even have one.It's a time when people you like gather together. sports, and not just specific sports. This is the generation where male basketball stars such as Paolo Banchero and Victor Wembaneyama begin to emerge as the first architects of the game, along with basketball star mothers. It was a magic maker with the audacity of three that would pop out of West Des Moines, and soon everyone else, young and young, middle-aged and old, would have the name Clark. It looks like it is.
They shared some fresh and unexpected experiences and their voices during the match were resounding with their desire. It's time for Clark to head to the Indiana Fever next season, and Indianapolis Star columnist Greg Doyle says, “I'm really lucky,” counting his blessings for future civic energy and storylines and texts. .
There were nine “O”s in it.
In January, the great longtime columnist Mark Wicker did something on his Substack that is rarely seen in this country's chronic conflicts, especially among the killjoys: research. He attended every corner of women's sport, including 19,598 for hockey and the Volleyball Final Four in Tampa, and 59,042 for Arsenal vs. Chelsea at London's Emirates Stadium (later surpassed by 60,160 for Arsenal vs. Manchester United). I brought up the numbers. ), 200,000 fans for both Iowa State and powerhouse South Carolina women's basketball in 2022-2023, and the LSU vs. Iowa State national finals averaged 9.9 million viewers.
“There is no such thing as a series of outliers,” he writes. “The world of women's sports isn't just about having a good time. It's about living a life of your own creation.'' I concluded that. It's not instantaneous. ”
Coach Lisa Bruder said after Sunday's game in Iowa City. It's going to be a great Big Ten Tournament. ”
It also sold out by the case for the first time.
And with the No. 1 state on a clear path to No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, and so on to routine, another state rang the bell on Sunday. Approximately 11,975 people gathered in Charlottesville to watch Virginia defeat No. 5 Virginia Tech 80-75, drawing the largest women's basketball crowd in the commonwealth to date.
When someone asked Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks about it, Brooks, long considered the coolest man on the planet, calmly said, “If such a thing existed. I yelled. “And we're seeing the women's game being disrespected,” he told reporters. Kids who take pride in their work, and on social media you can feel the hate that tries to belittle the women's game. It's frustrating. I saw something the other day where Carmelo Anthony was talking about the women's game and how the women's game is the purest format because it's played the right way. And when the greatest man of all time says that, it makes the idiots on Twitter look stupid. ”
If they could go for a walk…
