February 5, 2010
TV would be a boon
by Kristen Kjellman/
As I prepared to go to Prague for the FIL Women’s Lacrosse World Cup last summer, everyone from friends to family to co-workers asked me when they could watch the games on TV.
My response never changed. I’d sigh and say, “Well, the games won’t be televised, but you can watch them online.”
The reaction typically was a raised brow, a look of surprise and something to the effect of “Wow, I’m shocked that the World Championships won’t be on TV.”
It is a shame that fans could only watch our thrilling 8-7 gold-medal victory over Australia via a fuzzy Internet live stream. How can the fastest growing sport in the country not televise the biggest games on the grandest stage?
The governing committee made a controversial decision by picking Prague. Don’t get me wrong; I’d be honored to represent my country anywhere, but the Czech Republic is not exactly a hot-spot destination for lacrosse. It’s a wonderful city to tour, but acceptance and recognition of women’s lax is in its infancy there.
The event would have drawn bigger crowds and generated more global media attention in Canada, the UK or Australia.
Regardless of the location, media coverage of women’s lacrosse needs to be elevated. The sport must garner more mainstream national recognition if we hope to influence the rest of the world and, ultimately, gain consideration for the Olympics.
Currently, men’s NCAA playoff games are televised, yet only the women’s title game makes it on the tube. Several women’s games make the College Sports TV Network each year, but they’re not easily accessible to a mainstream audience.
I understand that a bigger percentage of sports readers/viewers are likely to be male, but the media virtually ignores the women’s game. Most experts believe that men’s lacrosse attendance and interest drastically increased when ESPN started televising games. The women’s
game would benefit from the same exposure, and it’s long overdue.
Don’t get me wrong. I love watching men’s lacrosse; the publicity it gets is great for the sport. I just believe the women’s game should attract similar recognition. It makes no sense to me that ESPN can televise prelims of the NCAA softball tournament — or the women’s halfpipe at the X Games — but can’t broadcast the women’s lacrosse semis.
The game’s popularity is clear. Youth programs are mushrooming across the country. There are more women’s college teams than men’s teams. And, at the game’s highest levels, women athletes can be every
bit the role model for young girls that our male counterparts are for boys.
For that to happen, we need the same kind of exposure.
