Mike Bianchi: We need to stop treating women’s sports like they’re fragile
ORLANDO, Fla. — I was reminded recently that we don’t just watch men’s and women’s sports differently; we judge them differently. And not always in the way people think.
More than two decades ago, when I first got to Orlando, the city still had a WNBA team called the Orlando Miracle. I covered one of their losses during a disappointing season in 2001. There were a zillion turnovers, defensive breakdowns, blown opportunities; the kind of performance that, in most men’s sports cities, would have triggered boos raining down from the rafters.
But that didn’t happen. Instead, as the Miracle left the court, the fans stood and applauded. Not polite clapping.
A full-on standing ovation. No catcalls. No “fire the coach.
” No angry sports talk radio fodder waiting to explode the next morning. Just appreciation. “Boo our own team?