Remember that one kid in that one class? The one who was so far beyond all the other students that he set the curve for the class personally, and had everyone else behind him jostling for table scraps and fighting for a distant second?
Meet Geno Auriemma, coach of the Connecticut women’s basketball team. The Huskies are in the midst of a 72-game winning streak that includes the 2009 national championship, and they are the heavy, heavy favorites to repeat as net-cutters this year. We’re talking Rick Majerus heavy.
In considering the team’s accomplishments ““ particularly pertaining to how it reflects on the sport ““ all the accolades and acclamations are considered. Legendary. Transcendent. Captivating. UConn is garnering attention and notoriety for a sport that usually receives little of either. Their overwhelming level of success should motivate other teams to work harder and get better.
There is legitimacy in some of those claims. America loves sports dynasties, and any reason for coaches and players to work harder is a good reason. All that said, the Huskies’ run illustrates the enormous concern that currently terrorizes women’s team sports: parity.
Outside of basketball, the most popular team sports for women are softball, hockey and soccer. Excluding the latter, each of those sports is dealing with the crisis of a playing field that has more tilt than an MSNBC broadcast. Softball was recently cut from the Olympics ““ its highest stage of competition ““ because of this problem. Women’s hockey, if held to the same criteria, shouldn’t be far behind. Wait, the U.S. just scored on China again.
A team like UConn that emphasizes the disparity between the giants and the dwarves is the last thing that women’s sports needs. The bulk of women’s major team sports have shown an inability to maintain consistency from top-to-bottom, and there are few indications that this epidemic will soon cease. Call it women’s suffer-age.
Realistically, it’s up to teams like UCLA to make significant strides. Under coach Nikki Caldwell, the Bruins boast a lineup of young, quick and multidimensional athletes. The Bruins may be a few good years of seasoning and recruiting away, but their two best players are both underclassmen, and Caldwell has proven herself to be a masterful recruiter. That’s the formula for evening things out; don’t be surprised to hear about the Bruins being in the national picture two years down the line.
Remember that one kid in that one class? How would you feel about that kid’s success if he never had to take the hardest tests? The biggest knock on UConn’s streak is that the Huskies have yet to beat fellow iconic program Tennessee during that span, a glaring note that results from Auriemma’s sour relationship with Volunteers’ coach Pat Summitt.
And what if that kid was chasing the all-time best grade in the school, a mark that was held by your father? With UConn showing no inclinations toward losing anytime soon, there has been plenty of discussion of its approach of the UCLA men’s 88-game win streak under John Wooden. From a selfishly prideful perspective, it is perfectly justifiable for UCLA fans to root against UConn in hopes of preserving that holy number 88.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins team that went undefeated en route to a Super Bowl title still celebrates with a champagne party each season when the last undefeated team in the NFL suffers its first loss. Feel free to purchase some bubbly of your own, Bruin basketball devotees, but make sure to keep it on plenty of ice; otherwise, the longer it lasts, the more value it loses.
If you are keeping track of his streak of poor columns, e-mail Eshoff at [email protected].