What's Right About Our Sport

In light of recent scandals in girl's basketball, Teresa Wippel outlines a few things that are right about our sport.

Dear Readers:

I was hoping to address a question about this week’s scandals hitting the girls basketball world, so that I could also vent about the coaches who take advantage of young girls, parents who don’t pay attention, etc., etc.

But all of you have done a good job of airing those concerns about what’s wrong, so I thought I would do something different.

I wanted to recognize what’s right.

• Our girl’s basketball community is a close-knit group. We aren’t afraid to air issues, even if it means agreeing to disagree, and most of us are not above admitting when we are wrong.
• With very few exceptions (and those exceptions, unfortunately, get way too much of our attention), we work as a unit to make sure our girls become better basketball players, courageous competitors, reliable teammates and good sports.
• Because of our collective efforts, our girls are competing at a level that no one could have imagined a few decades ago.
• Our players have role models at every level – high school, college and professional – that inspire them to believe anything is possible.
• Our area is rich with basketball opportunity. We have many tournaments and leagues to choose from, run by dedicated directors who work hard to get everything right, every week and every month.
• We have coaches at every level devoting hours of volunteer time to make sure our girls are learning, growing and becoming better athletes. They don’t always get the thanks they deserve and they handle a lot of stress and pressure, but (with those few exceptions, as noted above) they should be our heroes.
• Our girls are growing up in a world that is foreign to many of their parents – they are mentioned on the sports page, they earn letterman’s jackets, they get college basketball scholarships. It’s not unusual to be a female athlete anymore – it’s a source of pride and honor.

As someone who just missed the opportunities provided by Title IX, I feel blessed that my daughter is part of this community. That said, I know that we will continue to agree to disagree, to bicker and to point out what’s wrong.

But let’s also remember to point out what’s right.

Hoop Mom

---

Teresa Wippel is team manager of the Warriors Basketball Club, a 6th Grade girls' team from the Seattle area, and mom to Warriors post player Amanda Waldron. In her other life, she is a freelance writer and editor. To ask Teresa a question, email her at

---

More Dear Hoop Mom:
Hoop Mom on Bad Blood
Hoop Mom on Missing Practice
Hoop Mom on Taking Back a Player
Hoop Mom on Best Local Tournaments
Hoop Mom on Trash Talking Coach
Hoop Mom on Burnout at 11?
Hoop Mom on Thanking Coach
Hoop Mom on Fundraising
Hoop Mom on Playing Up
Hoop Mom on Starting a New Team
Hoop Mom on Surviving a National Tournament
Hoop Mom on Bench Behavior
Hoop Mom on Surviving the Road
Hoop Mom on Coaches
Hoop Mom on Jealousy
Hoop Mom on Nutrition on the Run
Hoop Mom on Looking for a Select Team
Hoop Mom on Commitment to Team
Hoop Mom on Talking to Coach Dad
Hoop Mom on Starting Select Ball
Hoop Mom on Subbing for Coach's Daughter
Hoop Mom on Subbing for Injuries
Hoop Mom on Sleepovers