Vol. 28 No. 310 (2024)
Talent in sports has no gender
Before the creation of the WNBA, two players were selected in the NBA draft: Denise Long in 1969 by the San Francisco Warriors, who was annulled by the League and Lusia Harris by the New Orleans Jazz in 1977, who did not play due to being pregnant. A few days ago, during the All-Star Weekend, Stephen Curry, the best shooter in the NBA, and the best shooter in the WNBA, Sabrina Ionescu, faced each other in the shooting test. 'Chef' won with the final shot, in a confrontation that showed that the gender gap is becoming smaller. If the competition had been against any other player, the New York Liberty star would surely have won.
In addition to Ionescu, there are female players who, with proper training and preparation, could compete on equal terms, stand out and overcome the challenge, such as Aliyah Boston, A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Caitlin Clark, who just broke the scoring record in the university league; and in a short time, Zhang Ziyu, the young Chinese promise 2.26 meters tall.
It would be important for the NBA to open the doors to these female players and provide the opportunity to show their talent in the League that delivers the highest financial rewards. Being a management model that most sports associations of all sports try to emulate, this initiative is a possible way to break the glass ceiling and eliminate inequality. It would be a giant step to break stereotypes and move towards gender equality in professional sports.
Tulio Guterman, Director - March 2024
Published:
2024-03-04
