Sporting Sexism

What if the University of Oregon had a top-5 ranked basketball team with excellent chances of making it into the Final Four in March? What if that team was laden with stars, including an All-American who is likely the best player to ever wear an Oregon basketball uniform?

And what if that team recently drew almost 9,000 spectators at Matthew Knight Arena to see them knock off previously unbeaten Mississippi State? And what if that elite team receives less coverage in The Register-Guard sports pages than another team plagued by injuries and struggling to overcome mediocrity?

This isn’t a hypothetical situation. It is a reality.

What could be the reason for the disparity in press coverage by The Register-Guard?  The elite team is the women’s, and the struggling team is the men’s.

The Jan. 13 women’s game with UCLA got only a small mention on sports page three.  

Wayne Ferrell

Eugene