Female intercollegiate sports teams hit record-high number

By Stephen Brooks | Originally Published: 02/02/12 10:10pm |Modified: 02/02/12 10:20pm | No comments

Jaclyn McNeal | The State News

Freshman guard Kiana Johnson attempts a steal against Penn State sophomore forward Ariel Edwards Sunday afternoon at Breslin Center.

The phrase, “You play like a girl,” has been thrown around in gymnasiums and playgrounds for decades — typically as an insult from one male to another.

But today there is a record-high number of females participating and coaching in collegiate athletics, giving that old phrase a less negative connotation in the eyes of some MSU athletes.

“I feel like if somebody says, ‘You shoot like a girl,’ it can be a compliment, because nine times out of 10, girls shoot better than boys,” said Kiana Johnson, a freshman guard on the MSU women’s basketball team.

Data from the Women in Intercollegiate Sport study, which has run from 1977 to 2012, shows historically high numbers in women’s intercollegiate teams at 9,274, average women’s teams per school at 8.73 and female head coaches at 3,974. The study was conducted by researchers at Brooklyn College in New York.

Johnson developed a love for basketball after playing with her brother and his friends as a kid, she said. One day her mother finally let her play with her brother, and the rest is history.

“I picked up the basketball and was like, ‘Aw man, this is what I love to do,’” she said.

Women’s athletics at MSU date back to the 1930s, said Senior Associate Athletics Director Shelley Appelbaum. MSU currently has 25 NCAA Division I teams — 12 men’s and 13 women’s.

“Schools are continuing to offer a variety of opportunities for both men and women student-athletes,” she said. “That’s something we should absolutely celebrate.”

The increase in female participation can be attributed to a U.S. culture change, Appelbaum said, citing a commitment by parents, communities and administrators to increase opportunities for females.

“I think people equally have an interest in sport and activity,” she said. “But you have to have an opportunity to participate to know whether or not it’s something that you have an affinity for or a skill set to develop and be a part of.”

Klarissa Bell, a sophomore guard on the women’s basketball team, said her love for sports began when her stepfather had her try out for a girl’s basketball team in fourth grade.

“I was like, ‘I don’t want to, I just want to play soccer,’” Bell said. “I went and saw myself getting better, and people were complimenting me, so I was like, ‘Maybe I do like this.’”