Full Description
Why does she play basketball? Since the enactment of Title IX in 1972, that question has come to be asked of more girls and women—and answered in more ways—than ever before. Christine A. Baker, herself an avid player and an assistant coach, pursues an answer through the ranks of the sport from youth basketball to the WNBA.
Baker sets the stage with a quick look at current statistics and trends in women's basketball nationwide, noting the profound changes in the last thirty-five years. A series of exclusive interviews then takes us into the heart and soul of the sport. Her subjects are players and coaches, from neophytes to stars such as Dawn Staley and Nancy Lieberman; from legendary coaches such as Jody Conradt to the masterminds of USA Basketball and the 1996 Women's Dream Team; from Donna Lopiano, former CEO of the Women's Sports Foundation, to tomorrow's Olympic athletes. A richly detailed, all-encompassing portrait of the sport, these interviews offer a wealth of insight into the game, American sports culture, and, indeed, why Baker plays.
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Why She Plays
Part 1. Youth Basketball
1. Heck Yeah, I'm a Tomboy!
2. The Fun Factor
Part 2. High-School Basketball
3. You Can't Measure Heart
4. The Crème of the Crop
Part 3. College Basketball
5. Three Divisions, One Association
6. Conradt, Goestenkors, and the Pursuit of Perfection
7. The Approach of a Coach
8. A Dance Is Still a Dance
Part 4. The wnba
9. Over Ten Years and Going Strong in the wnba
10. The Superstars and the "Special" Treatment
Part 5. USA Basketball
11. The United States versus the Rest of the World
12. The Best in the World
Part 6. Media Coverage and Women's Basketball
13. The Slippery Slope of Gender Politics
14. Unique but Alike
15. Her Place of Peace
Epilogue: Building the Perfect Player
Appendix A: High School Participation by State
Appendix B: The Structure of USA Basketball
Notes
Suggested Reading
