Girls sports at Pleasant Valley have been thriving over the last two years, proving time and again that PV is a competitive threat at the state level. However, while the girls basketball team has been looking strong once again this year, the student section has consistently shown the opposite.
Attending basketball games is an opportunity for many students to hangout with friends. While the boys team regularly has rows of students cheering, the girls are fortunate if most of the frontline shows up.
Other than a few students and parents, the bleachers feature an empty space where students are supposed to be. “We really don’t have a student section most times at our games. I think the few times we have had one it’s only been two or three rows of people,” said varsity basketball player Kaylee Mowen.
Unfortunately, this lack of support seems to stem from a deep-rooted stereotype against girls sports in general. “I think people just have an automatic bias that boys sports are better than girls sports and don’t really care to come watch. I think if people came to some of our good games they would see that they’re just as fun as boys’ games,” added Mowen.
Despite the assumption that girls games are lackluster, those that do attend girls games have no trouble finding them exciting and entertaining.
As a regular at the girls games, Bria Martell shared her experiences when attending., “I mainly go to the girls basketball games because they are fun to watch since the team is very skilled,” Martell noted.
It’s important to note that the Pleasant Valley girls basketball team were the Class 5A state champions in 2023, and with a 7-1 record so far for games against class 5A teams this season, the girls pose a significant threat to do damage at the State Tournament once again.
While many are aware of the team’s success, there is still negligence from students when it comes to showing up for their team. With big names such as Caitlin Clark breaking down barriers to viewership of women’s sports, it raises the question of when the mental shift will occur for students at PV.
