WNBA Playoffs

Last week I scheduled to meet some friends at UCLA for dinner, and found traffic to be busier than normal. Upon parking in the lot closest to Pauley Pavilion, I ran into three women dressed from head to toe in LA Sparks gear. I asked if there was a game, and they said that it was not only a game, but the playoffs. Curious, I asked why the game was not being played at Staples Center, where they play their regular season home games. One of them stated that Britney spears had a concert, and then went on to say, "but if it was the Lakers... Well, nevermind I am sure you would not be interested," implying that as a male I would not understand their chagrin. I eagerly asked them to continue, noting that I knew, as well as they did that if the Lakers, or even the Clippers were playing a playoff game that the game would be scheduled around Britney Spears, but REMAIN at Staples. The discussion drew roots in both Critical and Feminist Theories, or Critical Feminist Theory, if you will, since both power relations and issues of gender were central to our discussion. Later, while discussing the issue with my friend (who admittedly got his MBA from Anderson Business School), he basically reinforced Conflict Theory when responding to my point that women in sport are often treated like the unwanted step child. He concurred, pointing out the revenue generated by WNBA events does not match those of the NBA. Discussing this with my students later, they noted that we could tell young girls that they could do anything that a male wants for a career, but perhaps not in the same spaces and with the equal access as males. We found it both interesting and ironic, especially since i was able to discuss theoretical frameworks introduced in higher education to K-12 students, yet they were able to grasp the basics of three of the theories discussed in our Theory I papers.
AR Mateo