In Southern culture, football reigns. No matter how well the team is doing in the season, fans always show up and show out through tailgates, gameday attire and attendance.
But not all sports have the safety-net of a fanbase. Even when they’re doing well, some teams at Auburn struggle to fill the stands.
Namely, these teams are women’s sports.
And it is not their fault. There are several contributing factors to women’s sports having a subpar fanbase and diminutive attendance rate.
For starters, the language surrounding the realm of women’s sports is gendered and patronizing. There seems to be categories of “athletics” and then “women’s athletics.” People are "fans" of male teams but “support” female teams.
If women’s sports weren’t viewed as secondary, there would be a legitimate fanbase. Even poorly performing teams have die-hard fans, and women’s sports teams — especially many women’s sports teams at Auburn — are not poorly performing.
These small differences in language lead to huge gaps in treatment and classification. Hegemony begins with simple things like language, but conquering hegemony also begins with simple things like language.
Another difference between women’s and men’s sports at Auburn is the presence of a figurehead. Everyone knows the big star names like Dylan Cardwell or Jarquez Hunter or even stars of the past like Bo Jackson, Charles Barkley or Cam Newton. Coaches, too, have the potential to become legends like Butch Thompson or Pat Dye.
Are people as familiar with names like Vickie Orr, Becky Jackson, Ruthie Bolton, Kasey Cooper, Maddie Prohaska, Johnnie Harris, Derrian Gobourne or Suni Lee? The last name in that list is probably the most familiar.
Lee won a gold medal in women's gymnastics at the 2020 Summer Olympics before starting her career at Auburn. The community did a great job supporting Auburn's gymnastics team that year, but what would it have looked like without the Olympic face on the team?
Do women athletes have to be the best in the world to be recognized at all? Can they only succeed alone? Do they have to earn oceans of attention to be beloved and supported by the Auburn family?
Women athletes are important in and of themselves. Women’s sports teams are important. Women coaches are important. Women athlete stories are important. Paying attention to women in the realm of sports is important. Acknowledging and praising women in athletics is important.
This acknowledgement must be done without comparison to the male equivalent. If we compare everything to the “men’s version” or “what a man can do,” we are subjecting ourselves to standards that support a particular — harmful, hegemonic and exclusive — status quo.
Most people know that Title IX was enacted in 1972, which legally prohibited sex-based discrimination in education systems and athletics. The SEC started recognizing championships for women’s sports in 1979.
It might be valid to call sports a “traditionally male” domain, but it is not valid to say that women are “just breaking into this world.” The introduction of women’s sports has had over 50 years to normalize. Unfamiliarity and newness are no longer excuses.
In these past 50 years, there have been exceptional female athletes. The spotlight is big enough, so why are so few noticeably in it?
Women athletes are worth spending money for publicity and marketing. They are worth giving screen-time. They are worth watching. They are worth cheering for. They are worth showing out for. They are worth rallying behind.
Rallying is what they need. It is what their talent, performance and character insist upon — especially here at Auburn.
Women's basketball and volleyball games in Neville Arena are turning out crowds of around 2,000. Volleyball had record-breaking attendance Nov. 8 with 2,529 at the match against Kentucky. This is good and well-earned, but we can do more for these women.
Neville Arena has a capacity of 9,121 people. Almost all of us have fond memories of The Jungle in moments of peak wildness and untamed fandom.
We only have about four years to sit in those jungle seats as a student. Of course, we can always come back or watch from our screens when we have cubicles or dinner to make or kids to drive to school. But our time is now. Our time to dig in and embrace Auburn athletics is now.
Every sports team is a part of the Auburn family. We could roll Toomer’s Corner for every sports team win if we wanted — if we cared enough. Football and men’s basketball are fun and entertaining, but we must invest deeper than the flashy and immediate. Embracing the entirety of Auburn athletics will enrich your Auburn experience and affinity for the Auburn family.
Attending games for sports you’re less familiar with is a social experience in and of itself. Get a group together. Learn something new. Let yourself be interested. Talk about the feats of athleticism. Get dinner after or lunch before. We don’t need hundreds of tailgates on a Saturday in order for something to be interesting and enjoyable.
The night games, the cold air and bright lights, the echoes of screaming voices, the smell of turf, the emotion on the court, the reaction after the kick, the adrenaline rush, the roar of claps, the rapidly increasing score on the screen and the ticking clock — these are all available to us in great measure and in many forms through women’s athletics.
Basketball, equestrian, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, cross country and volleyball — this is an army of talented females investing time, effort and ability into the Auburn family.
Don’t fall into the trap thinking that women’s sports “aren’t as interesting.” They are worth your time. They are incredible. They are worthy of attention and attendance. When we say Auburn is an “everything school,” we mean every sport — both men’s and women’s.
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