Professional basketball women take pride in roles on National Girls and Women In Sports Day
Kate Martin and Lexie Hull recently signed with Athleta, a Gap Inc. company and leading women’s performance activewear brand. PHOTO: Courtesy of Athleta
By W.G. RAMIREZ
As the excitement of March Madness in NCAA Women's Basketball approaches, the hype from Unrivaled Basketball's inaugural season and the start of Athletes Unlimited’s fourth basketball season has fueled a collective excitement that's created collective joy in time for National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
The annual holiday is held during the first week of February to celebrate the accomplishments of female athletes while recognizing the influence of sports participation for women and girls and acknowledging the progress and advocation for equality for women in sports. This year’s special day is Wednesday, Feb. 5.
"I think it feels amazing," said Stefanie Dolson, who is currently playing for the Laces BC in Unrivaled and plays for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. "I've been able to be a part of the (WNBA) for the last almost 11 years, and I've seen it grow and change so much. And just seeing the last couple years, how much more excitement there is around the league and just around women's sports in general, it's been an honor to be a part of the WNBA.
"I feel like we've been very much trailblazers in terms of setting things the way they should be and setting trends and everything for people to watch women's sports. So, yeah, obviously, an honor. I'm excited to see where women's sports go in the future."
And with the growing popularity of women's athletics comes sponsorships from brands across the globe, like Athleta, a Gap Inc. company and leading women’s performance activewear brand, that recently signed WNBA and Unrivaled stars Lexie Hull and Kate Martin to its Power of She Collective.
"It means a lot," Hull said. "Athleta is a brand that was founded by women for women specifically. So, their whole mission is empowering women and girls, and that couldn't be more important on Women in Sports Day. So I'm just very honored to be part of that team and excited about the things that we have planned for future."
Hull and Martin join fellow WNBA star Monique Billings in representing Athleta.
Recently in South Florida, where Unrivaled is taking place, Athleta partnered with the Greater Miami chapter of Girls Inc., a national organization that offers programming and mentorship to help girls overcome challenges and develop into strong, confident global leaders and hosted local youths at an Unrivaled game between the Rose and Laces BC, Hull and Martin’s teams, respectively.
Athleta also donated to Girls Inc., which will fund free high-quality afterschool and summer programs for girls in low-income communities in Miami.
"It's just a really awesome honor," Martin said. "Athleta just stands for a lot of amazing things. And the Power of She collective really is all about empowering women and just showing that we are better together. And so I've talked about it a little bit before, but just it really doesn't matter where you're from, what you look like, who you are, but just showing that we are stronger together and that it's really important for women to uplift other women and bring other women along with you and your successes.
"That's really what the Power of She Collective is, and so I feel really grateful to be part of Athleta and their organization when they really walk the walk and don't just talk to talk."
And while there’s no denying it’s helped that Martin was a teammate of Caitlin Clark's at Iowa, and Hull is now a teammate of Clark's in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever, both women have done a fantastic job of building their fan bases on their own while becoming role models in the markets they've played.
"It's just trusting the process, showing young girls that it might not be easy at times and might not look exactly how you think it's gonna look especially at the beginning. Especially looking at my WNBA career, looking at the start of it, it wasn't pretty at the start, and it's still not pretty all the time now,” Hull said. “But trusting that with hard work, and just passion for the game, that it'll continue to get better and better."
Added Martin: "I've been really lucky, even throughout college, to have the opportunity to be a role model for young girls. And not only young girls but young boys too. So, that's just something I don't take for granted, and I don't take that lightly at all. It's just like handling myself on and off the court in the best way that I possibly can. Because I grew up obsessed with Iowa women's basketball, and so I know what it means, and I know the weight that holds being a role model.
“I will always try to handle myself in the best manner possible and have always continued that into the professional landscape as well, trying to take time for the young girls and boys that want autographs and just give them that moment. I know how special it can be because I was once that little girl as well."
Other players and coaches from both Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited shared their thoughts on their roles toward National Girls and Women in Sports Day:
DIJONAI CARRINGTON (Unrivaled's Mist BC, WNBA's Dallas Wings) -- "You know, that's just kind of a part of taking on this role as of being a professional women's athlete. You naturally are just going to have kids looking up to you, and you decide how you're going to take that and what example you're going to be for them. So I think for me, it's just been one of authenticity. Whatever space I'm in, I'm always me. And I think that young girls and kids watching that, they see that I'm on me through and through, on and off the court. They see the personality shine through. And I hope that is something that they take into whatever they decide to do, to be able to be authentically themselves in every space."
ALYSHA CLARK (Athletes Unlimited's Team Colson for Week 1, WNBA free agent) -- "I think that's a beautiful way to say it, is hope. It showcases all the women and girls that have come before and gives them a chance for girls to really celebrate and see just how successful other female athletes have been in the different areas and the different spaces. And for me, if they know nothing about sports, and on this one day they decide to look at an Instagram page, or look at a thread post, or whatever it is, and see something, in that moment, whatever that they're looking at, I hope it inspires them. And so to be able to give them that representation across all women's sports, all areas, whether retired athletes and what they're doing after and the importance of the education piece of understanding, like (the percentage) of C suite executive (women) all played sports. And so it's helping them make that correlation to real life, to sports, and all the intangible pieces that help. Maybe they do it for a year or two, but what they're going to learn in that is invaluable, and they'll be able to apply it in all their lives. So to be able to have a day, to be able to celebrate that, highlight that across the board, I think is awesome."
BRITTNEY GRINER (Unrivaled's Phantom BC, WNBA's Atlanta Dream) -- "It's humbling, it's very humbling. Especially when you know the younger girls and players come up to me and tell me that they've been watching me, I inspired them playing ball. Basketball is just such a little piece of life, honestly, even though it's like our whole lives, but the impact that we have on the younger generation, that's what really, honestly motivates a lot of us. Without sports I don't think I would have the skills that I have today to just maneuver life. Sports are a big thing and I think it's really good for young girls to get into it, build confidence. So just to be in this position knowing that the younger generation kind of looks up to me a little bit, the ones that do, it feels good."
NATASHA HOWARD (WNBA's Indiana Fever) -- "This is the reason we play the sport, to be role models for girls and young boys. Because a lot of kids don't have role models out here. So I'm happy that I have the platform to be a role model to young boys and young girls out here because you see a lot of boys and girls that want to play sports because they don't have role models to look up to. So with my platform, this is what I want to do and is the reason why I play the game. This is why I love the game and want to give it to the next generation."
ANDREW WADE (coach of Unrivaled's Laces BC) -- "The biggest thing I've learned is this probably should have happened a long time ago. It's pretty amazing that these athletes have the opportunity to train and stay in the States now. But, I've been in the W for six years now, so I've been fortunate enough to be around so many great women, so many great athletes throughout my time in the W."
PHIL HANDY (coach of Unrivaled's Mist BC) — "I think the biggest thing that I've found from it, is just for young athletes, they have hope. They have a hope of just something bigger, greater. I think before, a lot of young ladies (were) like, 'I want to play basketball, but what am I playing for?' Now, there's legit hope for these ladies. Like, 'Hey, man, I have something to play for, whether it be the W, whether it be for Unrivaled, whether it be to be able to go play at a high level in Europe.' I just think now women's sports, the window has just grown across the board. And so these young athletes, they have a lot more hope of just, 'I can make a living being a professional athlete in different sports.'"
