No. 1 Syracuse women’s lacrosse proves why women’s sports need more attention, respect
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If you haven’t been paying attention to Syracuse women’s lacrosse, now is as good a time as any to jump on the bandwagon.
For the first time in program history, Syracuse is 14-0, with the chance to tie a program record of 15 straight victories with a win at No. 5 North Carolina on Saturday. The Orange are ranked as the best team in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Ratings Power Index and Inside Lacrosse poll.
With just over 17 goals scored and less than nine goals allowed per game, SU boasts the nation’s second best scoring margin. Attacks Emma Ward and Meaghan Tyrrell are top five nationwide in points per game, and goalkeeper Delaney Sweitzer’s save percentage of .549 is the second highest in the nation. Ward, Tyrrell and Sweitzer make up just three of Syracuse’s seven midseason All-Americans.
Yet there is one stat that the women’s lacrosse team is lacking in: attendance. On average, only 1,650 fans show up to home games. All home games were played at the JMA Wireless Dome, except for SU’s win over Clemson, which was played at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.
The men’s lacrosse team, however, sits at 7-5, ranked No. 17 in the latest Inside Lacrosse poll. The Orange are 1-5 against ranked opponents this year with no individual player in the top 15 in scoring nationally. But on average, over 4,200 fans still attend each home contest.
This doesn’t mean that the men’s squad doesn’t deserve its high attendance rate with the historic success of the program. But recently, the women’s team has outperformed the men’s, reaching six Final Fours since 2012 compared to the men’s team.
The women’s lacrosse team should have similar support. Unfortunately, very few people are witnessing one of the greatest seasons of lacrosse in program history.
This sentiment isn’t limited to SU or lacrosse. A recent poll conducted by Seton Hall University found that a mere 37 percent of the general population would opt to watch women’s sports, even if made more readily available.
Take this season’s NCAA basketball championships, for instance. The women’s championship garnered 9.9 million views, making it the most watched women’s championship game of all time. With compelling storylines like Iowa’s Caitlin Clark scoring 41 points in back-to-back games and Angel Reese’s “ring me” celebration and its discourse, it made for amazing entertainment.
On the men’s side, the championship game was the least viewed on record, but it still drew in 5 million more viewers. Women’s sports have historically struggled to yield the same types of revenue in media broadcast rights as men’s sports, and historically, they’ve received only 5 percent of media coverage. The lack of fair coverage is one of the greatest hindrances in women’s sports. How are fans supposed to keep up with their favorite teams or even gain exposure to new teams?
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The discrepancies go even further, as men’s D-I college teams receive nearly twice as much funding as women’s. While the NCAA claims this is because men’s sports are more popular, the acknowledgment alone creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. Such a large institution giving more resources and airtime to men’s sports, of course, will draw in more viewership, if nothing else because of convenience.
Instead of trying to dodge the issue, let’s call a spade a spade. This is an example of sexism in our media, the NCAA and especially in a sport-loving community like SU which claims to “bleed orange.” Men’s sports have taken priority over women’s sports for no other reason than the fact that they are men’s sports, as we’ve seen that ability isn’t the limiting factor. Efforts have been made to promote women’s sports, but the numbers don’t lie.
Consumers of sports must change that. We have the power to prove what is “profitable” or not. It can start right here at SU. To get packed stadiums and bleachers, students need to start taking advantage of the multiple sports events happening around campus.
During football and basketball season, we are keenly aware of the advantage of being loud. It creates a true home field advantage by sheer volume. When the Dome is rocking, the other team can’t get into rhythm. If the women’s lacrosse team has dominated without that advantage, imagine what they could do with it. With how hard they’ve worked, and the success they’ve experienced — it absolutely deserves it.
Women’s lacrosse has one more home game this year on April 20 at 7 p.m against No. 7 Boston College. A win could be a record-breaking 16th straight victory, if the Orange win on the road at No. 5 North Carolina this Saturday. The game is free for SU students — if you claim a mobile ticket in time — so there’s almost no reason not to attend. Don’t you want to have a “I was there” moment to tell your grandkids? Let’s show the best team in the nation they have our support.
Jish Sokolsky is a freshman broadcast and digital journalism major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at jasokols@g.syr.edu.
