Month: April 2024

The NCAA March Madness is over.  However, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark will remain in the record books until another phenom arrives on the court.  Caitlan and her basketball peers know what many knew long ago… girl’s basketball is a winning ticket!

In my daughter’s home hangs a shadow-boxed framed letter sweater of purple wool adorned with an embroidered basketball that proudly spells, “1935 Mid-State Champs.”  Gold medals are attached near the large wooden buttons, which appear as if they were sewn yesterday. 

My mother was a 5’ 7” mountain girl who weighed 99 pounds in 1935 and played center for Monterey Tennessee High School.   Crowds filled the gym each game they played and cheered them to victory repeatedly. 

At age 15, Mom also won the Middle Tennessee State free-throw contest at the University of Tennessee, sinking 48 out of 50 attempts. 

Tennessee applauded girls’ basketball before many states knew females could hold a ball.  Now, 90 years later, folks around the country are shouting, “WOW!!”  And I reply, “Duh!”

No team?

When I began walking, my mother put a basketball in my hands.  It was a part of my life, and try as I might, I could never come close to the skill she possessed. 

Dad hung a netless goal above our garage.  My court was a gravel driveway, so dribbling was nearly impossible.  I diligently practiced and finally made the B-team at some point.  The A teams consisted of many young players like my mother, who could run rings around most of the fellas who played the same game.

Just before we moved to Georgia, I decided to try to join my new school’s team.  I would be a sophomore, and if I practiced more, I would become a phenom like Mom. 

I envisioned the crowd roaring with my every long shot and each assist.  Oh, yes, I was going to be famous and one day have a letter sweater with medals and wooden buttons.

It only took a few minutes in my new high school to learn that my silly dream would never become reality.  My school had a stellar male team, but females?  No way!  Yes, no girls’ basketball.   I was astounded, and as much as I kept saying, “You guys are crazy not to have a team!”  My words fell on deaf ears.

Today, I just say, “I told you so!” with great pride and joy.

Recognizing greatness

I wonder when folks will fully recognize that women can achieve greatness in sports and every aspect of life.

Where would we be without Madame Marie Curie’s groundbreaking discovery of radium and polonium or nurse Clara Barton, who founded the Red Cross? Rosa Parks exemplified sheer courage and will, while Mother Teresa spread the love of God to the poor among us. How many lives were saved or transformed by the power of these and so many other women? 

In 1848, Elizabeth Cody Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Susan B. Anthony believed women deserved the right to vote.  They all died before women’s voting rights finally became a reality in America in 1920.  It took over 70 years of struggle to achieve such a feat.

 Inequality, bias, and outdated perceptions of women, not only in sports but in many aspects of life, are still unjust.

Since 1982, women have earned more bachelor’s degrees than men, and since 1987, more master’s degrees.  Lastly,  since 2006, they attained more Doctorates than males.  Yet, they make up only 8.8% of the CEOs in this country.

According to Forbes Magazine, pay equality will not be achieved until 2056. At that rate, Caitlan, who broke more records than any of her male counterparts, may see her daughter be paid according to her ability on the courts.

How many years?

 It took 90 years for a large section of the mainstream public to watch girls perform outstanding feats on a basketball court.  Seventy years passed for women to finally achieve the dream of entering a voting booth.  How long will it take for bias to end, and how many years will it be before the yet-unknown female scientist finds the cure for cancer?  

Will it take another century for the world to see, allow, and encourage excellence from girls in all areas of life?  It will never be a reality without women supporting and applauding each other and our endeavors. 

In the beginning, God created a man, and then he made Eve when he realized that Adam could not live alone.  Maybe he created women to do so much more, even if they had to dribble a basketball on rocks to break the glass backboard or ceiling one day.   

“Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.”

Hillary Clinton

It was 1950-something when Grandpa (my grandmother) and I usually went into town on Saturday mornings.   I always adored visiting the small Tennessee mountain town where she resided.   

Before she bought groceries, we would swing by the local five-and-dime for candy or a small toy.  Sometimes, we went to the department store to look at shoes.  Grandpa loved shoes as much as I loved candy.  But as I look back, we loved each other more than money could buy.

The town square centered around the courthouse where men gathered to whittle and talk about religion, politics, or how the crops fared during the harsh winter.  Their pipe smoke filled the air with hazy circles as they tried to solve the world’s problems.  And when I was very young, I believed they could. 

It wasn’t until the 1950s turned to the early 1960s that I noticed only white folks sitting around the courthouse.  In fact, I recall seeing only our race around town.

“Grandpa, why are there only white people here?”  I asked her one day as we strolled toward the courthouse. 

“Oh, honey, those old men ran anybody that looked or acted differently out of town long ago.” She calmly answered.

“Do you think that it is the right thing to do?”  I replied.

Another thing comin’

“Honey, let me tell you something I hope you never forget.”

She continued, “From now until forever, some folks think they are right when they are wrong.  It makes ‘um feel better when they believe themselves superior to others.  It’s funny that those same old folks head to church on Sunday, study the Bible, and pray for a more righteous world.  They often believe their success, power, or even color causes them to rise above others.  But honey, they got another thing comin’!”

“What’s coming, Grandpa?”

“Let me tell you a story that will make it clearer.”

“One day, it was burning hot outside.  A crowd had gathered to catch the bus.  The group included people of all colors and convictions.  Some were thieves, many carried weapons, some held handfuls of cash, some were Republicans, and others were Democrats. 

The bus was late, and the people grew angry.  They began to blame each other for all their problems and woes.  They pointed their fingers and began to shout and shove one another.  Each person felt their views were correct and thought the other was as evil as the thieves.

Suddenly, a gunshot quieted the group.

What does happen next?

“What happened next?” I asked with my eyes wide open.

Grandpa answered, “Finally, the bus pulled up to the curb.  The door opened, and the driver emerged.  Without saying a word, the man walked into the throng to find a child lying on the ground.  She had been trampled by the enraged crowd and killed by a bullet embedded in her heart.  He slowly lifted the little girl into his arms as he studied the eyes of the people around him.

Then he touched the little girl’s chest and healed her, but he didn’t return her to her parents.  At that point, the folks recognized the driver as the Lord God himself!”

“Then, The Lord turned to speak to the unruly mob.”

“Didn’t I tell you to put no other Gods before me?  Yet, you chose anger, hatred,  violence, and politics over me.  You selected bias, power, and self-righteousness to be your God.   Distrust, doubt, and fear became your armor instead of faith.”

God continued, “This bus goes to Heaven.  Do you believe I would only select one race, and only the rich and the influential, to ride in this bus?  I was the one who welcomed the lepers and defended the prostitutes.  I welcomed all who believed and loved me to my table.  Didn’t I ask you not to judge others and do the same?”

He continued,  “Do you presume your politics will save your America, or do you believe that following the laws of kindness, inclusion, and compassion is what will make your country shine?” 

“You love to hate and feel no guilt by spreading it to others when I commanded you to simply love your neighbor.”

He returned to the bus, closed the doors, and drove away.

“Grandpa, did anybody get on the bus with him?”

 “Only the little child.” She softly answered, and I understood.

The 60s are now today.  Some things have changed, but what would the Lord say to many who stand in the sun to catch that bus to Heaven?  It could be the exact words.

Yet, I know one person who rode with the Lord to Heaven because she lived by her faith.  Her name was Grandpa.