The week of February break is one of my favourite of the year. And despite the absolutely frigid temperatures we saw for most of the week, this still holds true. Why? The Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Like a true Canadian and Saskatchewanian, I love watching curling. Why? At least six hours of curling every day for a week. Great shots, blowouts, comebacks, and compelling stories. Like Sandra Schmirler Day where we get to see one of the best to ever do it in those flashback clips and also see her legacy continue on through the foundation in her name. I mean, how awesome is it to see all of the teams competing in the Scotties take time out of their preparation and routine to answer phones and volunteer for a great cause.
Maybe more than all of that though, I love to see women succeed in any facet of life, and as elite athletes’ women have to deal with so much more than men to get to the same levels of greatness, it is even sweeter to see women athletes excelling.
We’ve been seeing this for decades as women’s leagues and competitions struggled for relevance and success across sports. And now we are seeing that struggle pay off as the slogan “Everyone is watching women’s sports” seems to be ringing true.
I split my time last weekend, as I hibernated from the cold, between watching the Love Volleyball (LOVB) Classic, an in-season tournament for the newest professional women’s league in North America and the Scotties’. Gosh, to be a young female athlete now is so monumentally different than it was even 20 years ago. Their role models are front and center on national TV broadcasts across so many sports: curling, basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, swimming, hockey, soccer, etc. And the opportunities for our girls to continue to be involved in sport is exploding as well.
What am I doing writing about women’s sports in a column usually dedicated to books? Well, I can’t help wonder when the literary world is going to catch up…where are the books that center female athletes as main characters? They are few and far between, friends, and I think it’s time for that to change. I want the book version of Inside Out 2! Where our protagonist is both a strong, kick butt character and an athlete, balancing all that means with the rest of her life. I want the book version of Caitlin Clark’s middle school and high school years, where she had to played in boys leagues and still balled. I want the book version of Simone Biles vying for a spot on the Olympic team and striving to be the GOAT. I want the book version of Summer MacIntosh who made big sacrifices to become a world level swimmer as a teenager. But not their non-fiction stories. I want to see a new wave of fiction that allows young women to see themselves in the pages, to push their dreams, to maybe challenge what they believe is possible. And if I’m asking for it all, I want more adult books with female athletes too!
Am I alone? Maybe. But if the absolute explosion in popularity of women’s sports has taught us anything, it’s that there is a market for all things women’s sports. Publishers and authors would be missing out if they don’t start creating to meet the very clear trends.