Jack Todd: Women’s sports have taken a leap forward, but work remains

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Saturday afternoon. Bell Centre. A crowd of 21,105 watched Toronto play Montreal. Nothing unusual about that — except the players were women and the throng on hand was a record for women’s hockey.

April 7, Cleveland, Ohio. An average of 18.9 million viewers in the U.S. watched as South Carolina defeated Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark in the NCAA women’s basketball final, 87-75, with a peak audience over the last 15 minutes of the game of 24.1 million.

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When Connecticut beat Purdue and Toronto’s towering Zach Edey in the men’s final the following day, their game drew an average of 14.82 million.

Aug. 23, 2023, Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Neb.: The Huskers women’s volleyball team (at my alma mater, of course) drew 92,003 fans, setting a record for women’s sports.

So does all this mean a corner has been turned in the battle for equality in the sports world? Hardly.

When Clark arrived for her first press conference after being drafted first overall by the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, local columnist Gregg Doyel welcomed her with the suggestion that she use the heart sign she flashes to her family before games to greet him. Welcome to 1950, Gregg.

Meanwhile, WTA players are in Spain this week for the Madrid Open, notorious for the favouritism shown to male players under the direction of former boss Ion Tiriac and his successor, Gerard Tsobanian.

Still, if you didn’t get the chills watching that tumultuous ovation for Marie-Philip Poulin at the Bell Centre on Saturday, you should probably check in with the undertaker. It was a watershed moment for women’s sports, a benchmark, a target that few observers thought could be reached in this inaugural season for the PWHL.

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It’s a pity Montreal could not have beaten Toronto in overtime, but the story was not the game itself but the crowd. There will be setbacks, there will be frustrating times and growth pains for the new league, but the PWHL is here to stay, a pro league to stand and expand beside the WNBA and the National Women’s Soccer League.

Will we see a day when women are on an equal footing with men in the sports world? When players in the WNBA or PWHL sign contracts of equal value?

Not in my lifetime. But I’m old, so perhaps we’ll see it before the end of this century if not sooner. When a transcendent athlete like Caitlin Clark is offered $5 million to play 3-on-3 basketball for a season and women’s hockey is filling the Bell Centre, we’re getting there.

Dysfunctional in the desert: If Alex Meruelo actually deserved the sweetheart deal from the NHL that gives him a billion dollars and a five-year window to establish another franchise in Arizona, he would at least have shown up for the Coyotes final game. Fans weeping and Meruelo was nowhere to be seen.

At least we know Meruelo wasn’t practising for that Cringe Level 9 press conference he held with Gary Bettman. Meruelo was so bad, even Bettman was embarrassed. In a rational world, Meruelo’s gambling ties alone would disqualify him for ownership in any sports league.

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Lies, rumours &&&& vicious innuendo: If the Salt Lake people take my advice, their shiny new NHL team will be called the Salt Lake City Tabernacle Choirboys. …

Hey, pretending you’re tough with stickwork before the faceoff is the opposite of tough. Yes, we’re looking at you, Poutin’ Max Domi. …

Meanwhile, the Bruins-Leafs series has barely begun and already the TSN shills are working overtime on the William Nylander excuse for Toronto’s abject failure in the opener. Seriously, guys — have a little pride in your profession.

WADA’s disgraceful surrender to the Chinese swimmers who were caught doping is the latest setback for efforts to curb mass cheating in elite sports. And it’s about to get uglier, with another craven capitulation to the Russians by the IOC as we head to the Paris Olympics. …

Doesn’t matter whether Ryan Garcia won or lost his bout with Devin Haney. Garcia’s behaviour in the buildup to the fight was way over the line, even for boxing. …

F1 crowds are still turning out to watch Max Verstappen go round and round and we assume the TV ratings aren’t devastating. But how long can this go on? Is any sport entertaining when one team or individual wins almost all the time? …

Huzzah to Michael Pezzetta for getting his curly locks shorn for a good cause. We like the short version better but either way, you can never have too many like Pez.

Heroes: Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton, Martin St. Louis, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield, Mike Matheson, Brendan Gallagher, Kristin O’Neill, Laura Stacey, Marie-Philip Poulin, Erin Ambrose, Audrey Leduc, Marco Arop, &&&& last but not least, the astonishing Jaromir Jagr, who has surpassed Gordie Howe as the oldest professional player in hockey history at age 52.

Zeros: Alex Meruelo, Gary Bettman, Auston Matthews, Max Domi, Chad Kelly, Randy Ambrosie, Ryan Garcia, Christian Horner, Jontay Porter, Adam Silver, John Fisher, Rob Manfred, Bud Selig Jr., Claude Brochu, David Samson &&&& last but not least, Jeffrey Loria.

Now and forever.

jacktodd46@yahoo.com

twitter.com/jacktodd46 

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