Current world number ones, dual sports stars, undefeated teams. Just some of the minor feats of our strong, often forgotten, Wonder Women of Australian sport.
Have you ever been to a live women’s sporting event? It is magical and alluring. Last year during the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, I went and watched the women’s rugby 7’s and it was by far one of the most thrilling and entertaining events I have ever been to; and I’ve been to packed house State of Origins and World Cup sporting matches. The physicality, the speed, the skill of the women before us was incredible. You could feel what it meant to them to be out there, those women loved every minute of it.
This makes me beg the question, why can’t we watch these girls on TV on a week to week basis? Ok I hear what you’re saying, women’s sport is not mainstream enough yet to warrant the coverage. Well guess what? Back in 1976 neither was cricket. Enter a man by the name of Kerry Packer and a little thing called World Series Cricket. Kerry took a punt and bought cricket into the new world. He created a market for something that wasn’t there, he gave people a product to watch and didn’t just stick it away on some 2nd or 3rd channel like 9 GEM. It got the full focus of the network. The rest as they say is history. So who will be this generations Kerry Packer? Someone take that punt.
Let’s for a moment take a look around the grounds. Ash Barty is the current world number 1 tennis player. What a feat that is and she did it without fan fare, without the headlines, without the remarkable ‘used to be a brat’ full turnaround. It has been a long time since anyone in Australia has been able to achieve this feat – just remarkable. Sam Kerr, the current Australian women’s soccer captain is one of the most dominant Australian Sports stars on the international stage currently. She is also a former Asian women’s footballer of the year winner and two time winner of ESPN’s Best International Women’s player award. Not to mention a recent 4 goal haul in one match at the recent women’s world cup. Just remarkable.
In fact it is feats like these that make our current crop of international women sports stars dominant over our men. In almost every category our wonder women are leaving our men for dust. Basketball, soccer, cricket, even surfing. Last season in fact the Broncos NRLW team went through he season undefeated! When was the last time a team did that? What about the women’s state of origin at North Sydney oval this year? It was amazing!
Elise Perry arguably the world’s most premier cricket player in the world at the moment bar none. She used to actually be a dual code international. Cricket for 6 months, soccer the other 6. Both at international level. This alone is a winning argument for the commitment and love of sport. A valid reason why women’s sport should be professional. Not Semi-professional. I don’t know what drives women to work harder or try to put on a strong show. Is it the fact they are underestimated? What ever it is bottle it up and distribute it to all of Australia.
With all the headlines in Australian sport in the last 12 months from tennis brats, to big head league players, to questionable social media posts and gambling on yourself and your team a case could be argued that these are the multimillionaire sporting icons we need right now. Watch out to the spoilt brats of the sporting world is all I can say.
All my points above bring me back to my earlier question. Who will be this generations Kerry Packer? Yes women’s sport is not currently ‘mainstream’ enough to earn the big dollars, (remember neither was cricket) however it would only take persistence, exposure and patience and we can change that. I for one look forward to the day I can come home from work, blow the froth off a cold one, chuck on the TV and roll from the NRL to the W League, to the Ashes, to the netball or baseball and women’s basketball all on mainstream channels and watching the superstars of every sport and every gender earning their $1m salaries together.
Now remember these are just the amateur, raw opinions of an Aussie Arm Chair Commentator. Until next time readers.
AAC
The Aussie Arm Chair Commentator 