Not so with the increasing importance of private developmental
leagues such as the AAU. While sports manager Eddie Clinton
in the Orlando national headquarters asserts annual membership
costs only $10, he admits girls often spend $100 or more
to cover uniforms, travel expenses and tournament fees.
Eisenberg, once himself an AAU coach, fixes the figure
at somewhere near $200 or $250, including the cost of referees
as well as rental time for the court. Most of the kids have
middle-class values but are from working-class families.
And while all Francis Lewis' members "pay to play," there
are those who are unable to. According to statistics put
out by Northeastern, only 15 percent of urban children participate
in organized youth sports as opposed to 85 percent to 90
percent of suburban children.
And of this population, an African-American girl in the
city has 33 percent of the opportunities to play youth sports
compared to a white urban girl.
In citing member populations among "the No. 1 sport in
the AAU," Clinton said the city's Metropolitan association's
numbers (2,500) were half those of Southeastern association
(5,000), an area that covers parts of Tennessee. Clinton
said the majority of AAU teams are rural or suburban teams
– not urban -- "to a great extent because of the cost,"
but also because of the necessity of parental involvement,
something else many urban families are often unable to afford.
For Lieberman-Cline and Spoon, both self-described "poor
kids," one white, one black, private leagues weren't an
option, nor were they necessary. "All I needed was a ball
and there was already a hoop," said Lieberman-Cline."I didn't
have to join a country club."
"Spoon," 35, originally from rural Texas, said that if
leagues had been a necessary part of the equation at the
time she was first picking up a basketball, "I wouldn't
have had the money. And those that play streetball [today]
aren't given the opportunity -- they say that's all they
are: streetballers. They say they can't play organized ball."
And thus, recruiters rarely scout streetball games.
"It wasn't so visible before," Lieberman-Cline adds, referring
to youth basketball. In the next couple of years, she believes,
such games will garner television coverage.
One solution has been sponsorship, but so far the boys'
team have received the majority of attention from sports
businesses and other corporations. Last year was the first
year Nike fully sponsored 20 girls' travel teams, Clinton
said. While Clinton said sponsorship is becoming more and
more typical for girls, Eisenberg said he was aware of only
two girls' teams with sponsors in the metropolitan area,
the Liberty Belles in Queens and the Long Island Wave. Boys'
teams have long been sponsored. The now hierarchical and
reputedly corrupt program has generated so much interest
the "New York Daily News" recently produced a series looking
into sponsorship, recruiting and influence.
Clinton went on to cite the importance of the commitment
a player makes when he or she joins an outside league in
addition to high school play. Recruiters who focus on the
AAU play up the importance this kind of commitment represents.
"I've seen high school teams where the girls were on the
bench and all they cared about is whether their nails were
polished or not," he said.
"I'm not saying that's wrong," he said. "There's different
levels of commitment. It's just natural if you take someone
who's willing to make that kind of commitment, generally
speaking, they're going to work harder on their game. If
they have any talent, they're going to be better."
Clinton's formula leaves out those student-athletes who
are unable to take on the financial burden of an outside
league. While often bound up with race, economic opportunity
is really what's changing girls' basketball.
Such blatant stereotyping of those less financially able
is what leads to divisions, both gender and racial, in the
world of sports. As the 30th anniversary of Title IX swiftly
approaches, women's basketball, while it has new milestones
to celebrate, still faces many challenges.
Who
Gets The Ball?
