No Madness For Women Hoopsters

And so the event opened, only about 15 minutes late. And Stuart Scott talked, an agonizing 15 minutes longer than he probably should have. And events followed. Games were played, some prizes won, and practice began. A good time was had by all. What more could a basketball fan possibly want?

How about an appearance by the women's basketball team? And by that, I don't necessarily mean a patronizing introduction capped by their dismissal from the floor.

This question hit me as the men's team scrimmaged, so I investigated. After the close of Friday's events, I asked Steve Kirschner, associate athletic director for communications, where the women's team was. "They chose not to participate," he told me.

I asked a second time. Surely, I misunderstood. Nope, I got it right.

Of course it should be noted that the women's team was given the opportunity to be involved, but they declined. Their reason? According to them, the athletic department's definition of participation apparently coincides with them simply waving and then sitting to watch their male counterparts play.

How exciting for them.

Women's basketball forward Chrystal Baptist wasn't too jazzed by this idea. Neither were her teammates.

"We just felt like we were told that either we could be introduced or there was nothing for us to do," Baptist said.

But Baptist did find something to do. She created about 150 fliers protesting the event that she and fellow teammate Jenni Laaksonen and manager Christa Waddell distributed during the volleyball game.

The fliers stated: "Did you know: Carolina women's basketball team is not allowed to participate in Midnight Madness after a 26-9 season and an 11th national preseason ranking for the 2002-2003 season. What are the men? (8-20). Wanna know why? Ask the administration."

Sure the 8-20 comment was a little harsh, but the facts remain.

Midway through the 1985-86 season, the men's team moved to the Smith Center. Since then, the women have considered Carmichael Auditorium their home. Yet, the men open their season on Carmichael's floor. For them to invade the women's "home" and limit their involvement in such an event is a ridiculous thought, especially for a school that considers itself a beacon of equality.

There is only one reason why the men don't hold this shebang down on South Campus -- turnout. This year's turnout paled in comparison to previous years, and the biggest contributor was not the fliers Baptist and her teammates handed out. Last year's dismal season probably thinned the crowd -- also keep in mind that there was little promotion done for the actual event.

The simple truth is Carmichael seats 10,180. The Smith Center, 21,750. The men barely drew about 7,000 on Friday night. You do the math.

It's not a matter of which team is better. There are a lot of schools that split time at their midnight-madness-type events. Georgia advertised its two-hour event for the men's and women's squads, complete with kickoff activities and scrimmages by both teams.

Or teams opted not to hold it at all, something I think would be a bad idea.

The women's team opened its season at 9 a.m. Saturday in a less heralded fashion, practicing in front of their families and a few friends or passers-by.

That's not fair.

The women's team isn't asking to have their own scrimmage, although that's not a bad idea. Instead, they are asking to be involved in the activities before or after the men take the court.

That shouldn't be too much to ask.

Kellie Dixon can be reached at kldixon@email.unc.edu