Every game day at 7:00, students pack into the students section to cheer on the CHS boys varsity team. During games — both home and away — the boys team can count on at least a student or two in the “stu.” But if these supporters came just an hour and a half earlier, they would find a team just like the boys, hustling up and down the court in hopes to score. And although the only difference between boys and girls is the size ball they play with, the girls Varsity team doesn’t face the same reality when it comes to a student section. Often the girls team has to count on parents to cheer them on. Boys and girls basketball teams both practice 2 hours after school, both spend their weekends in the weight room, and both have the drive for the sport they love. So what’s the difference? Why do the boys get all the attention, while the girls play in the shadows?
“I still feel like there’s a stigma about boys being better than girls, and girls not being worth it to watch. And I also think a lot of the guys, they’re there to show up for their friends and stuff, I don’t think there’s the same connection with the guys and the girls. I feel like guys usually carry the student section especially in the front. So I think most of the guys just show up for their friends,” Adalyn Howard (‘26) said.
The boys team has become notable this season for several reasons. From the occasional dunk to starting freshman Drew Cabanna, the team has been really successful. Drawing in fans left and right, the student section has been nothing short of packed.
“I think people just like watching the boys probably because they think the girls are just not as good because they don’t have the skills that men biologically have,” Gianna Barney (‘28) said. “So people probably think they’re more interesting, because they can dunk and things like that. I think that attracts more people in, and they tend to be more hype which could be because of the student section.”
While connection and friendship may play a role in attendance, and maybe the boys really are more interesting to watch. There’s one factor that hasn’t been ruled out yet; game times. Is it really the occasional dunk that keeps everyone’s attention on the boys? Or is the real culprit convenience?
“People get done with sports practices and other things they have going on after school around 7:00, because by then they’ve had time to eat dinner, get showered and finish up their day before they attend sporting events or other activities,” Barney said.
For years the boys have been given a leg up with game attendance, and the truth is, if people wanted to watch a truly entertaining game, they would turn on the tv, or take a short trip to Ann Arbor. So what would happen if things were switched up a bit? Some schools have begun switching the game times of boys and girls, alternating who gets the popular time slot of 7:00. This change not only increases fairness, but also increases the student section attendance numbers for girls basketball.
“When we played at Detroit Edison, we got to play at 7:00, and the boys got to play at 5:30. Even though the boys games usually had more people at their game, there was still more people who watched us than usual. And I felt if people want to come and watch the boys, then after it makes them want to stay for the girls too. So I feel if we did girls at 7:00, we would have more the same amount of fans as the boys,” Peyton Myers (‘28) said.
Struggling to scrounge together enough girls for even a JV team, attendance in the student section isn’t the only thing lacking in numbers. For the past several years the girls basketball team has faced more and more lack of participation. The decrease in interest in girls basketball seems to be going up by the year.
“I feel we’re not setting up girls in younger grades, so I don’t think it’s carrying up. And I feel like in senior and then junior class especially, there’s a lot of sporty girls, but basketball isn’t necessarily their number one sport, so I feel like a lot of people drop basketball as they get to high school,” Howard said.
Lack of attention and attendance on the sport hasn’t stopped girls who share a love for basketball, these girls are trying their best to raise interest in the sport to bring up numbers on both the court and in the stands.
“Lately, as a basketball program, we’ve been doing a lot of youth camps because we’re trying to inspire more girls to join in the future, because there aren’t a lot of girls participating right now,” Howard said.
