Friday, July 24, 2015

A Crack in the Glass Ceiling, or not


 San Antonio Spurs’ assistant coach Becky Hammon won the NBA Summer League championship this week, which led Commissioner Adam Silver to more or less predict Hammon or another woman would one day head up an NBA team.  To what extent Silver would help make that happen, he didn’t say.

I’m curious about any backlash to that first-ever hire, and not the caveman kind; that you expect.  What do women’s sports’ advocates think of Hammon?  A quick Google search didn’t turn up anything, but still I wonder.  Look hard enough, and you’ll come across a pro-Negro Leagues’ sentiment, along the lines that something important was lost when Jackie Robinson broke the color line.  There are those who prefer being a big fish in a small pond.  I’d take my chances in the bigger venue.

Hammon credits Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich for taking a chance on her; Clare hasn’t found a second Popovich yet.  Clare’s old hitting coach has mentioned opening up his own school and hiring her.  But the Pride of Elmhurst College wouldn’t be showing little boys how to hit.  Girls do softball, and the spirit of the Negro Leagues carries on.

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