I've been thinking a lot about sports lately.
This is no revelation for those who know me: I am a devoted follower of college football and basketball and a geek-level fan of Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals. So when we are contemplating a cover story involving athletics, I filter the notion through as many perspectives and people as I can. A lot of folks couldn't care less about sports, and privileging a sports story up front risks alienating as many readers as we might capture.
So, why, when there are so many good stories about Stanford to tell, would we put the women's basketball team on the cover?
First, the role of athletics at Stanford is undeniably important, both to the student experience and to the University's reputation. Combining world-class sports and academics is extremely hard to do, and places enormous demands on the student-athletes. Tara VanDerveer exemplifies the double-goal ethic of success in both arenas. Her program has sustained excellence for more than two decades, a stretch that has included 17 Pac-10 titles, seven Final Four appearances and two national championships. She is one of the icons of the sport, a national leader in women's athletics and an influential mentor to a generation of Stanford students. As the headline on our cover suggests, she is one of the best teachers on campus.
Moreover, whatever one's feelings about sports competition, the powerful influence they exert on American culture is no longer debatable. On the wall of my office are two framed Time magazine covers from the 1940s. One of them features Stan Musial, the Hall of Fame outfielder for the Cardinals. The other is of Jackie Robinson.
Notice the second man requires no introduction.
The passage of Title IX and the explosion of women's athletics that followed certainly played a role in the expansion of workplace opportunities more broadly. For many years, the country's elite women's basketball teams were coached by men. VanDerveer, Tennessee's Pat Summitt and a few others made it cool for women to play sports, and to coach them. Just as important, they helped inspire girls everywhere to pursue any dream that resides in their imagination.
Even all of that might not argue for a cover story when so many other good options exist. The clincher is that VanDerveer is as interesting off the court as she is on it. Her life is not consumed by basketball, which probably helps explain why she relates to the women who want to win trophies and also ace their finals.
Volumes have been written about the character-building qualities that sports participation provides. You know the list: the self-discipline required to practice when nobody is watching; the desire to compete even against long odds; the will to overcome the adversity of injuries and poor officiating and radio call-in shows. The head coach sets the tone for a climate that allows those characteristics to flourish.
Cover worthy?
Slam dunk.
