Rebecca Lobo incident sparks discussion about sexism in sports – NBC Connecticut

On Friday, former UConn basketball star and WNBA player Rebecca Lobo posted a video on social media recounting an alleged incident at her son’s basketball tournament.

Lobo coaches her 15-year-old son’s team and said she received a comment from a referee during a discussion about a missed foul.

“I said he didn’t slip, he committed a foul,” Lobo said in the video. “And this referee, a man, looked at me and said this was a grown man’s game, not a women’s game.”

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With women’s sports gaining a lot of attention, Lobo took the opportunity to tell her followers to watch the WNBA.

“It’s an interesting moment in women’s sport,” said Professor Susan Cahn of the University of Buffalo and an expert on gender issues in sport. “There seems to be an incredible momentum, interest and support that wasn’t there. On the other hand, sexism in sport is alive and well, as Rebecca Lobo’s video shows.”

Darren Gilbert is the Director of CT Take Over, an AAU basketball program with over 100 children.

“I have female coaches who coach boys’ teams,” he said. “It should be fair, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman. The game should be played the right way, the game should be taught the right way, there shouldn’t be boys or girls or anything like that.”

Gilbert said the success of players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese has changed the culture.

“I think a lot of people are starting to notice how good these girls are,” he said. “But there shouldn’t be any ‘This is a game for adults’ or anything like that. It’s definitely inappropriate to say whether it’s a man or a woman.”

He also said the referee pool in travel basketball has deteriorated, which he attributes to conflicts with coaches and parents on the court.

“The lower level tournaments, the local tournament. There are some people who may not even be certified,” he said.

While there has been progress in female representation in sports, Cahn said comments like this show there is still a lot of work to be done.

“Sexism in sports has been talked about for over 50 years,” Cahn said. “The question is who listened and who is willing to do something about it.”

Lobo was not available for an interview to discuss her comments, but her team confirmed that the incident occurred in Pennsylvania.