The Atlanta Hawks are making sure that the girls are included, too.
Ahead of Oct. 11’s International Day of the Girl Child, the NBA team held a girls-only “Lady Ballers” clinic to encourage girls to continue to participate in sports. By the age of 14, many girls drop out of sports at a rate almost twice that of boys, according to the Women’s Sports Foundation. One of the reasons for this dip is there are drastically fewer opportunities for girls to play high school sports making it nearly impossible to participate in organized games. Additionally, sports facilities and equipment are often not as good for girls as they are for boys, which also discourages girls from continuing in athletics. All of these factors contribute to the participation gap and opportunities for girls to get involved in physical activity.
At the Hawks’ clinic, rolling out spoke to the team’s vice president of Community Impact in Basketball Programs, Jon Babul, and Mara Cunningham, the senior manager of Community Basketball Programs.
Why do you need to support women in sports?
Jon Babul: As a husband and a father of a 12-year-old daughter, it’s so important to recognize we need a world of equality, equal opportunity and having a platform with the Atlanta Hawks where we can have a Lady Ballers program and invest in that space.
There’s great joy in that. There’s pride in the organization stepping up in the female basketball world.
What is your favorite aspects of the Community Basketball Program?
Jon Babul: Naturally, I enjoy coaching, I enjoy working with youth, and I enjoy the energy of youth.
Everything’s new to them, and to be able to have the responsibility of stepping into that space, investing, taking ownership, and making sure they have a good experience with the game of basketball because it’s done so many good things for my life.
I’ve seen the world and paid for my college, and I have a career in the space. So I want to give back with what I’ve learned.
Why are you pushing to keep girls participating in sports?
Mara Cunningham: Well, the first thing is making it fun. I mean, as you can see behind, there’s a lot going on. We’ve got high-energy coaches, making sure that each of these girls has a great time while they’re learning, and not even understanding how much better they’re getting in the moment.
Why do men like Jon and an organization like the Atlanta Hawks need to support women?
Mara Cunningham: We feel very fortunate at the Atlanta Hawks, where the leadership that we have, both the men and the women, has an environment of respect and growing the game. To be able to be in an organization that knows we’ve got to put as much attention to what we’re doing for the girls … and even the boys programming, it’s all in the game.
