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When Dawn Staley recalled having an ugly conversation with ESPN about South Carolina’s stature
Dawn Staley’s 2020 Gamecocks roster was ranked No. 1 in the preseason. However, the team ended its season with a last-second loss to Stanford in the Final Four. While talking about the struggles of that year on a Breakfast Club episode released in April 2022, Staley shed light on her battles with ESPN.
Staley believed that despite South Carolina’s top stature, ESPN pushed other teams into the limelight, marketing them as the teams with higher potential than the Gamecocks. So, when her team remained at the top near the end of the season, Dawn Staley recounts handing her two cents to some ESPN representatives.
“We were the number one team in the country for the last nine weeks of the season but you wouldn’t know it,” Staley said (29:00). “Because there was a different narrative out there created for other teams that they thought should have been number one.”
“But they lost and from that, I actually did talk to a couple of ESPN people about – how now that the bottom fell out we were the number one team in the country, you didn’t promote our team in that way.”
“And then they came back probably 45 minutes after that, I went into that coaching mode, in the coach mode of just bad behavior. So, I had that conversation, it wasn’t one that could be played on your show.”
Dawn Staley also touched on an instance from 2022, when the Gamecocks won the NCAA championship. She claimed that instead of talking highly of South Carolina’s defensive schemes, ESPN marketed that the Gamecocks are one of the lowest-scoring teams in NCAA Finals history.
Dawn Staley looking forward to the Christmas break
At the beginning of this month, Dawn Staley claimed that her roster had no reason to be tired despite the tough season-opening schedule. She said that she has designed the schedule in a way that allows players to focus only on basketball and studies.
Nevertheless, she admitted to being tired last week due to the tough first month of basketball.
“It was taxing. I was tired. I was tired, I look forward to this break. I look forward to our Christmas break,” Staley said (0:40). “Although we got a few more games to play, I think our players have really locked in. I know they have to be exhausted, physically, mentally and welcome the break that’s coming up. But they still want to approach each game and play to our standard.”
The Gamecocks won two more contests after the interview to catch an 11-day rest. The program resumes the season on Dec. 29 against Wofford Terriers.
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Edited by Debasish
When Dawn Staley, the head coach of the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team, recently spoke about an unpleasant encounter with ESPN regarding her team’s perceived stature, it shed light on the challenges faced by women’s sports programs in gaining recognition and respect.
Staley shared that during a conversation with an ESPN executive, she was told that South Carolina needed to “earn their stripes” before being considered for more televised games. This comment not only disregarded the team’s impressive record and success, but also reflected a larger issue of gender bias and unequal treatment in sports media coverage.
Despite leading her team to multiple NCAA tournament appearances and a national championship, Staley and her players continue to fight for the recognition they deserve. This incident serves as a reminder of the disparities faced by women’s sports programs in terms of media coverage, funding, and overall support.
As fans and supporters of women’s sports, we must continue to advocate for equal opportunities and representation for these talented athletes. Dawn Staley’s story is a powerful reminder that we still have a long way to go in achieving gender equality in the world of sports.
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- Dawn Staley
- ESPN
- South Carolina
- College basketball
- Women’s basketball
- Ugly conversation
- Stature
- NCAA
- Sports media
- Dawn Staley interview
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