Confusion Over Fan Policy in McDonough opens up dialogue on the inequality between men’s and women’s sports on campus
On Jan. 30, Kelsey Ransom’s phone started blowing up as she walked into McDonough Arena for basketball practice. When she opened her phone, the standout sophomore guard saw a screenshot one of her teammates sent in their group chat of a Hoya sports Twitter fan page. The Tweet announced that the University would allow students to attend the men’s basketball game against St. John’s at McDonough on Feb. 3. The Hoyas’ men’s basketball team has been playing all of their games in Capital One Arena in front of thousands of fans all season, including at the beginning of this spring semester when all on-campus, in-person events were moved to a virtual environment, postponed, or canceled.
By Hayley Salvatore and Carlos Rueda
On Jan. 30, Kelsey Ransom’s phone started blowing up as she walked into McDonough Arena for basketball practice. When she opened her phone, the standout sophomore guard saw a screenshot one of her teammates sent in their group chat of a Hoya sports Twitter fan page. The Tweet announced that the University would allow students to attend the men’s basketball game against St. John’s at McDonough on Feb. 3.
The Hoyas’ men’s basketball team has been playing all of their games in Capital One Arena in front of thousands of fans all season, including at the beginning of this spring semester when all on-campus, in-person events were moved to a virtual environment, postponed, or canceled.
For the Hoyas’ women’s basketball team, this meant that their home games were played without fans throughout the month of January, a month where the team was scheduled to play a barrage of five home games in a row. This, of course, only added to the frustration of COVID-19 cancellations at the beginning of the month, which included a home game at Entertainment and Sports Arena, home of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, against perennial powerhouse UCONN.