The 1978 CWSA Honda Cup Winner, Ann Meyers, and her ten brothers and sisters received parental support and encouragement in their sport growing up, and equally so, which was not always the case in the 60’s. Since no female sports were available on TV,  Ann’s dreams were carved from reading a book on Babe Didrikson Zaharias, an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball and track and field. She later watched Wilma Rudolf and others in the Olympic Games and set her sights on becoming an Olympian. The values her parents taught her such as discipline, accountability and competition were lessons she also learned and practiced in the sports she played in high school and college.  Her basketball prowess opened doors to the rest of her life. First a college scholarship at UCLA where she was a four-time All American, led the Bruins to a national championship and selected the 1978 Broderick Cup winner (later known as the Honda Cup).  Ann played internationally and professionally and was only female to try out with an NBA team. She speaks to her career both in broadcasting and serving as general manager for a WNBA team. Ann believes women should not stay silent and is proud of the current messaging of the WNBA players. She is grateful for those who came before her and takes issue with the fact that their stories prior to NCAA competition have largely been ignored—she is a veritable history book as she reminds us of the early greats. Title IX meant the world to Ann and means so much to girls today. She handled multiple of responsibilities because she knew that education was important and she had to get a degree. Ann believes recognition, then and now, is important, be it in the media or with the Honda Cup.
Host: Chris Voelz, CWSA Executive Director
Podcast length: 39 mins.
A co-production with the CWSA.
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