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by Denise Whitaker, KOMO News Reporter
Magbegor. (Photo courtesy: Seattle Storm)
TOPICS:
SEATTLE — One of the best ways to get girls and young women into sports is to encourage them to watch sports, either in person or on television. It’s now going to be easier for professional female athletes as KOMO News is now partnering with the Seattle Storm to broadcast their games.
The Seattle Sports Commission, led by CEO Beth Knox, works closely with the Storm and also the Seattle Reign.
“Any chance that our region can elevate women’s sports, especially on the professional side where they have that equal opportunity for the stature for the compensation and that recognition and the chance to perform for their fans, we are 100% behind that,” Knox told KOMO News.
RELATED | KOMO, KUNS to broadcast 33 Seattle Storm games this season
The Seattle Storm is Seattle’s winningest team with four WNBA championships. The deal making KOMO (ABC) and KUNS (CW) the official television broadcast home of the Storm gives more fans across the entire state greater access to expanded coverage of women’s basketball.
“We wanted to provide fans the ability to watch our team in a way that best suits them, whether that be on cable, local TV, or digital platforms. We’re excited to now offer more ways to watch the team this season as we compete for a fifth championship,” Nate Silverman, Seattle Storm Chief Commercial Officer, said.
“Having a television partner like KOMO with the Seattle Storm ideally provides that validation that this is a team that has great value in our region and one that we are all backing 100%,” Knox told KOMO News.
Knox also said the Seattle Sports Commission is working to recruit more women into different roles on the field, ice, or court.
“One of our pillars that we will be focusing on is recruiting girls and women to be referees and coaches for girls' sports. There’s a big gap and lots of opportunity out there, so this is gonna be one of our priorities going forward,” Knox said.
There’s plenty of research that shows people find greater success when they are coached or mentored by people who like them.
“So many young girls need to see it to believe it,” Knox said.
Knox said there’s data that shows a huge percentage of young girls dropping out of sports in middle school. Some of the reasons may include body image, other insecurities, or a simple lack of encouragement.
“Whatever the case may be, doing as much as we can to encourage them to stay involved, recreationally that is, that plays a huge role in their ability to be strong, confident women as they grow older,” Knox explained.
Part of that encouragement is as easy as getting girls to watch female athletes in action.
“We have the USL soccer leagues now with the Salmon Bay UFC, the West Seattle Rhodies, all of these teams in our region, are these are women who are just passionate about the game, want to be out there they want to be really in the mix of it so showing up to support them by buying a ticket,” Knox said.
She also pointed out how affordable these tickets are, making it easy to show kids the dedication and passion female athletes have.
KUNS (CW) will televise all non-nationally exclusive Storm games, with select games airing on KOMO (ABC). Storm games broadcast on KOMO and KUNS will also be available on digital platforms, including YouTube TV and Hulu Live.
