TimesofIndia.com in Singapore: Women’s sports for years have fought one battle above all else: Visibility.It wanted television exposure, support, a larger audience and, most importantly, the right to be considered seriously. And across the sports world, the battle has changed.The Women’s Premier League has changed the business model of women’s cricket in India. The WNBA is entering its 30th season with unprecedented energy, expanding its reach, drawing on history and creating a new generation of international stars.Women’s football has broken attendance records, as the sport’s governing bodies continue to make stricter rules for female players.The problem today is not just getting girls to play. And to make sure that they stay.Because even though leagues, sponsorships and television audiences are on the rise, one insistent truth continues to spread across sports and venues. Many girls leave professional sports in their teenage years, not considering playing careers and opportunities to become future coaches, players, managers and leaders.This was a discussion that took place at the Singapore House of Tan Yeok Nee during the conference NBA‘s Her Time To Play Leader Panel. How to create an environment where girls don’t feel like they have to leave the game.
Lauren Jackson on Her NBA Playtime (Special Edition)
It wasn’t a new conversation for the NBA. The girls’ competition at the NBA Rising Stars Invitational or efforts like Her Time To Play do not represent a strategic shift.The league has spent decades marketing women’s basketball, grassroots programs and leadership programs.The rest of the sport, however, is asking the same questions.
Lauren Jackson ‘s a big question
And this is what Lauren said Jackson – A WNBA legend and one of the greatest players the women’s game has ever produced – stands out above everything else.“We know the dropouts between 13 and 16 years old,” he said.The future of women’s sports may depend on what happens next.Jackson spent a lifetime proving what women could achieve in basketball.Four Olympic medals. Multiple WNBA championships. Three WNBA Most Valuable Player awards. A Hall of Fame career that helped shape the understanding of women’s basketball.“I think Her Game, Her Future is a symbol of the place of sports for women and girls,” Jackson said. “We are at a time when there are opportunities and resources being provided for girls and women in the game of basketball.
NBA’s Her Time To Play Initiative (Special Arrangements)
But it is important to make this place for girls only. It allows them to enjoy the game without fear. When we create these opportunities, we have more power.”It’s easy to think that the biggest problem in women’s sport is at the highest level. Jackson believes it starts much earlier.In a previous interview with the Times of India, he reflected on his growth as a tough, tall teenager who often struggled with self-confidence despite his prodigious talent.He said: “I wish I had learned when I was a child. “I wish I had learned to be quiet and not to be afraid.”He admits that the lesson came much later than he would have liked. That thought was reflected in the group.He said: “I didn’t know who I was until much later. “If you use money to find out who you are first, life becomes easier. Nobody teaches young people to do that.”“We are aware of the gap between the ages of 13 and 16. In basketball we have begun to close this gap by providing leadership opportunities, educational programs, mentoring, coaching and supervision.“We’re seeing more girls staying in the game, which is what we want. We want them to lead the game in the future.”Others may be players. Some may not play professionally at all. Instead, they can become teachers, principals, teachers.The success of women’s sports, Jackson said, should be measured not only by the talent it produces but also by the communities it builds.
Build more players
That broader perspective found parallels in Rachel Lim’s story.Long before establishing Love, Bonito as one of the most popular fashion brands in Southeast Asia, Lim spent a decade playing professional soccer.Looking back, he credits those years less for developing athletic skills than for developing the courage and leadership that defined his entrepreneurial journey.“A lot of sports have taught me lessons that have made me an entrepreneur, a leader and a parent,”Across Asia, he argued, parents continue to value sports and education. Maybe they are asking the wrong question.“Instead of asking if my daughter should spend two hours studying or two hours playing games, maybe we should ask what she is getting out of the event.”Sports teach young people how to bounce back from failure, work in a team, adapt to pressure and lead others, qualities that transcend any sporting activity.His advice to the parents was simple.“When your child comes home from a game, maybe don’t ask, ‘Did you win?’ Instead ask, ‘What did you learn?’If Lim explained why cultures need to change, Natalie Dau focused on the person.The Singaporean endurance athlete, motivational speaker and Guinness World Record holder has made a name for himself by pushing the limits of physical endurance. Yet again and again he returned to an idea that had nothing to do with excellence.Permission.“When I hear His Game, His Future, the first word that comes to mind is franchise,” he said.“We spend a lot of time waiting for someone to give us permission to move forward. But you already have a choice.”
Lauren Jackson on Her NBA Playing Time (Special Edition)
Later, reflecting on the 1,000-kilometer race that was about to end on the opening day, Dau explained that courage is not often created by inspiration.“I stopped being afraid of failure and started using it as fuel.”By the end of the episode, Jackson returned to the simple message of the evening.“A dream,” he said. “If you have something you really want, make it happen. “And to everyone around him – lift him up. Be a village.”The future of women’s sports, they seem to think, cannot be built by amazing people alone. It will be built with communities that ensure that ordinary girls never lose their confidence.
Ecosystem effect
And over five days in Singapore, Jackson’s voice continued.The answer to the question he asked was not limited to the discussion. It was played throughout the week at the OCBC Arena, where some of the best collegiate teams from the Asia-Pacific region competed in the NBA Rising Stars Invitational.The girls’ competition was not taken as a sponsor. It was no longer new.As a boys’ tournament, it formed an important part of the event, reinforcing the NBA’s long-held belief that the women’s game should have an equal place in the future conversation of basketball.Throughout the week, Japan’s Seika Girls’ High School showcased a tradition that has long supported Japanese basketball. China Taipei’s Yangming High School showcased a program built on years of technological development.Australia, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore each brought different styles, reflecting different stages of basketball’s growth but a similar commitment to investing in the girls’ game.The highlight wasn’t just basketball. It was nature around it.Coaches exchanged views after the game. The NBA’s development staff moved between the courts and classrooms. The leadership workshops included an elite competition and discussions about leadership, coaching.Earlier in the week, David Lee, the NBA’s Director of Strategy for Asia and Country Head for Singapore, outlined the league’s ambitions in a similar manner in an interview with the Times of India.Success is not measured by producing elite players but by strengthening the entire basketball ecosystem across the region and bringing together schools, organizations, coaches, communities and business partners to create sustainable strategies for the next generation.Looking through that lens, programs like Jr. NBA, Basketball Without Borders, Her Time To Play and the NBA Rising Stars Invitational are not the only initiatives.It’s the connecting pieces that the league has been working on for years, that determine the future of the game depends as much on participation and retention as it does on developing elite players.That philosophy should sound familiar to Indian sports.
What India can learn
The Women’s Premier League has shown what sustainable investment can achieve in the short term. Beyond television ratings and accounting, it has changed dramatically.Young girls growing up in India today no longer have to imagine what a career in cricket looks like. He can see it happening every season.The ripple effect extends beyond the boundary line.Supporters see long-term benefits in women’s sports. Parents who used to see cricket as a distraction have come to see it as a legitimate activity. The league didn’t just create stars; it has changed the mind.Basketball, of course, works in many different areas.It doesn’t have the culture of cricket in India and the commercial volume of the WPL. However, the principles are very similar.Visibility creates interest and strategy creates engagement while communities create longevity.The WNBA update provides another reminder of this journey. Almost three decades since its inception, the league has entered a pivotal period in its history.The growth of franchises, famous media rights agreements and the arrival of new stars have made women’s basketball a major talking point.Players such as A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers have become more than elite athletes; and cultured people who have increased the interest of the league and inspired new people.But commercial success alone does not guarantee the future. Any successful technological development depends on a healthy grassroots system.This can be a big lesson that India can take from Singapore. Ecosystem Jackson talked about.“We’re seeing more girls staying in the game,” she said. “We want him to lead the game in the future.”The fight for exposure is not over, especially in many parts of the world. But when the war began to change, another one arose in its place. Not as girls can dream. Whether sports can create strong enough systems to ensure that they don’t lose the dream.
