As we bid adieu to Kyle Neptune and welcome Kevin Willard to the Villanova community, I cannot help but wonder, when are we going to consider a woman for the job? We see so many men coaching female sports in the NCAA but we don’t see hardly any at all female coaches in male sports. According to the NCAA, across all Divisions in college sports only 41% of teams are coached by women. In my opinion, this percentage is embarrassing and we need to do better in college athletics by giving women more head coaching opportunities.
My entire high school career, I was coached by strong and powerful women. Not only did this help in the logistical sense because my female coaches understood how my body felt and its limitations, but it also allowed me to feel empowered by seeing someone like myself in a leadership position. Over the years, the stigmas have piled high. Men are better coaches especially at the college level because women get too emotional and they cannot do their jobs when feelings get involved.
Well, guess what? I have watched multiple videos of male coaches across various NCAA sports losing their minds at referees in fits of rage and emotion. The difference is men are allowed to lead with whatever feelings they may have while women are seen as too emotional for these positions. In the past five years we have seen an influx of women succeeding in these coaching positions. Kim Caldwell, the Tennessee women’s basketball head coach, is currently having an impressive season as her team just advanced to the Sweet 16 of March Madness. Less than two months ago, Caldwell was pregnant courtside, left to give birth to her son and was back on the court with her team a week later.
If anything, the depth of the dedication of women has gone beyond that of our male coaches in college sports. I am lucky enough to be growing up in an era where these women are being given opportunities to make a statement and create an impact on these decorated programs. However, I believe that we can do more, and the next era of little girls deserves to see a female head coach for Villanova men’s basketball. The NCAA has a long way to go in order to bring more female representation into the business. Athletes like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have gained fame over the years but so have their strong relationships with their female coaches.
It is these “emotional” women who are building meaningful relationships with their athletes and creating results. In turn, sending their athletes onto successful professional careers as well.
“I think as a female college athlete we definitely need to see more representation of women in sports,” freshman Margot Randall, who is on the Villanova women’s volleyball team, said. “I think we are definitely turning a new leaf, professional volleyball has finally started a year or two ago, and many women are getting recognition. However, still, coaching is a male dominated field which can be difficult as a female athlete. I have definitely had more male coaches which can be tough because it is harder to build a connection [and] take orders from, however I still really enjoy my coach and wouldn’t change it for the world.”
It is so important that we continue to bring more women into college coaching staffs because not only is it vital to sports in general but it is so valuable for female athletes to see women like themselves leading other strong groups of women and men. This recent leadership shift in Villanova’s men’s basketball program has given us the ultimate reminder of why don’t we throw a woman’s name around for the job?
Just because we have never had one in this position before doesn’t mean we can’t start a new era today. It’s time to break barriers—because the future of college sports needs more women leading the way, and it starts with giving them the opportunities they have earned.
