To the editor:

Matt Tait did a fine job of describing last Saturday’s “‘big, big, big’ win” for Kansas University women in Manhattan. Yet, the layout of his work in Sunday’s paper was shamefully dwarfed by the “more important” news of the men’s loss here at home! The women’s victory was totally missing from the front page while a crowd of fans in Allen Fieldhouse got front and center attention for merely sitting there, stunned by the loss.

How wonderful it would have been to see the excitement of KU fans in Manhattan, thrilled with the win! The gender bias is striking in the wallet-size picture of our heroines near the bottom of the sports page vs. the more than 60 square inches of the men’s last-ditch efforts. These guys stole the women’s thunder in the news coverage while disappointing so many people who likely have not even noticed the problem!

These observations aren’t just about gender bias. They serve, also, to illustrate the cry in our world for an emphasis on the victories, rather than the tragedies, in matters much more serious than sports. As a newcomer to Lawrence, a person who came here because of the progressiveness of this city, and as a member of the Hardwood Club, I expected more.