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Quandaries: Field hockey’s extremely popular problem
There has arguably never been a better time for women’s sports in this country. The WNBA is exploding in popularity. The NWSL is on the rise. Weeks ago, women won the majority of America’s medals at an especially high-profile Olympics.
These spikes in popularity have largely been driven by recognizable stars. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Marta and Debinha in the NWSL. Track stars like Sha’Carri Richardson and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Etc., etc.
So why isn’t field hockey joining the wave? As Brendan Quinn wrote in a spectacular feature today, the sport’s stardom problem is thorny and contentious, and it centers around one person: Erin Matson.
Matson is a talented — and wildly popular — lightning rod:
- Matson, just 24, won four national titles and three player of the year awards at North Carolina. She graduated in 2022 and was immediately hired as North Carolina’s head coach, a stunning move for the country’s best program.
- Matson followed that by winning a national title in her first year as coach last season. Not bad.
