Tennis legend Billie Jean King and famed sports writer Christine Brennan wrote a book in 2008 called Pressure is a Privilege. It is about King’s life journey as a world-class tennis player who broke through barriers and advocated for gender equality in sports. She uses the title as her motto for life, where pressure is something positive rather than negative.
The pressure of working harder to reach a goal is something to relish and not run away from. That idea and its encompassing ethos is what head coach Lisa Bluder uses as a set of principles for her Iowa Hawkeyes, who are coming off the most memorable season in their history.
It was a season that was a picture-perfect highlight reel. They charged through with their break-neck pace of play, infectious chemistry and underdog superlatives. The combination helped propel their popularity within the world of women’s college basketball and beyond. Their improbable run did not end until the national championship game, where they fell short against the champion LSU Tigers. The game was watched by an estimated 10 million viewers, becoming the national water-cooler talk, both in person and online, in the days after.
Caitlin Clark is ready for her encore
The face of the team remains none other than Caitlin Clark, arguably…
