WNBA players’ recent advocacy and negotiations have made headlines, with some critics calling the progress and popularity a modern anomaly. Far from that, Ava Fleisher SC ’28 explores the rich history of women’s basketball at the 5Cs, dating back to Pomona’s groundbreaking 1903 team.
Commentary
Growing out of the dynasty; saying goodbye to my Warriors-filled childhood
After a full decade of record-setting dominance in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors dynasty is nearing its end. Charlotte Hahm SC ’28 reflects on her memories growing up alongside the team’s break-out years and how her hometown team’s dependable success fueled childlike hope and naivety.
Seminars and scoreboards: David Goldblatt
Pitzer professor David Goldblatt is obsessed with football (soccer). After finishing his undergraduate years at Cambridge University, a young Goldblatt visited a place he hadn’t been since his childhood — a football stadium. This was the spark that ignited his multi-decade tango with the sport, not as a professional athlete but as an author and journalist examining its hidden political and sociological impact.
Get your head in the game: Tennis and anti-perfectionism
For many sports fans around the world, the spectator experience is an added perk to enjoy the players and teams they love. It may even be why one turns on Tennis Channel and re-watches the highlights like Federer vs Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon final, or the angry meltdown of Serena Williams in her 2018 U.S. Open Final against Naomi Osaka. However, Katie Fullerton SC ’28 argues that for many tennis fans, watching the sport is more stressful than playing it.
Cram the stands for our DIII athletes!
As a prospective college golfer entering the college application process, Ansley Kang SC ’29 was initially excited to discover Division III schools as an ideal balance between academic focus and athletic performance. Much to her shock, however, DIII athletes are often held to the same standards as Division I athletes, despite much lower student attendance. Kang argues that the reason DIII athletics is often undermined is not a gaping lack of entertainment compared to DI, but because many students don’t care enough to attend a game and see for themselves.
The NCAA has never marched closer to madness
For years, the men’s NCAA Division I basketball tournament — affectionately dubbed March Madness — has lived up to a simple promise: fans can always expect the unexpected. For three weeks every spring, America keeps one eye on the bracket, anticipating the next Cinderella run, the next buzzer‑beater or the next big upset. Talbott Chesley PO ’28 writes that this year, the competition has kept fans on their toes in a truly spectacular and historical fashion.
Seminars and scoreboards: Economics of sports
Few economics electives are as popular as Economics of Sports at Pomona College. This spring, Professor Marisa Cameron, an avid football fan herself, is teaching two sections of the upper-division elective. From using data analytics to calculate player value to learning the history of free agency, students like Tara Kamshad PO ’28 use sports as an accessible gateway to the world of economics.
Tentative WNBA CBA offers newfound equity, but it is not enough
The Women’s National Basketball Association’s (WNBA) players live in a strange paradox. They are among the best athletes in the world, performing on national television and representing their sport globally. Yet, financially, they are treated as an afterthought compared to their male counterparts in the NBA.
Trust in baseball: Summer is almost here
For much of the United States, Punxsutawney Phil and his famous walk on Feb. 2 is the anointed decider of the spring to come. Phil is cute, traditional and annoyingly pessimistic. Baseball, on the other hand, serves its role in the sports calendar admirably.
Swim-flation hits the 5Cs
At the 2026 SCIAC Swim and Dive Championships on Feb. 18-22, four out of the 10 relay meet records were broken, and three individual event records were broken. In addition, seven freshmen won SCIAC titles.