Carnesecca Arena was filled with pink when the St. John’s women’s basketball team hosted its annual “Think Pink” game on Saturday, Feb. 2.
Along with 701 universities St. John’s participated in the national “Think Pink” campaign.
The game was just one of the promotional events held at the University to raise money for breast cancer research.
WNBA legend Lisa Leslie-Lockwood was the guest speaker at a dinner reception following the game, commemorating several breast cancer survivors but also speaking on how it felt being a woman in sports.
Dressed in pink warm-ups along with pink shoelaces and pink hair ties, the Red Storm and the Marquette Golden Eagles entered the arena to a crowd filled with fans in pink.
“As a woman in sports we have to be thankful about Title IX. We have to make sure congress is aware of the importance of women in sports and the law itself gives young girls the opportunity to dream and pursue their dreams of going to college on scholarship,” Leslie-Lockwood stated.
More coverage nationally of all women’s sports is one of the flaws, Lockwood noted, but things have come a long way since 1972 when the law was first enacted.
Red Storm head coach Kim Barnes-Arico also spoke to her team before the game about the importance of being women in sports and breast cancer awareness.
Many of the Johnnies know the hardships of being a woman in sports, but the breast cancer awareness is something not as familiar.
“When you’re young you think you’re invincible, and I’m not sure if any of my players have experienced someone with breast cancer but I’m sure in the next 20 years they will,” Barnes-Arico said.
“That’s why it’s important for us to hold fundraisers and speak about it.”
In combined efforts with the American Cancer Society St. John’s held a clinic for children ages 13 and under. The clinic was run by members of many of St. John’s women’s teams.
Continuing to embrace the strides women have made in sports and help make an impact in an issue that plagues many women, just by “thinking pink” the Red Storm touched more lives than they can imagine.
