Basketball keeps Saudi women active, but players must be activists too

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Basketball keeps Saudi women active, but players must be activists too By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 11.09.

1 Basketball keeps Saudi women active, but players must be activists too By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 863 In this May 12, 2014, photo, girls play basketball at a sports field in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. Women s basketball is gaining in popularity in a kingdom famous for its public restrictions on female movement and activity. For the players, basketball is not merely a sport but an act of defiance in a country where female access to exercise is shunned by ultraconservatives. Photo: AP Photo/Hasan Jamali JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia As the National Basketball Association (NBA) tips off its season in the United States, a group of women and girls in Saudi Arabia will be chasing their own hoop dreams. Women's basketball is becoming popular in a kingdom that has strict rules about what women are allowed to do. Now, women are using basketball to push for greater rights on and off the courts in Saudi Arabia. "We are an activist team," said Lina Almaeena, who started the first women's basketball team here 11 years ago. In 2006, Jiddah United became the first sports club in Saudi Arabia to include women. "We took it upon ourselves to really promote the sport at a time when it was a big time taboo."

2 An Act Of Defiance For the players, basketball is not merely a sport. It's also an act of defiance in a country where female access to exercise is shunned by ultraconservatives. Physical education is still not taught to girls in Saudi public schools. Women are bound by strict rules when it comes to what they wear. They cannot be seen by men while jogging in sweat pants, much less wearing fitted or revealing shorts. Most women in Saudi Arabia cover their hair and face with a veil known as the niqab and all women are required to wear a loose black dress known as the abaya in public. Nevertheless, Saudi women's basketball is on the rise. Women from the ultraconservative kingdom are even playing in other Arab countries. Hadeer Sadagah, 20, started playing eight years ago with Almaeena at Jiddah United. She now plays at the college level for the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. "I wouldn't be the person I am today without the sport and the team," she said. "It made me be more active in society, school and in studies. It made me more social. It made me confident." At a recent afternoon basketball practice in Jiddah, girls as young as 4 years old jumped, took shots and ran on open-air basketball courts behind gated concrete walls. Boys played in nearby courts. The children and their coaches stopped for daily prayers. Male Coaches Can't Attend Games Almaeena says basketball is becoming popular among Saudi girls because it offers the camaraderie of a team sport. Basketball is also seen as more acceptable by society. The girls can practice in loose, traditional clothes, and the sport can be played indoors and outdoors. The sport has grown into a network of teams in different cities. No formal league exists but women's teams play in privately organized tournaments against a handful of other private schools, universities and club teams. Despite the growth, women's basketball in Saudi Arabia still faces a host of logistical obstacles. For one, the kingdom has rules about keeping men and women apart. Women's teams are not part of the kingdom's federation that oversees sports. Women often struggle to find facilities to train and are not allowed to attend matches in stadiums. In Jiddah, the older female players practice and play in a female-only gym. They only play tournaments in front of other women, and even their male coaches do not attend games.

3 It wasn't until 2012 that Saudi Arabia sent its first female athletes to the Olympics exactly two of them. But two years later for the 2014 Asian Games, the kingdom went back to its tradition of sending only men. "Immoral" Track Suits Almaeena's team generated some negative publicity in 2009 after they played a tournament in Jordan. The players were not wearing their abayas and photographs of them in modest track suits landed in local newspapers. They were labeled "immoral" and "satanic," Almaeena said. It makes sense that Jiddah would become the birthplace for women's basketball in Saudi Arabia. The coastal city is easily the country's most liberal and worldly. Jiddah's residents are a melting pot of ethnicities whose ancestors settled along an ancient trade route. The result has been a distinct and more open culture than Saudi cities like the capital, Riyadh. "Jiddah is where women are most physically active in society," said Sadagah, the Jiddah-born player in Sharjah. Jiddah created public spaces where women and young girls briskly stroll alongside men in sporty black robes. It is an unusual sight in a kingdom where women exercising is largely a private activity. Sneakers And A Chauffeur However, even in Jiddah it is mostly rich women who play sports. Joining a club like Jiddah United costs around 600 riyals ($130) a month. Getting to a gym or sports club also requires paying for a driver, or chauffeur, because women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia. For now, women's basketball remains a fringe phenomenon in Saudi Arabia. But for enthusiastic players and their parents, its presence is a much-welcome source of both exercise and confidence-building life lessons. Alaa AlShuwayer, a pharmacist and mother to two young girls, recently checked out a basketball practice with Abdul Salam in Jiddah. She was considering enrolling her daughters. "I know 100 percent there's nothing wrong with girls or boys playing sports," she said. "I'd rather they play sports than buy them dresses and earrings."

4 Quiz 1 Select the option that BEST provides an accurate summary of the article. Owing to the growing popularity of women's basketball, Saudi Arabian women are now confident of playing in other Arab countries. Even though women's basketball has become quite popular, it still faces criticism from conservative voices in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity to engage in a team activity has pushed the popularity of basketball among Saudi Arabian women. Despite strict rules for women, Saudi Arabian women are taking up basketball to fight for their rights. 2 Which of the following sentences from the article is LEAST important to include in a summary of the article? In 2006, Jiddah United became the first sports club in Saudi Arabia to include women. Women's teams are not part of the kingdom's federation that oversees sports. Almaeena's team generated some negative publicity in 2009 after they played a tournament in Jordan. Hadeer Sadagah, 20, started playing eight years ago with Almaeena at Jiddah United. 3 The article introduces Jiddah's role in promoting women's basketball in Saudi Arabia by: providing a detailed description of Jiddah United sharing personal anecdotes of female basketball players stating facts about Jiddah's society and its liberal thinking drawing connections between clothing in Jiddah and the rest of Saudi Arabia 4 The article draws connections between all of the following EXCEPT: women's basketball and privately held competitions liberal thinking and the capital city of Saudi Arabia women's basketball and traditional clothes affluent women and playing sports

5 Answer Key 1 Select the option that BEST provides an accurate summary of the article. Owing to the growing popularity of women's basketball, Saudi Arabian women are now confident of playing in other Arab countries. Even though women's basketball has become quite popular, it still faces criticism from conservative voices in Saudi Arabia. The opportunity to engage in a team activity has pushed the popularity of basketball among Saudi Arabian women. Despite strict rules for women, Saudi Arabian women are taking up basketball to fight for their rights. 2 Which of the following sentences from the article is LEAST important to include in a summary of the article? In 2006, Jiddah United became the first sports club in Saudi Arabia to include women. Women's teams are not part of the kingdom's federation that oversees sports. Almaeena's team generated some negative publicity in 2009 after they played a tournament in Jordan. Hadeer Sadagah, 20, started playing eight years ago with Almaeena at Jiddah United. 3 The article introduces Jiddah's role in promoting women's basketball in Saudi Arabia by: providing a detailed description of Jiddah United sharing personal anecdotes of female basketball players stating facts about Jiddah's society and its liberal thinking drawing connections between clothing in Jiddah and the rest of Saudi Arabia 4 The article draws connections between all of the following EXCEPT: women's basketball and privately held competitions liberal thinking and the capital city of Saudi Arabia women's basketball and traditional clothes affluent women and playing sports

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