Breaking Barriers: Dr. Lauren Brown on Women’s Athletics
On this week's edition of Women’s History Month Faculty Feature, Trexler library is highlighting Dr. Lauren E. Brown, associate professor of Sport Management.
Name: Lauren E. Brown, Ph.D.
Role: Associate Professor, Sport Management
Number of Year(s) at DeSales: 10 years
Trexler Library: Tell us a little about yourself! What motivated you to pursue Sport Management?
Lauren Brown: Sport was always present in our house growing up. I was the kid who knew every stat, wanted to participate in every sport, and was lucky enough to have parents who shared and encouraged my interest. And because sport is one of the things I enjoy the most in the world, I couldn’t imagine a career that didn’t incorporate it.
Trexler: What is the best part of your role at DeSales while working with students?
Dr. Brown: The best part is always when you see the growth of a student, personally and professionally, over their time at DeSales.
Trexler: What impact has a library or Trexler Library had on you as an educator?
Dr. Brown: As a person who has books tattooed on their arm, focusing on the library simply in relation to my career would be limiting! Especially before we had the internet (yes, I had an analog childhood), books and, in turn, the library, were an introduction to the world beyond our own little existence. A library can mean new knowledge; it can offer escapism; it can be so many things a well-rounded, engaged person needs if they take advantage of the resources. My library card is well-worn!
Trexler: What would you like to see changed or improved upon in women’s sports or concerning gender equality in athletics?
Dr. Brown: There isn’t enough space here for me to list all the changes that need to happen. There is so much work to do that requires deep, societal change if women’s sport is given true equity. One place we could easily start would be for people to stop perceiving women’s sport as lesser. When you consider the reasons people engage with sport, such as entertainment, escape, and family time (Wann, 1995), women’s sport can provide these things in the same way men’s sport can. So, given these facts, why does a society nominally built on equality continue to treat women as lesser?
Trexler: What female public figure, past or present, inspires you and why?
Dr. Brown: Anyone who has sat in my class for more than five minutes has definitely heard me quote Beyoncé (the best revenge really is your paper), but if we’re talking about real inspiration, I don’t generally look to public figures – it leads to disappointment. In my case, I’m lucky that my Mom has served as a great example. She has quietly broken barriers throughout her life, including being one of the founding members of Villanova’s Women’s Basketball program at a time when women weren’t meant to feel welcome on campus, let alone want to participate in sport.
Trexler: What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
Dr. Brown: To me, Women’s History Month is a sign of the progress made in my lifetime. Women’s History Month wasn’t established until 1987 and, despite attending an all-girls high school in the mid-1990s, I don’t remember it ever being discussed while I was in school. The fact that we are calling attention to it today is important both as an acknowledgement of how far we’ve come and a reminder that there is still work to do.
