In an effort to increase accessibility for young women interested in basketball and the WNBA, the league has announced an initiative to bring its official three-point line to courts in parks nationwide.
The initiative, dubbed “Line ‘Em Up,” will also include donations from the league to each participating park, according to a press release.
“The park has always been at the heart of basketball,” the Line ‘Em Up website reads. “The ultimate proving ground where anyone can step up and make a name for themselves. Well, almost anyone. For too long, park courts have been dominated by men, leaving women to have to fight for every inch of space on the court. While some broke through, too many have been left on the sidelines.
“And we’re not about that.”
The site adds that Line ‘Em Up will “give girls and women undeniable equity at the park by painting the Fire Orange WNBA 3-point line on park courts across the country.”
The color orange has been synonymous with the WNBA’s branding for years, seen everywhere from the iconic orange WNBA hoodies to the panels on the official basketballs. Seeing the orange on the three-point line in the park will give young women a clear signal that they are welcome.
“When a young girl walks onto that basketball court and sees the WNBA orange 3-point line, they know that they’re being represented in a democratic community space where they once were not,” WNBA CMO Phil Cook told USA Today.
The WNBA three-point line is currently 22 feet and 1.75 inches from the basket — the same distance used in college and internationally. But many parks still use only the old college line (19 feet, 9 inches or more recently 20 feet, 9 inches) and the NBA line (23 feet, 9 inches).
As Cook explained, that’s what makes it more than just an upgrade for local parks.
“The entire WNBA was not represented in this space,” he said. “Dropping that line down now represents an entire league’s identity and can drive participation and authenticity in this space.”
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