CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte native and NBA superstar Stephen Curry, and his wife Ayesha, will look to “help female scholar-athletes keep shining” with their new initiative aimed at closing the inequity gap in women’s sports.
The Currys’ first stop will be Stephen’s alma mater, Davidson College.
The Curry Family Women’s Athletics Initiative is a gift that will establish an unrestricted scholarship endowment for Davidson’s 10 women’s athletics programs, according to the school’s website.
“One thing about me is that I never forget where I came from, and Davidson College is where it all started for me,” the Golden State Warrior point guard said in a video he posted to his Twitter account Tuesday.
In the video, Curry attributes his path to success to the “strong and powerful women” in his life. And now that he’s a father of two daughters, 9-year-old Riley and 6-year-old Ryan, he wants them to grow up “without any boundaries on their futures.”
“The Currys’ gift and vision provide an unprecedented push forward for Davidson Athletics and our exceptional scholar-athletes,” Director of Athletics Chris Clunie said. “This gift and additional support of the initiative will raise our competitiveness and open up our educational and athletic experiences to more young women.”
A Title IX report released by the NCAA in 2017 spotlighted how Division I institutions have the greatest gap in spending between men’s and women’s athletic programs, the school said in a news release. Analysis of median expenses indicated that Division I athletic departments are spending twice as much on their men’s programs than on their women’s programs.
In March, Curry, along with other prominent athletes including WNBA forward A’ja Wilson, called out the NCAA for unequal treatment of men and women basketball players.
“Wow-come on now! @marchmadness @NCAA yall trippin trippin,” the seven-time NBA All-Star tweeted in response to a video of Oregon Ducks forward Sedona Prince showing the women’s basketball team’s weight room.
Davidson isn’t disclosing the size of the Currys’ gift, a spokesman for the school told The Charlotte Observer.
The school is encouraging alumni to donate to the Curry Family Fund to support the initiative, or create a new endowed scholarship for women’s athletics.
Davidson awards more than 80 endowed athletics scholarships each year at varying levels, the school said. Men’s sports receive nearly 70% of these endowed scholarship funds.
“Let’s work together to close the opportunity gap, and as always, it’s a great day to be a Wildcat,” Curry said in his Twitter video.
