Download or read book When Women Rule the Court written by Nicole Willms and published by Rutgers University Press. This book was released on 2017-08-28 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For nearly one hundred years, basketball has been an important part of Japanese American life. Women’s basketball holds a special place in the contemporary scene of highly organized and expansive Japanese American leagues in California, in part because these leagues have produced numerous talented female players. Using data from interviews and observations, Nicole Willms explores the interplay of social forces and community dynamics that have shaped this unique context of female athletic empowerment. As Japanese American women have excelled in mainstream basketball, they have emerged as local stars who have passed on the torch by becoming role models and building networks for others.