Although some have been more prolific than others, we can’t help but applaud those who went from the closet within the house of mouse to the center stage in Hollywood. 

Dove Cameron: Liv and Maddie / Descendants

Dove Cameron became a Disney Channel staple playing dual roles on “Liv and Maddie” before leading the wildly popular “Descendants” franchise. Since coming out as queer in 2020, she’s evolved from a child star to embrace a more mature, expressive identity in both her music and public persona. It goes to prove that Disney can raise them but, after that, they’re on their own. And Dove is doing just fine. 



Joshua Bassett: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

No one else could have rebooted “High School Musical” like Joshua Bassett. He recaptured a heartthrob energy that Zac Ephron created for the original movies. But it’s his real-life vulnerability and openness about fluidity that’s resonated with fans beyond the Mouse. His journey to adulthood is playing out in the public eye and we are loving every step. When he looks into the camera and speaks on Instagram it’s like he’s your best friend.



Raven-Symoné: That’s So Raven

A legacy Disney star, Raven- Symoné who blew up the channel with her starring role in “That’s So Raven.” Her comic timing was masterclass for a kid her age; it spoke to her peers but also adults who could appreciate her talent. She was a Disney superstar in every sense of the word. Now as a grown woman she has shed that kid-friendly persona and become an edgy and outspoken voice for the queer community. Her stint on “The View” proved that the brilliance she showed on her sitcom wasn’t a fluke, there was intelligence and intention behind it all. 



Auliʻi Cravalho: Moana

Disney hates controversy and even though “Moana” came out in 2016, they might have frowned upon its voice acting lead Auliʻi Cravalho coming out at the same time. Millions of dollars later, she did just that in 2020, and she didn’t lose the keys to the castle. Since then, her advocacy and openness have made her an inspiring figure beyond the screen. She explains in pink news that she was getting offered a lot of queer roles after coming out as bisexual. That was fine, “But don’t just show us in the light of ‘my sexuality is this burden’, because it’s not. It is so joyful.”



Luke Evans: Beauty and the Beast

Here’s a twist, an adult gay Disney star who’s been out since the beginning of his career and starred in one of the most successful live action remakes of the studio’s animated classics. In “Beaty and the Beast” Evans brought swagger and menace to Gaston, its narcissistic womanizing villain. It might have been against type but if Disney does anything well it keeps kids entertained while keeping adults in on the joke. Evans has carved out a space as a leading man who never hid who he is—something that still feels quietly revolutionary in Hollywood.

By Sunday, Universal Pictures expects the five-day opening of the “Super Mario” sequel to reach $186 million domestically, and around $350 million worldwide. That would make it easily the biggest hit of the year, surpassing a pair of successes that also launched with young moviegoers in mind: Pixar’s “Hoppers” ($297 million worldwide) and Amazon MGM’s “Project Hail Mary” ($300.8 million).

It’s not the start of a new trend but the culmination of one. In 2024, PG-rated movies outgrossed any other rating for the first time in decades, with $3.18 billion in domestic ticket sales according to Comscore. Five of the top six movies worldwide were PG movies: “Inside Out 2,” “Moana 2,” “Despicable Me 4,” “Wicked” and “Mufasa: The Lion King.”

Last year was no different. PG-rated films amassed $2.96 billion, again besting the longtime leader, PG-13. The top draws globally were “Ne Zha 2,” “Zootopia 2,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “A Minecraft Movie” and the PG-13-rated but not exactly kid-adverse “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”

Good news has been hard to come by in Hollywood. Contraction, most recently with Paramount Skydance’s planned purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, has added to the anxieties of an already jittery industry. While ticket sales are up so far in 2026, they remain more than 20% below pre-pandemic levels. In February, AMC, the nation’s largest exhibitor, said it would continue to shutter underperforming theaters.

But despite a lot of talk about the imperiled future of moviegoing, future moviegoers — kids — are turning out in droves.

“There’s a recognition that this is an increasingly important group of movie fans and we’re doing everything we can to make sure their experience is wonderful,” says Michael O’Leary, president and chief executive of Cinema United, the trade group for theater owners.

Gen Alpha, those aged 12 or younger, may even be the movies’ best hope. A study last year by the National Research Group found that no generational group wanted to watch movies on the big screen, as opposed to at home, more than Gen Alpha.

“We’re emboldened by some of the research that indicates younger folks are the fastest growing demographic of people going to the movies,” O’Leary says. “We’re very much focused on the fact that we have to build the next generation of movie fans.”

Mario, Minions and more

In 2023, “The Super Mario Movie,” part of Universal’s collaboration with Nintendo and “Minions”-maker Illumination, grossed $1.36 billion. Its sequel is likely to get close to that, and add to a mounting string of $1 billion kids movies. The most recent was The Walt Disney Co.’s “Zootopia 2,” which became the highest-grossing Hollywood animated film of all time with a whopping $1.87 billion.

Increasingly, a generation that grew up with smartphones, iPads and Netflix is propelling today’s biggest blockbusters.

“What’s been true for a long time and is maybe even truer today: Families want to be out,” says Jim Orr, distribution chief for Universal, which recently announced the expansion of its exclusive theatrical window from three weekends to five. “They want to do things. They want to make memories.”

“No one talks about: Remember that great time when we sat on the couch?”

And this year may be the most kid-catered year at the movies yet. There are 26 wide-release PG movies slated for 2026, up from 24 in 2025 and 18 in 2024.

That includes a summer lineup that’s family friendly on a nearly week-to-week basis. Potential blockbusters lined up include “Toy Story 5” (June 19), “Minions & Monsters” (July 1) and the live-action “Moana” (July 10). Though currently unrated, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” (May 22) and “Supergirl” (June 26), not to mention “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (July 31), will all also target young moviegoers.

A PG comeback

The PG surge comes several years after most family movies detoured to streaming during the pandemic, a shift that some, at the time, feared would become permanent.

“The family film has literally come back from near-extinction,” says Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Comscore. “The one genre that really took a major hit with the pandemic was the family film.”

But kids increasingly count among a key category for theaters: the habitual moviegoer. That’s considered going to six or more movies a year. And it’s not just younger kids. Last year, 41% of Gen Z moviegoers went to the movies at least six times, according to NRG, up from 31% two years earlier.

For cinephiles who have long feared movie theaters effectively turning into mini theme parks, the predominance of kid-oriented franchise blockbusters is unlikely to allay those concerns. Mid-budget, adult releases are increasingly rare. Dramas and comedies have struggled to attract audiences. Family-friendly movies occupying a bigger slice of cinemas is partially because adult moviegoing has waned.

But if older moviegoers are harder to coax away from the couch, families have been more eager. For them, the appeal of getting out of the house, despite rising ticket costs or the options on streaming services, is as strong as ever.

“In many instances, they’re going to the theater to get away from all of the other screens that inhabit their lives,” says O’Leary. “When I was a kid, you went to the movies, in part, to escape from something. So it’s a new variation on that old theme.”

Dergarabedian has taken to calling PG the new PG-13. If slightly adult-leaning movies once occupied the center of the multiplex, that territory now belongs to the PG movie.

“The kids that are going to the movies today are going to take their kids tomorrow,” Dergarabedian says. “As long as people keep making kids, the future of the movie theater experience is assured.”

Podcasts are the evolution of that kind of programming but now they cater to everybody. Whether your interest is drag, queer politics or pop culture that content is only a play button away.  Let’s look at some of these audio entertainers who put the talk back in talk show. 

Bowen Yang & Matt Rogers – Las Culturistas

Like a good cocktail Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers have the right chemistry that goes down easy but packs a satisfying punch. Las Culturistas is pop culture goss that leaves no topic unturned. It’s tea without cream and sugar; bold and to the point. They talk as if your in their friend group and taking part in their conversation. It’s Yang and Roger’s world and we’re just living in it. 



Trixie Mattel & Katya Zamolodchikova – The Bald and the Beautiful

Perhaps the biggest star to graduate from “Ru Paul’s Drag Race” is Trixie Mattel. She become a brand who uses social media in all its forms to make her bag. And if you didn’t know, her bestie Katya Zamolodchikov has been along for the ride from the start. Their podcast “The Bald and the Beautiful” is a hilarious blend of pop culture, personal anecdotes and behind the scenes tea about the industry. They deliver honesty, and just enough chaos to keep you hooked—like sleepover conversations that spiral into manic rants.



Jessica Yellin – News Not Noise

Remember when CNN introduced their breaking news scrawl at the bottom of the TV screen? It was a shortened easy to read story giving just enough info to allow people to be informed without a long explanation. Some people had a fit about it, they didn’t want text taking up screen real estate. Jessica Yellin might be the human equivalent to that. She’s a grounded listen, and offers clear, digestible breakdowns of major headlines without the usual cable-news panic. With a strong commitment to inclusivity and clarity, it’s a refreshing, thoughtful take on staying informed.



Jameela Jamil – I Weigh

The great thing about podcasts is that they remain streaming even after the final episode. Such is the case for Jameela Jamil’s “I Weigh” which unplugged its microphone in 2025. But just because the show has gone dark doesn’t mean you can’t listen to reruns. It explores identity, mental health, and social pressure through candid conversations. Jameela Jamil brings a progressive, inclusive lens that resonates deeply with LGBTQ+ listeners looking for something more introspective.



Ashley Gavin “We’re Having Gay Sex” 

There’s no syrup in Ashley Gavin’s punchlines; you get nothing to help the honesty go down smoothly and we wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s loud, chaotic, and very online—in the best way. Her guests spread across the LGBTQ spectrum to talk about sex, relationships, and identity with zero filter. “We’re Having Gay Sex” has built a huge following probably because of its honesty. It feels like you’re getting the scoop on things you didn’t know you were interested in. It’s edgy, funny, and unapologetically queer.

They are just material of fact about it. That is the case with Patrick Parrish a hot realtor based out of Chicago Illinois. 



But just because his posts seem unintentional doesn’t mean he’s not sexy, in fact if he wanted to really get into taking thirst traps it would probably be a lucrative side hustle. 



But Patrick isn’t just serving gym thirst (though, let’s be honest, he’s very good at that), he seems grounded and kind of modest. 



It just goes to show you that casually scrolling through Instagram profiles you can sometimes discover beauty among the chaos. 



There’s just enough personality peeking through the polish to make you want to stick around, double-tap, and maybe linger a second longer than you planned.



With a gaze that seems to look past the camera Patrick is selling more than real estate, he’s got your heart in escrow. 

He's the star, co-creator and an executive producer of CBS and Paramount+'s “Fire Country” and a co-creator and executive producer of the spinoff freshman drama “Sheriff Country,” which both rule Friday nights as the No. 1 and No. 2 top-rated shows.

“It still feels a little surreal, for sure,” he says. “I didn’t feel like I was as smart as a lot of other writers, but the thing that I also realized early on is the biggest thing is you just need to connect with people. If you can move people, then you have them.”

“Fire Country” — the most watched freshman show of the 2022-23 season and now in its fourth season — and “Sheriff Country” are both set in the fictional California town of Edgewater, a rural community where everyone knows everyone else's business.

Both marry things like office love triangles with plenty of heart-thumping action — knocking down canopy fires on “Fire Country” or solving a kidnapping tied to synthetic weed for the folks on “Sheriff Country,” led by actor Morena Baccarin.

“That’s what these shows are — they’re grounded human stories centered in this small, rural community where life is complex, things aren’t black and white, and I think that’s relatable to a lot of people,” says Thieriot.

On Friday, his two shows will have their first crossover event as Edgewater's sheriffs and firefighters team up to search for nine missing teens amid escalating chaos, a two-hour block where actors from both shows mingle.

“I love the episodes and it really plays like one, big, two-part incident,” he says. “It feels very fluid but we get to dive a little bit into the fun, too, like there’s moments of levity and moments of heart and some great intrigue.”

Thieriot knows this place

Thieriot grew up in the Sonoma County town of Occidental, a former logging hub nestled among towering redwoods, and watched many of his friends join the ranks of Cal Fire, California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Thieriot's early acting gigs included “Bates Motel” and “SEAL Team” before he turned to writing. And when he did, he wrote what he knew.

“There’s a lot of things that people go through in their own personal life experiences or places they grew up that really could make for great television,” Thieriot says. “It almost takes somebody else looking at your crazy life to realize, ‘Wait a second, that sounds like a show.’”

Thieriot created the character of Bode Donovan, an inmate given the chance to join Cal Fire in exchange for a shortened prison sentence. Over the seasons, he's faced drug dependency, a return to jail, family strains and heartbreak, in addition to harrowing wildfires.

Thieriot says he was deeply influenced by the show “Friday Night Lights,” which centered on a Texas town where the culture of high school football runs deep: “The thing that I loved about that show was you didn’t have to be a fan of football to like it. You saw how football was something in this community that brought everybody together, how life revolved around it.”

He hopes people tune into his show for the fires but stay for the characters. And with “Fire Country” a hit right out of the gate, Thieriot believed the town he created had more stories to tell. “We get to see one part of Edgewater in ‘Fire Country.’ Let’s bring the viewers the other part of Edgewater.”

Perhaps more than ruling Friday TV nights, Thieriot is proudest of creating jobs with his two shows: “One of the most gratifying things is knowing that between both shows there's like 800 people that are getting paid every two weeks.”

Rural life

Running procedurals for two shows set in a working-class, rural community has its challenges. Unlike in a series set in an urban area, law enforcement and firefighters in Edgewater likely know the victims they race to help.

“There is something different about rolling up on a scene and it’s your friend or your neighbor,” says Joan Rater, who co-created both shows with Thieriot and her husband, Tony Phelan. “You know them as a whole person. And so you’re not going to come with certain assumptions you may come with if you didn’t know them.”

That means the writers need to play a long game — laying the groundwork for future drama by introducing and nurturing characters to weave in and out every week.

Phelan laughs that Thieriot is so plugged into his Northern California community that he always knows a buddy in firefighting or farming or law enforcement whom the writers can turn to for a storyline.

“Max is incredibly generous, but he also has a very clear idea of the story and the tone of the show and what feels true to him,” he says. “I think Max is really dialed into the audience of the show.”

Thieriot hopes the fictional community he's created can help the real nation bridge some of its division. Neighbors in Edgewater might disagree but they've got each other's backs and they need to stay civil because they'll see them again real soon.

“I think it’s important to be reminded that we all live in the same country, we all bleed the same,” he says. “Obviously there’s differences between everybody, but that’s the great thing. It’s understanding those differences that makes us unique and special, not enemies.”

As for whether there's another series in him, don't bet against Thieriot. “My wheels are always turning,” he says, laughing. “I’m doing my best to add as much as I can to these two shows, but I’d be lying if I said if I wasn’t thinking about something else.”

No word on whether he got to keep the ball.

Albert Suárez was on the mound for the Orioles in the top of the ninth inning against Texas when his 1-2 pitch to Evan Carter with two outs was called a ball by plate umpire Manny Gonzalez. Basallo challenged, the replay showed most of the ball catching the upper outside corner of the strike zone, and Baltimore's 8-3 win was in the books.

“I think we had two (challenges left) at that point,” the 21-year-old Basallo said through a translator. “I thought why not use it? Better to use it and see what happens instead of holding onto it.”

Basallo, who also hit a 437-foot homer Wednesday, used a little body English while the replay was in progress, then headed toward the mound for a hug with Suárez, who pitched three innings for his first save since 2017.

“I wasn't thinking it was a strike, and then when he challenged I was like, ‘OK, let's see,’” Suárez said. “Good thing we got it.”

This is the first season this technology is being used in regular-season big league games.

The Orioles used a challenge in a crucial ninth-inning spot Sunday, turning a full-count walk into a strikeout as they held off Minnesota 8-6. Twins manager Derek Shelton was ejected after that one — he thought the challenge signal didn't come fast enough.

Suárez was called back to the majors after Zach Eflin had to leave Tuesday's start with elbow discomfort. After an early flight Wednesday, he was able to give the rest of the bullpen a rest.

The 36-year-old Suárez was asked his view on the ABS in general.

“I think I like it more after what happened today," Suárez said.

But surely, these words have rarely if ever been uttered with such an apparent death wish as when Riz Ahmed, our latest troubled prince, hurtles down a motorway in his BMW, gathering speed with each iamb.

Talk about “shuffling off this mortal coil” — his hands are off the wheel, and he's in the wrong lane! His eventual demise, in director Aneil Karia’s new “Hamlet,” seems perilously premature — until he wisely stops the car. Because, as we know, there are many deaths to come before Hamlet’s.

Every screen adaptation has had to wrestle with where to place, physically, this most famous of speeches. Laurence Olivier intoned the words near a literal, cresting “sea of troubles.” Kenneth Branagh stared into a mirror. Ethan Hawke notably did it in a Blockbuster aisle — his angst relatable to anyone who has trouble deciding on a movie.

But Ahmed’s version seems particularly apt for the actor’s considerable talents, and is one of the more compelling moments of a pared-down, engaging if spotty rendering of the world’s most famous play. Jittery, tense, fast-talking and always on edge, this is a Hamlet, above all, in a rush.

He also inevitably recalls a Hamlet-like character who recently graced our small screens: Kendall Roy in “Succession.”

The setting, indeed, is so “Succession”-like, it hardly seems an accident. The film, adapted by Michael Lesslie, takes place in modern-day corporate London, centered on a wealthy real estate family in the South Asian community.

The name of the family biz? No, not Roy. It’s Elsinore, of course.

We open with death, naturally. “Elsinore Property CEO Dead at 77,” the headlines blare. Every Hamlet wrestles with grief and anger, but Ahmed, in an absorbing performance that starts with wide-eyed intensity and moves on from there, seems already near a breaking point as he mourns his father.

Indeed, his instability makes us wonder if venal Claudius (an excellent Art Malik) is really a murderer — or if Hamlet is imagining it. But we don't have much time to reflect. Hamlet’s mother Gertrude, a queenlike corporate wife (Sheeba Chaddha, poignant) is about to marry Claudius. Hamlet, of course, finds this appalling — even before his meets his father’s ghost.

That crucial scene takes place on a bleak rooftop (most scenes are at night, or if in daytime, still dark). “I am your father’s spirit,” says the ghost, asking Hamlet to avenge him. It's not quite obvious why this corporate Claudius killed his brother — was it a mere power struggle? Relatively short shrift is given also to a social-justice theme involving a tent city of people evicted from Elsinore property.

Another omission concerns Ophelia's role. The character, played here by Morfydd Clark, has never had it easy, but surely she deserved something akin to the mad scene she has in the play.

Like Clark, all the supporting characters are well cast. The Shakespeare veteran Timothy Spall, especially, is an entertaining Polonius, and he sure gets the bloodiest death. Joe Alwyn, as Laertes, eventually gets a lot more action than he did as Agnes Shakespeare’s brother in “Hamnet.”

It's not long before Hamlet, plotting revenge while pacing the lush lawns of the family estate, realizes: “The play’s the thing, wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.” And indeed, the play is the thing wherein the film catches our attention — a full-on dance performance with glittering costumes and high drama (choreography credit goes to Akram Khan). Another visual highlight is a street procession, with groom Claudius riding a white horse and bearing a ceremonial sword.

It's mid-wedding when Hamlet decides to take the spin in his car and his most famous words come tumbling out. Ahmed has said he interprets the “to be or not to be” speech as not so much about questioning life, but more as an exhortation to fight injustice. The actor-rapper has also noted that a drama teacher helped him see the similarities between rap and Shakespearean verse.

In any case, as in every “Hamlet,” when blood starts flowing, it flows fast. The final confrontation plays out cleverly here in a family dining room — not with the traditional swords, but certainly with poison.

We all know what happens. At least Kendall stayed alive at the end of “Succession” — although in his depleted, defeated state, as he stared at the water, one can imagine what he, too, might have been thinking: “To be, or not to be?”

“Hamlet,” a Vertical Entertainment release, opens April 10 and has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association for “some bloody violence, suicide, brief drug use and language.” Running time: 114 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

“During Tuesday night’s production, Megan started feeling very ill and was promptly transported to a local hospital, where her symptoms are currently being evaluated,” her representative, Didier Morais, said in a statement. “We will share additional updates as more information becomes available.”

The Grammy Award-winning rapper made her Broadway debut last week as nightclub impresario Harold Zidler in the show at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, and was expected to conclude her run on May 17. Others who have played the part of Zidler include Boy George, Wayne Brady, Tituss Burgess and Bob the Drag Queen.

“Moulin Rouge! The Musical” is slated to close July 26 after a seven-year run. The show is about the goings-on in a turn-of-the-century Parisian nightclub, updated with tunes like “Single Ladies” and “Firework” alongside the big hit “Lady Marmalade.”

Championship trophies are proudly displayed near the entrance while Hall of Fame banners honoring some of the school's icons, including former coach Cathy Rush, adorn the walls.

Powerhouses in this weekend's Final Four like UConn and South Carolina stand on the shoulders of schools like Immaculata, Queens College, Wayland Baptist and Delta State. During the early years of the women’s basketball poll that debuted in 1976, those programs set the foundation, dominating the now dissolved Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW).

But during the 50 years of the women’s poll, those pioneering programs haven’t been able to sustain the dynasty-level success that shaped women’s hoops in the 1970s.

“You can look back and say, ‘Well, it’s been a few years since we won a national championship,’” said Delta State athletic director Mike Kinnison, who was a student when the school won consecutive national titles from 1975-1977. “And that’s true. But, you know, they don’t give those away. You don’t buy them at Walmart. You’ve got to earn them.”

The game has professionalized as money reshaped the sports landscape, and competitive advantages shifted to big schools with seemingly unlimited budgets when the NCAA took over the sport in 1982.

The Lady Statesmen were the first No. 1 team when the women’s basketball poll debuted 50 years ago. Wayland Baptist was second, Immaculata third and Queens ninth. Delta State will be recognized during “The AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience” being held Thursday-Saturday at Arizona State’s First Amendment Forum in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The poll has served as a road map for the rise of the sport but a lot of things have happened since 1982.

“The whole landscape of NCAA and Division II has changed,” Kinnison said. “Women’s basketball has just exploded. And so it’s hard to dominate that space.”

‘Incredible’ changes to women's basketball

Immaculata won three consecutive AIAW titles from 1972-1976 in front of sellout crowds that were a rarity in women's basketball at the time. Delta State won the next three under trailblazing coach Margaret Wade. The Lady Statesmen vaulted to the national spotlight, traveling the country and defeating larger schools — with much bigger budgets — like LSU and Tennessee.

Title IX helped fuel rapid growth in women's sports in the 1970s, but as the women's game grew, the NCAA took over and added full scholarship allotments and started facilities arms races that smaller colleges could not compete with.

Amid the shift, Immaculata moved down to Division III, which does not offer athletic scholarships. Queens College and Delta State dropped to Division II while Wayland Baptist is in the NAIA.

The shift in women's sports is both gratifying and bittersweet for players and coaches from the pioneering schools that helped spark this current growth. Women's basketball in recent years has seen skyrocketing ticket demand, attendance, media coverage and television ratings behind recent stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers.

“Women and girls were playing this game at a different level all over the country and no one knew about it,” former Queens College coach Lucille Kyvallos said. “What happened here was we garnered national attention. Now look what’s happened. It’s incredible.”

Winning titles requires ‘significant investment’

The current revenue sharing model that allows schools to directly pay athletes has added a greater financial hurdle for small schools to overcome.

“If you want to be nationally competitive, if you want to win national championships, there’s a very significant investment involved,” said Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman, “because you’re paying top dollar for your coach. You’re paying for all the amenities. ... And then you’ve got to, now you’ve got to acquire players, and to do that you need money, because they have options. And smaller schools aren’t going to have the same (financial) wherewithal as the big football school has.”

The 68-team women’s NCAA tournament field, for example, had 12 schools from the Big Ten, 10 from the SEC and nine ACC schools. The Big 12 had eight. There were only one at-large team from outside the Power 4 Conferences and the Big East.

“Is that a bad thing?” Ackerman added. “No — I think it’s just the reality of the world we’re in right now.”

Kinnison, who coached baseball at Delta State for 23 seasons before becoming athletic director in 2019, said he wants the school's teams to be able to compete nationally and recapture some form of sustained success. That has been difficult, he added, and the school has faced tough financial decisions to make that happen.

“More and more, we rely on private sources, donations, alumni,” he said in his office on Delta State's campus in Cleveland, Mississippi. “We’re in a town here of 11,000 people, and that’s not the density of a town that has 100,000 or 150,000 people. Some of our corporate options are a little less, so it’s challenging.”

Pioneers battle against becoming afterthoughts

The Delta State AD, along with others at Queens College and Immaculata, remain hopeful that their programs won't be forgotten.

The court at Queens College is named after Kyvallos, the women's basketball Hall of Famer and advocate who built the Knights into pioneers in the AIAW era.

At Delta State, there are similar tributes in the arena's concourse: championship trophies and the preserved netting, the name of former coach Lloyd Clark is painted on the floor of the court named after him, honoring the period in which he won three Division II titles and guided 16 of his teams to the NCAA Tournament.

“You have to be a steward of that history, you have to tell those stories and talk about those individuals because it was crazy to think about what they had to go through," current Queens coach Travis Ponton said.

Current Immaculata coach Brittany Whalen is very familiar with the history of the program. She played there from 2011-15 and was on the court at Madison Square Garden when the team played Queens College in her senior year — four decades after the two programs played the first women's basketball game at MSG.

“It felt like being a celebrity,” Whalen said. “To tie in to that part of the history and that being the first-ever game played there it was just so cool to be a part of.”

Whalen, who has led the team to its first 20-win season since 1976-77 at 24-3, gives tours of the facility to perspective players.

“This is the same building they played in back in the 70s and not much has changed,” she said. “We talk about it in the preseason how you're here because of the women who paved the way before you. If you're going to be a Mighty Mac and be a part of the program, you need to know the history of it.”

Current Delta State coach Tracy Stewart-Lange has a similar appreciation for her program's history.

There's a photo in her phone that reminds her of those days. Former Delta State star and basketball pioneer Lusia Harris is captured mid-layup, and behind her fans are sitting courtside, pressed against the railings and anywhere else they could find a spot.

Games are much quieter now that the school has faded from national prominence, and Stewart-Lange often wonders if that will change.

“We want to fill these seats,” she said. “We're trying to figure out can that still be done."