It’s always surprising the reactions I get when I write about women wanting a place at the table — yesterday, I suggested that the University of Memphis might want to ask more than just “the guys” about their future sports expansion plans. Someone named Jim sent me an e-mail suggesting I go bake some cookies, though I also got a few voicemails from women cheering me on. No word yet from the U of M.

Really, folks, this isn’t a radical idea. The behemoth University of Tennessee has its own Women’s Athletic Director — the estimable Joan Cronan — and, of course, the Lady Vols women’s basketball team is a perennial powerhouse. That photo is of two joyous UT soccer players after scoring a goal in a pre-season game at their NEW soccer stadium last week.

So why is it that women’s sports in Memphis is nowhere on the civic radar screen?