If you read “Sports Illustrated” last week, you would hardly know it was going on. You may have searched the issue for it among detailed write-ups of every single first-round men’s NCAA Tournament game.

You may have looked for it in an article about the Tennessee women’s basketball team, but all you found was the story of the men who practice with the Lady Vols.

The only mention of the women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament in SI was a sidebar on the four teams who could possibly beat Tennessee during the tournament. That’s it.

If you’re an avid women’s basketball fan that’s hardly enough.

Maybe there is simply too much to cover in the world of sports to give adequate attention to women.

While searching for the women’s tournament, I saw the attitude of sports media in an advertisement for a brand new magazine from the publishers of “Sports Illustrated — Sports Illustrated for Women.”

I was optimistic. A magazine solely devoted to women? Sounds great. Solid coverage of women’s athletics? Sign me up.

Then I read the cover of the SI for Women in the ad more carefully.

I expected the features inside the magazine to be something about the tournament seedings or maybe a feature on Carolyn Peck, head coach at Purdue. None of the those stories were mentioned.

So what did the magazine hold? A quiz on whether you’re a team player, a feature on what foods the best athletes eat, a story about pop singer Brandy’s feelings on the Tennesse basketball team and a sports horoscope.

The publishers of SI for Women wanted to produce a fluffy, pseudo-sports mag for pre-teen girls.

Maybe SI had the best of intentions, and the best way they could find to sell that was to put it in a “Teen” magazine format. That attitude affects women’s athletics negatively.

Imagine seeing a quiz on being a good teammate on the cover of SI or “ESPN the Magazine.” Hard to do, isn’t it? That’s because those magazines are about sports. They sum up important games, preview upcoming events and profile interesting figures in the mostly male athletic world.

Putting trivial and juvenile horoscopes and quizzes on the front page of a magazine dedicated to women’s sports diminishes the effort, dedication and skill female athletes put into their sports.

Female athletes don’t spend time quizzing each other to see if they’re good teammates like some sixth-graders at a slumber party. They get on the floor and practice to become good teammates, just like male athletes.

Female and male athletes deserve the same type of following, the same amount of coverage and certainly the same standard of respect.

Even though SI may not respect women’s basketball, it is flourishing.

The women’s NCAA Tournament is alive and well, with tons of fans and more competition than ever.

Here in Cincinnati, the Iowa State women are on a roll. They beat No. 1 seeded Connecticut, which was ranked third in the nation, and they’re ready to meet No. 3 seeded Georgia tonight at the Shoemaker Center on the University of Cincinnati campus.

Hundreds of Cyclone fans were on hand for Saturday’s game. We were screaming and cheering at the top of our lungs and we weren’t wondering what foods the best female athletes eat or why Brandy likes Tennessee. We were wondering if we could possibly match up with Tennessee in the Final Four in San Jose, Calif.

After the game, the players came up into stands to relax and watch the second game of the day, and I got a chance to talk to them as they signed our programs. But I didn’t ask them if their horoscopes had given them any sign that they would win. I asked them who they would rather face next, Georgia or Clemson.

The Iowa State women play again tonight, with the chance to go the Final Four on the line.

There probabably will be a mention of the game on SportsCenter and in SI, but it won’t be near the attention the final four men’s teams will receive. And that is a travesty.

Someday a sports magazine will recognize the accomplishments of female athletes. But the only way that will happen is if fans demand it by showing up for the games and being outraged at the lack of coverage.

So tonight, when the Cyclones take on the Bulldogs, I’ll be there, jumping up and down during the Georgia players’ free throws and yelling at the refs when they make a bad call. And if you don’t feel like going to class today, hop in your car and meet us here.

SI may not think the women’s teams are important, but you’ll never forget watching the women play.

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Sara Ziegler is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Sioux Falls, S.D. She apologizes to all of her professors for choosing Cincinnati over class. San Jose, here we come!