New Year’s Eve and Day are for amateurs. People drink too much while forming resolutions that will last two weeks.

The real beginning of the new year, for those who care about equality and equity, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a holiday that highlights realistic and admirable, if difficult to achieve, goals.

We can presume that Dr. King would have approved of the rise of women’s sports and would have admired Lynx star Napheesa Collier, the co-founder of Unrivaled, the three-on-three women’s basketball league that started play last week in Miami.

Women’s sports have grown so quickly the last two years that their current challenge is maintaining pace.

It appears they have a chance to do just that, and it appears that Minnesota continues to be among the frontrunners in creating and supporting women’s sports teams.

In no particular order, here are some triumphs in the realm of Minnesota and national women’s sports:

— The Lynx remain the most impressive franchise in Minnesota.