“Girls can’t be jocks.” When I heard these words come out of my younger cousin’s mouth, I was shocked. Having played sports all my life, I’m aware of the disparity between not only the support, but the overall view of men's and women’s athletics. What I didn’t realize is that this stance has trickled down and infiltrated our youth. Unfortunately, this slanted patriarchal view is shared by an overwhelming number of people in the world of competitive sports. Now I’m not saying that I’m planning another March on Washington, but I believe that this topic needs to be, at the very least, discussed and then hopefully addressed.
On Friday, Jan. 15, 2016, Abby Wambach, former player for the United States Women’s National Soccer Team was interviewed by Poppy Harlow from CNN. I was happy to hear that she shared my opinion on the current position of women in athletics. Abby said that the decision to end her soccer career has allowed her to “take the blinders off” and realize the injustices that she and all of her teammates were facing. In the beginning of their discussion about unequal pay, Abby stated, “I was allowing myself to be treated that way.”
Just six months ago, Abby helped lead her team to a World Cup Victory over Japan in Vancouver. After the game, the players split $2 million dollars among themselves as a reward for their triumph. Viewed simply as a sum, $2 million dollars sounds like something we could all use. However, in stark contrast with the $35 million dollars that the German National Team was given for winning the Men’s World Cup the previous summer, Abby says it is “incomparable.”
As a retired player, Abby has insight that others do not. She understands that it can be scary for a player or someone on the inner-circle to speak up. No one in their position wants to raise any eyebrows or make waves that could possibly jeopardize their livelihood. Now that Abby is on the outside looking in, she wants to advocate for those who are still involved and who may be reluctant to join her in this fight. The life she has led, and the challenges she has experienced are the driving force of her campaign. Her new mission is “real, true equality and the conversation around it.”
Currently, Abby says she is in the research phase of her work. In the meantime, this issue receives support from people who hold extremely strong influence—for example, the President of the United States, Barack Obama. In the aftermath of the game, President Obama praised the women for their accomplishment and said, “This team taught all America’s children that…playing like a girl means being the best.” Hopefully this endorsement, along with it being the most watched soccer game in North American history, will change the way girls of all ages are viewed in any athletic arena.
Although I am no expert on women’s rights and the closest I’ve come to leading any type of movement is showing my friends the way to the closest Dunkin' Donuts, I firmly believe one of the best ways that we, as women, can tackle this issue is to do what Abby and her teammates did and lead by example. Abby reminds us that, “Real equality doesn't cost a single dollar.” There is a stigma that surrounds women’s sports, and it is up to us to provide irrefutable evidence that proves otherwise.
