The other day I had a guy tell me “you're pretty cute for being a girl who played softball" and then winked at me as if he had just given me the best compliment that I could have possibly received. I stared blankly and was far from being impressed. Sadly, this is the stereotype that often comes along when you are a girl who plays sports. First off, has anyone taken a look at these girls who are playing in the World Series? What about the USA Women's soccer team? They are knockouts. But that is beside the point.
Girls who play sports are forced to live in this “in-between” world and that should never, whatsoever be the case. Part of our society believes you should be doing other activities that are more “appropriate” to girls. To the other half (the sports world) you are there but in the shadows, not good enough to really deserve any of the lime light and I believe this is true at any level.
I grew up playing with the boys. Not because I was forced to but I chose to. I did not have much interest in cheer or gymnastics. I would cry and beg to not go to dance practice as a toddler and sit in the corner when they would have “free dance” time. I hated Girl Scouts and anything like it. I loved baseball, basketball, soccer, and swim just about anything along those lines. But from the beginning I can remember often being treated differently. In minor league one of my childhood best friends was taunted because she was a girl, so that meant she clearly couldn't hit the ball. Minor league set the platform for how I felt, until I was old enough to play for the girl's varsity and jr. high teams.
By the time I reached little baseball, I was already scared to really step up and play because of the simple fact that I was a girl. I was the only girl on my whole team but not just that, one of two girls that played in the entire league. One year I had a fantastic coach and the others well I won't go into those years. The point is because I was a girl I believed that I could never be as good as the boys or be respected as an athlete. Little basketball was much of the same story.
Then I hit sixth grade and I was able to play for the Pikeville Jr. High basketball team and for the first time in my life, I really felt that I was talented. I was an athlete. And from then on out it was different, I never thought twice before I stepped on the field or court, whether it was a varsity softball game or playing basketball with the guys in gym class. But that doesn't mean the stereotype that hung over my head because I was a female athlete was gone.
I may have not cared anymore but I would still never truly be good enough for the sports world because of my sex. I am not saying that I felt this from everyone personally around me but it was still very apparent in my life. For instance when my high school scheduled prom on the girls softball All “ A” Championship because of course the boys would make it and we would not. (This wasn't how that played out but that's a whole other story itself.)
This isn't just happening in small towns. This is happening at Division 1 and a professional level. I love mens college basketball as much (probably more) than the next person but why do we constantly see things on UK's men, Duke's men, and Louisville's men, but nothing on UCONN's women's basketball program who have won TEN national championships and also hold the longest winning streak in college basketball history of men and women at a total of 90 games! Or the University of Kentucky cheerleaders who probably travel more than about any other program and have a total of 20 national championships! The USA women's soccer team is unbelievably talented. If you have not watched this group of women play then I highly recommend that you do, this summer is the FIFA Women's World Cup and instead of hearing coverage about the anticipated games all that I personally have seen in sports media is that the mens next World Cup will be in a different location than originally planned! While I realize this is big deal it is three years away! This should not be taking away from the women's tournament, although it will, I guarantee you will hear about it the entire duration of the women's World Cup. The women's tournament is just weeks away, I personally would like to be hearing about that, and better yet how we all hope to see the USA women kick ass and bring this home.
As of late, I have been following the NCAA Softball World Series. I may be bias toward this sport, but you cannot deny the talent (although many do) these women have. I have talked to my guy friends about these games and have constantly been told, “they suck” “its girls” basically bullshit comment after bullshit comment. It is scientifically proven that it is more difficult to hit softball than a baseball because of the natural rise of the ball. “They're only throwing 67.” News flash: with the length of the field that means that a pitch thrown at 63mph is the equivalent of a pitch in MLB at 89mph! I am not saying baseball is a walk in the park or putting down the sport, I love it but its time that people quit looking down on softball, along with all other women's sports.
No girl or woman at any age should feel inferior to a man in any aspect. We should all help encourage and let girls know at a young age that they are just as able as a male to do anything they choose. While I learned a lot playing with the boys, there were many obstacles I had to go through, just as many other girls have done. While this passage focuses on sports, sadly, this is the case in basically every aspect of a females life. We should all work together to make sure we all feel and know that we are equal and no one person in superior to another.
Tonight if you are not doing anything you should honestly watch the NCAA Softball World Series championship game. It will be one of the best ball games you will watch this year. That being said, Go Gators; bring it back to the SEC!
