We have jumped the hurdle of getting girls involved in sports, but this is a marathon, not a sprint — we still have a long way to go. While women’s participation in sports may be normalized, in comparison to their male counterparts, it is far from being celebrated.
We have jumped the hurdle of getting girls involved in sports, but this is a marathon, not a sprint — we still have a long way to go. While women’s participation in sports may be normalized, in comparison to their male counterparts, it is far from being celebrated.
Starting in 1972, Title IX required schools to provide equal athletic opportunities to males and females in proportion to enrollment numbers in the school. The passing of Title IX unleashed a flood of opportunities on the playing field for women that were previously unavailable. However, as more women began to pick up bats, balls and sneakers, it also helped fuel what has been an ongoing issue for female athletes in particular and women’s athletics in general — the unrelenting comparison they face to men’s sports.
Clearly there is a reason for separation of sexes in sports but that has to do with physical limitations between men and women and not the inherent value of male versus female sports. No one would think that a woman could hold her own in an NFL game, nor would anyone expect that an NBA player would be able to compete with a female Olympic gymnast.
But while we separate male and female sports because of physical limitations, we must begin to move away from comparing individual female sports to their male equivalent. From the time female athletes began competing, women’s sports have had their skeptics. If female track runners are not as fast as men, or female basketball players are not as tall as men, then what is the point of racing or playing?
The point is to appreciate that the existence of one does not take away from the other. While Title IX may have initially given women the right to participate in sports based on an equal footing, it is time to evolve beyond this definition. Female athletes are no longer the lesser stepsisters of males, and should have recognition for their own work and accomplishments individually and separate from their male counterparts.
As a female athlete myself, I have recently joined the girls flag football team at WHS. It has been an incredible experience to be part of building an organization centered around the empowerment of women, yet we are frequently subjected to questions of how we compare to our boys football team. I, however, don’t believe they should be in the same conversation.
All women’s sports play their respective games with a different set of rules and, therefore, different strategies than men. In comparison to baseball, softball is played on a smaller field with a larger ball. The alteration of key components to the game fundamentally changes both the approach and strategies players must have when stepping on the field. A woman playing lacrosse, which is no contact, must have a different understanding of the game and perspective of the field in order to be successful. While they may have similar equipment, women’s sports are no longer the female version of men’s leagues, they stand alone.
While this year has been overall successful in regards to women’s sports, let’s not be so blinded by progress that we think we are done growing. For every ounce of recognition Ilona Marr and Caitlin Clark receive, there are hundreds of female athletes still living in the shadow of their male counterparts.
When the media compares how a woman plays in respect to a man, they are losing the bigger picture — there is more to sports than who swims the fastest, jumps the highest or throws the farthest. Despite how a sport is played, learning how to push yourself to excel, learning how to be a teammate and learning how to win and lose gracefully are instilled within athletes.
The virtue of women’s sports does not lie in comparison to men. The virtue in women’s sports is found in the fact that they are competing and striving on the field of play to be the best athletes and the best version of themselves that they can be.