I decided to read the article about sports written by Pat Griffin. Growing up I was involved in many different sports. I played soccer, softball, basketball, track, gymnastics, and dance. Soccer was my favorite and I played it all year round and even still play recreationally today. This article written by Griffin explained that sports are supposed to be the training ground where boys learn to become men. It is the area where they can show their masculinity the most. Fathers worry if their children (boys) don’t exhibit interest in sports and sometimes force them to be involved just to make sure they don’t choose other particular hobbies. Griffin stated that men feel women in sports are considered to be trespassers on male territory and their access should be limited or blocked.
I think that is horrible and if a woman wants to play a sport, she should be able to without having to be looked at as trespassing or entering male territory. When I was younger I used to play on my brothers soccer teams because it was more competition for myself, but also easier for my parents so they didn’t have to travel to a bunch of different games. The boys on the other teams used to get mad and coaches would argue that I was not allowed to play on the boys’ teams and should be removed immediately. However, nowhere in the handbook did it say that a female was not allowed to play on the boys’ team. This just goes to show that males are threatened by competition provided by females. It is also very sad that sometimes “masculine” women are considered lesbians just because they are playing a “male” sport. It’s sad that some women cannot even be involved in sports because they are afraid their sexuality may be questioned.
There is a lot to be said about youth sports on both sides of the gender argument. I can't tell you how many times I've heard dad's talking about their son's playing baseball and the conversation always turns to "is he a lefty?" as if the only reason to play sports is to someday be a professional and the easiest way to be a professional is be a lefty pitcher. What message does that send to boys who just want to play because they like it? What message does it send to girls who aren't going to grow to be professional athletes? Don't bother playing if you can't go pro.
ReplyDeleteI thought your blog was very interesting as I tried to play on the boy's soccer team in 8th grade and I wasn't allowed. It's very annoying how the genders are assigned their specific roles in society, even regarding something as fun as sports. I hope this changes with time.
ReplyDeleteI also played sports when I was younger, more specifically I played softball. I always thought it was strange that the girls' teams played with a big, slow, softer ball, while the male teams played with a small, hard and quicker ball
ReplyDeleteI guess because we are smaller we could be considered more fragile or weak (I cringed as I wrote that), but honestly , i'm pretty sure I could handle a baseball.
I completely agree with you when you say that women should be able to play sports without feeling like they are trespassing on male territory. Often fathers want sons so they can show them how to play sports and show them the ropes but why can't you be excited to have a daughter that you could teach sports to. I know i'd enjoy teaching sports to any of my kids. Good for you for stepping up to the competition!
ReplyDelete