Female athletes face a lot of adversity throughout their careers. Usually being placed on the back burner to the guys and having to defend that just because you are a girl is does not mean that your sport is any easier than the male equivalents. After all, it is scientifically proven that it is harder to hit a softball due to the rise of the ball opposed to a baseball. But that isn't what this article is about. Below are things that are universal to all girls who grew up playing sports.
1. Being compared to the boys.
This is probably the most frustrating part. It sucks when there is a boys game followed by the girls. It goes from a full gym to just the girls parents essentially by the time the girls game rolls around. Doesn't matter if the boys are having a losing season and the girls are number one in the district. But its something you get used to and eventually quit wasting your time getting angry about it.
2.Forgetting a hair tie.
This may not seem like a big deal if you have never experienced running down a soccer field in 90+ weather while your hair flies around your face and gets plastered to your sweaty skin. Looking down and seeing no hair tie on your wrist left you with a pit in your stomach. You knew that if no one had an extra one you were going to have to use a rubber band that was sure to pull out half of your hair along with it. You learned to always keep extra hair ties in your locker.
3. A hair tie breaking.
This may be a step worse than just straight up forgetting a hair tie. We all have our favorite hair tie and if you say that you don't, well then you're lying. You know the one that can wrap around your ponytail three times without leaving you with a throbbing headache. You hate to be that person but you've lied to someone before when they asked for a hair tie so you didn't have to give that bad boy up.
4. Prewrap isn't just for taping.
Sometimes coaches do weird things with it like tying your hands together while you scrimmage to teach some girls to stop getting handballs. (That experience was as bad as it sounds.) But all girls know what prewrap is really for and that is headbands. The twisted up piece of prewraped stuck perfectly to your hair helping you keep those flyaways out of your eyes. Without a doubt at least one girl on your team ordered the bag of prewrap that comes with 10+ colors, solely with the intention of using it as a headband.
5. Forgetting a sports bra.
There is no horror like walking into the locker room, looking into your bag and realizing that there is no sports bra. You can't believe that of all the things that is the one your forgot to bring. You probably know someone you wore a teammates dirty one so they could avoid the dreaded athletic taping of the breast.
6. Male coaches and feminine products and issues.
This one doesn't really need much explanation. It usually leaves everyone involved feeling a little uncomfortable.
7. Finding things to keep you hair out of your face.
Hair being an issue is starting to be a common theme here. You wouldn't think that this would be that hard but refs would get salty when the noticed that you had bobby pens in your hair. I once had an umpire yell at me because I had my earrings in, even though was out for the entire season due to an injury. You have to find other things to use, so yes, sometimes that means sticking a piece of athletic tape to your hair.
8. Penny jerseys.
There is no shirts and skins in the girl world of sports. Meaning everyone is stuck with the dreadful, hot, smelly pennies every single day.
