Why is it the stereotype that women only watch sports because of the cute guys? Why is it that every time a woman says she likes sports she gets the question “Why, because you think the players are hot?” Why is it that when I watch the Olympics they are giving credit for a woman’s winning to her husband?
Women in sports are powerful, whether they are watching, participating, or announcing. When watching the Olympics I try not to get angry when the commentators’ off-handedly say something about a ladies appearance, but I can’t help it. These are the best athletes in the world, they have trained for hours for their respective sport, yet the announcers can only talk about what they look like, or that they have had children, but have made a “remarkable comeback.” I didn’t realize that once a woman has a baby she isn’t allowed to excel in the Olympics without it being remarkable. I’m sorry, but it should be remarkable every time compete. They are competing in the olympics!
Why is it that when women are commentators in sports, no one can take them near as serious because they are women? Contrary to popular belief they can be good at their job, they can talk about sports. I have seen some women announcers and commentators that know more about what they are talking about then the men they are with. That’s where I have to take a moment and thank Robin Roberts; she opened the door for women in commentator positions. Robin showed that women are able to be in a male-dominated field, and shine.
We need to end the off-handed comments about a woman’s looks while she is in the middle of a basketball game. We need to stop talking about her personal life when she just hit a bomb over the centerfield fence. We need to talk less about how much that leotard costs and more about how impressive that difficult beam routine was. Talk about accomplishments rather than appearances. By teaching our daughters, sisters, nieces, and friends, that it’s about working hard to achieve your dreams, and it's what’s on the inside that matters. We have to show little girls that if they would rather watch sports than paint their nails, it's okay. We have to stop referring to watching sports as “boy activities.” We need to teach these girls that the field may be “male dominated,” but if they want to be a sports reporter they can do it.
By changing the perception of women in sports we will empower girls. We need to show through our own watching and playing that women in sports will open doors. That just because people say watching football is a “man thing” or that that sport is a “boy sport,” if a girl likes it, why can’t she do it. We need to teach our girls that if they enjoy doing something, they should do it, no matter what anyone says.
