It was a Tuesday evening and I had butterflies in my stomach. I was about to do my first radio show talking about my favorite subject for two hours — sports. As I introduced myself to the group of men surrounding me, I realized I was the only girl. With pride and nerves, I smiled at the men. The excitement didn’t last too long when one of the guys I just met said, “We will let you talk first so we can correct you.” With a tight smile on my face, I calmly stated, “I don’t need correcting.” While most will think this statement from a guy I just met was harsh, I get it every day. Mostly because I'm a female in a male’s world.
One could argue that I’m always in a male’s world, yet I’m in it more than others. I love sports. I love it so much that I will wake up early on Saturdays just to watch Game Day on ESPN. Sports isn’t some game to me, it is a passion. It came from hours of watching football with my Dad, being from a small town that surrounds itself with football and going to college football games. One would think I would have a ton of guy friends because of it, but I don’t. What guy wants to know less about a man’s sport than a female? No man, I can promise you that.
When a man realizes that I’m trying to talk sports, I get two responses. One, somebody acknowledging the fact that I have the same passion as them. Two, get quizzed on every form of information they can think of. It has been off the wall questions, such as “What has been the Atlanta Falcon’s head coach blood type?” Clearly, it is an answer that neither one of us knew.
One day, I called my dad upset about something a guy had said to me. That was when my father gave me the best advice I have ever received. “Baby, it is the fact that you intimidate them. They don’t want to be intimidated by a small girl. Use it to the best of your ability,” he said. Be confident in yourself and no one will question you again. Stand up for yourself. Be intimidating.
The worst is when I tell people I want to work for the NFL. I always get told I need a backup plan. I have found the one thing I am passionate about, shouldn’t that be enough? Clearly not. I’ve been told I have to work 10 times as hard as the average man to get the job I would love to have. It has been proven to be true. I have applied for a sporting job and went through the interview progress. Sadly, I didn’t get the job. As I accepted the reasoning, the truth rang out loud and clear. Though I didn’t get the paying job, I had been asked to work under the male who received the job because they would, “love to have a female’s input.” At the moment, I saw red. After calming down, I took it. I never want to be in the position again where a man gets a job before me because of his experience.
Yes, I am a female. Yes, you can knock me down because I intimidate you. Every time you knock me down, I will get back up and be stronger than before. Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t follow your dreams. Look at them and say, “Watch me.” Because at the end of the day, you are holding yourself back not them. Take the leap into the unknown. Trust me, you will come out stronger than ever.
