Being the only girl in a family of five I really got used to watching Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN. But there has to be more girls like me who actually enjoy watching and participating in different sporting events, there just has to!
The stereotype that describes the females in this world never gives them a chance to be accepted as avid sport lovers. Sporting entertainment has never been considered as a female world, as it has always been led by men, no matter what the position calls for. Participating, cheering on, covering, and even reporting these different sporting events have always been the job of a man, when women can do just as well as a man can. Women are believed to be the cooks and party planners for the games, and never taken seriously when making a remark about a sport. A woman could be as highly "educated" in the language and rules of all of the different sports, but then not be taken seriously because of her gender.
Women have been in the sports industry for many years and to this day it is still hard for these women to be accepted throughout the workplace, the sporting event industry, and with the fans overall. I have been personally told that I would be "inherently incapable" of having a career in this industry because I am a woman. That shouldn't be said to anyone, no matter what field the person is going into and for that matter, no one should never be discriminated by their gender, race, or ethnicity they are and believe in. This is another reason why discrimination in this field is so high, because the number of women in this position is a smaller percentage than that of a man in the same position, without a doubt.
I believe in equality, and I am probably the biggest fan for many different sports teams. I believe that embracing what you love and showing who you really are will be key to being accepted in the sports world. I would go to basketball, football, baseball, and even hockey games with my father and would be questioned as to if I was being "dragged along" when I was the reason we were at the games. Even the players show preference in the fans gender. I will always remember when I was 10 years old at a baseball game and before you know it players were signing autographs. I, being the only girl standing in a line of boys, was skipped by every player (besides the coach) every time they came across to me. No one would stop for me and I still believe to this day that it was because I was a girl and not a boy, because apparently girls can't be fans of sports or athletes in general.
Another personal experience that will always will be a reminder as to how females are treated in this industry, no matter if they are the athlete or fan, is from swimming competitively for 10 years. My coach was never fond of any of the females on the team, and always preferred the men on the team. Even though I would always bust my butt in and out of the pool, there wasn't anything I could do to make my coach proud of me. This was the start of my future in the sporting events industry; with being an avid baseball, basketball, and football fan and combining it with my hospitality and people skills, I knew that one day I would pursue my career in the industry that doesn't always expect women for who they are. With having the hopes of not being discriminated against by who I am as a human being.
I hope that one day women will be able to compete with men in this industry for dignity and also for these women to have the courage to stand up to these men and say what's on their mind. I do believe that there will be a day that women will be treated with equality in this field, and I hope that day is soon! For the women out there who love sports just as much as I do, don't ever let someone tell you that you're wrong to like sports. You have the free will to like and dislike anything you please, don't let any man tell you that you can't love sports as much as he does!
