In my room, I have a poster hanging that my parents bought me years ago. It is the picture and text version of the 1995 Nike commercial, “If You Let Me Play.”
It reads; “If you let me play… I will like myself more. I will have more self-confidence. I will suffer less depression. I will be 60% less likely to get breast cancer. If you let me play…I will be more likely to leave a man who beats me. I will be less likely to get pregnant before I want to. I will learn what it means to be strong. If you let me play sports.”
Powerful stuff. I would like to applaud Nike on this inspirational and oh so important message, that tends to still to this day, fall on deaf ears. Throughout high school, many of my research papers were based on Title IX. For those of you unfamiliar with Title IX, it is a law that in 1972 stated, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Long story short, if the government is funding an institution or any educational activities, there can’t be more athletic opportunities for male athletes than opportunities for female athletes. And to much dismay for some of the pig heads out there, that means the boys baseball team doesn’t get to play in a minor league stadium, while the girls softball team is stuck playing on an un-kept field next to the old middle school with rocks in the outfield. On the other hand it also goes both ways. There cannot be more opportunities for girls to take math classes compared to boys at a school. While Title IX is for all educational programs and activities funded by the government, it has seen its greatest gains in athletics.
Yes, it has seen its greatest gains in athletics and we have come a long way since the 1970s, but we are nowhere close to where we need to be in equality between men and women. While I am not here to give a history lesson, I am here to make a point. When doing my research in high school I stumbled across a court case where the judge stated “Sports build character. We do not need that kind of character in our girls.” WHY?! Are you kidding me? Why would we not want that kind of character in our young girls, so they can grow up to be strong, confident and productive women? That is a ludicrous statement.
I have been an athlete since the young age of four, and I absolutely believe it has impacted the person that I am today. Athletics have helped define my leadership skills and increase my confidence. Sports teach youngsters about perseverance, team work, cooperativeness, problem solving, sacrifice and respect, but there are a lot of underlying benefits that benefits young female athletes that aren’t as obvious.
According to Moms Team, a study done shows a positive correlation between girls who play three or more sports a year and their body esteem. Poor self-esteem and body image is a plague that pressures young girls to conform to the media’s idea of beauty. Girls will attempt to achieve this image by any means possible, even if the means are unhealthy, dangerous and detrimental to their bodies. If you let me play, I will have more self-confidence. Other studies have shown that young female athletes are much less likely to use drugs such as marijuana or cocaine. A 1998 study done by the Women’s Sports Foundation found that female high school athletes are less than half as likely to get pregnant compared to non-athletes. They were also more likely to abstain from sex throughout high school. If you let me play, I will be less likely to get pregnant before I want to. Teenage girls have a lot of gender stereotypes placed on them by society growing up.
They are supposed to be thin and pretty and wear their hair a certain way and heaven forbid they wear the wrong brand of clothing. Lack of self-confidence is much more prevalent in girls. Athletics have shown links to helping decrease symptoms of depression. Girls who participate in sports are less likely to be suicidal then girls who choose to not participate in sports. If you let me play, I will suffer less depression. Girls who play sports boost their immune systems and lessen their likelihood of encountering chronic diseases in their lives. If you let me play, I will be less likely to get breast cancer. Sports help build women who believe in themselves and are not weak and timid. They know what is right and how to stand up for themselves. This translates from the fields and courts into relationships. Women who are strong and confident will be more likely to leave a man who is abusive. If you let me play, I will be more likely to leave a man who beats me.
To the judge who believes that our young girls do not need the character that sports teach, you are wrong. Athletics teaches more than your basic team work and communication skills. It does wonderful things for young girls who need sports. In a world where women are seen as inferiors, sports helps build confidence, self-love and respect for your body in a way you cannot get anywhere else. In improves not only our young girls’ physical health, but mental and emotional health as well. We need more women with character in our world, character that sports teaches. We will have strong, confident, powerful women in our world, if you let me play sports.
