I’m sorry.
Two powerful words, but arguably the two most compelling difficult words in the English language to say because it means admitting you were probably wrong about something. I can almost say them with ease. I am not a perfect person, I do not do perfect things, and I can own my mistakes to the best of my abilities.
But we, as a society, struggle to say I’m sorry. We struggle to apologize for old ways of thinking that marginalize groups of people into categories of “less thans”. It is not fair to them, and it is time to apologize to a specific group for the blatant amounts of sexism they receive in sport.
To females athletes, regardless of talent, playing level, or sport, I apologize. I’m sorry that you cannot find escapism in sports from the rest of the fatal flaws in cultures around the world. I’m sorry that you cannot find reprieve in sport, treated as equal competitors because of an assigned gender identity you did not ask for at birth. I wish that equality was something you were given as a birthright, not because you had to fight men for equal opportunity, equal pay, equal rights.
I am sorry that male athletes discriminate against you, and retort by telling you to go back into the kitchen. I’m sorry that men insult your dedication, your hard work, your craft, your absolute desire to be the best at any given spot. Whether you are Diana Taurasi, Serena Williams, or just a girl in her driveway falling in love with the game, I am sorry you are in a position of sexism in sports.
Growing up, I was blatantly aware that women played sports due to the exposure I received. Having two older sisters play sport first engrained in me that they can do it, they can kick my ass, and that women can be just as talented as men.
Yesterday, the University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball program won its 91st straight game. It breaks their record of 90 game streak, which broke a then unprecedented streak of 88 games by John Wooden and his teams at UCLA. Men are ripe with sexist comments, throwing vile language out in attempts to discredit the hard work led by Head Coach Geno Auriemma and his staff. To devalue the sacrifice his student-athletes make to perfect the game to the best of their ability.
If it was so easy to win that many games in a row, as a large number of male critics suggest, then why has no else done it? Why has nobody come close in Men’s College Basketball to the streak Wooden set at UCLA?
It took years, and the UCONN WBB team to even come close, break, and then reset the record. It is not a fluke, it is not a one-time thing. These young women, led by Auriemma and co., set foot on the court each day to compete, chasing perfection. They make it look easy, often winning by large margins because they push each other harder on a daily basis.
Those 40 minutes spent within the 90 ft. of the basketball court are probably pale in comparison to the three hours on any given day the spend in practice under the tutelage of Auriemma and his coaching staff. They are demanded of excellence and thrive chasing it.
I use this program as an example because they are the elite. No offense to programs such as Notre Dame, Baylor, Duke, South Carolina, and others that have challenged UCONN over the years. UCONN is the pinnacle of success, they are the bar that no program has managed reach. You can compete with UCONN, but as evident by the 91 game win streak, are going to find their way off the court with a win.
These are talented athletes, talented women, and individuals who are doing something male athletes have failed to do whatsoever. The internet is a great place to spew that vile sexism, as evident by the screen grab below.
Would the UCONN Women lose to an above average high school boys team? No. They probably would not. To suggest they would diminishes the individual talents of these young women, the work they put into success on a national scale. My personal favorite is when men bring up the stereotype of sexuality in sports for female athletes. Either they are lesbian and should not be playing with straight female athletes, or they are transgender so it makes their accomplishments both less than, but also you degrade their value as a human.
I'm sorry to the female athletes of the world. A blanket apology does not carry the weight in should in making up for the ignorant sexism you face from idiots behind a computer screen. But know that your sacrifice, your hard work, your desire to be the best you can be does not got unnoticed. Do not let hatred deter you from setting out to accomplish the goals you so greatly aspire to achieve. Chase perfection, chase victories, achieve respect. When you do that, comments like these hold so much weight they devalue the opinion of the uneducated common man.
And to the women of the University of Connecticut Women's Basketball program, I can't wait to watch you win not only 92 in a row and beyond but another National Championship. Whether another program solves the key to success in-between now and March or not, I look forward to watching you not just win, but strive for perfection.
