A couple months ago, I was at the park just cruising around on my skateboard, when I was approached by two little girls, probably about 9 or 10 years old, who waved me over to the edge of the playground. One of them, a hand placed on her hip, asked me with attitude that far surpassed her young age, "Do you LIKE sports?!" Picking up my board, I replied, "Yeah, I do! Don't you?" In the same tone, she said "No, sports are for BOYS," and her friend nodded in agreement. "That's not true," I said, "sports are for girls too, not just boys." At that, they ran off to go talk between themselves under the monkey bars. My initial reaction was to think, "Since when do we let girls think sports are just for boys?!" I shook my head and skated off.
I get it. Some girls just don't enjoy sports, and would rather participate in other activities. If a girl would rather knit or cook or do music and theater, that's great too and they should absolutely be encouraged to pursue these interests! But for me, that short conversation with those two girls left me feeling a little...sad, I guess. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love the world of sports. I have never known a life without them. My father taught me to throw a baseball and mini football at three years old. I've played organized basketball for almost 11 years now, whether it was on a recreational, school or intramural team. I enjoy volleyball and soccer, have given softball a chance and I'm always down to toss a football around or play a pickup game. I discovered I'm ambidextrous with both a hockey and a lacrosse stick. I'm decent at tennis. I enjoy cruising around on my skateboard. I want to try ultimate frisbee.
I don't claim to be an athlete of any sort. I'm not. As much as I like to think I am, as much as I like to jokingly talk myself up and do some (clean) trash-talking when I play with my guy friends, I am not naturally talented. I have to work hard and push myself and practice in order to keep up with them. I like the competition though, and find the exercise a beneficial part of my day. I love setting goals for myself and my season. I like trying to build upon what little skill I have to make myself a better player. I like having a challenge. I've had some pretty awesome coaches and supportive parents. I've played on all-guys teams, and been the only girl in my age division before, but my teammates and opponents (most of the time,) treated me as an equal. I love coaching younger kids. But I want to see more girls play sports.
Young girls need to be encouraged to play sports, to practice and get better. They need both girls and guys (especially guys!) older than them to serve as role models and foster a love of competition. They need to be told not to be discouraged if they find they aren't as 'good' as the boys. But most of all, we need to empower younger girls with the opportunity to prove themselves. All too often, I've seen the girls who love their sport, want to be better and work hard to achieve that goal, get brushed aside in favor of girls who are more natural born athletes but don't work as hard, even in the younger age divisions. Being given the chance to excel, (at any activity, but especially at sports,) gives girls the confidence that they might not have yet. Playing sports teaches girls leadership, teamwork, perseverance, sportsmanship...just to name a few of the benefits.
I will always encourage young girls to try playing a sport. I will always point out famous female athletes to them. I will encourage them to challenge themselves by playing with and against both other girls and boys, people bigger and older and stronger and faster and better than them. You should do the same for your sisters, cousins, neighbors or random little girls at the park like I ran into. But also, always tell them that no matter what, playing sports is about more than just winning. It's about growing into a confident young woman who knows how to handle herself in different situations, giving her skills that carry into so many other aspects of her life, as well as having fun. (But go get that win, girl!)
Mia Hamm. Serena Williams. Ronda Rousey. Alex Morgan. Gabby Douglas. Kerri Walsh Jennings. Sports are not just for boys. Sports are for girls too...and they should never think otherwise.
