Whether it was going to soccer games every weekend or having the Philadelphia Eagles game blasting on the TV, sports have always been a major part of my life.
My dad made sure I was involved in every sport I wanted to try. He always drove me to practice and watched every single one of my games.
He made sure he did and learned everything that would help me succeed whether it was learning how to braid my hair to fit in my helmet or coaching the team on his days off.
The first sport I felt a deep connection to was ice hockey. I was one of 3 girls on my team, but not for a moment did he let me believe I was less capable or worse than the boys because of my gender.
Because of that I had never thought about how my gender would affect me playing a sport I loved. Not until my introduction to the internet.
Now, it wasn’t their admirable performances that were pointed out but stretch marks they had on their thighs.
They were no longer referred to as role models for me to look up to, but as “young ladies” that could never measure up to their male counterparts.
Female Olympic athletes I used to watch on TV were now being shamed because they were too muscular or too skinny or too curvy.
Sports are steeped in sexism.
One recent example of this stands out to me.
Sky Sports. A TikTok channel made to create a “safe space” for female sports fans by creating content of what they think women can understand. A comparison to hot girl walks and matcha lattes. Pink glittery subtitles explaining how the offsides rule works in soccer.
The channel lasted for a mere three days before people began to speak out about the misogynistic nature the whole channel was based around.
For me, it wasn’t the content that was posted that was enraging, but the idea that the creators even thought women would need a channel to dumb down rules using stereotypical and misogynistic ways so we can truly understand the complex topic of sports.
And what’s even more disgusting is that over the hundreds of years sports have been played and the increasing contribution women have had in them, powerful corporations and people still discount their athleticism, sexualize, and capitalize off some people’s lingering misogynistic thoughts.
No matter how much women put into the sports industry it’s almost never rewarded. For many people the contributions aren’t positive but a way to compare their favorite male player and argue about how their biological differences make women’s sport not even worth watching.
Some people can’t bring themselves to celebrate these contributions. They will always undermine and compare, actions that help nobody.
If you contribute to and support this content I want you to just think and notice.
Step out of your own bubble and just notice.
Notice content you consume that has sexist undertones.
Notice the different language commentators use when talking about women’s sports.
Just think.
Think about the women in your life.
Think about what you may have to tell your future daughter when she asks why you don’t believe in her.
