Equality in Sports . . . NOT!!!

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Brought to you this month by: ArtistFrmrlyKnownAsCailleFille



Equality in Sports . . . NOT!!!

Sure, in the eyes of the law we're equal. Of course we're allowed to play whatever sport we want, schools say, because girls are just as capable as boys. We can even have coed gym class, because those administraters know that we females are competitors, too.

At least, that's what they say publicly.

Face it ladies, in the eyes of the world, we're the weaker sex. Guys will never stop believing that we can't be as good as them just because we have two X chromosomes. Athletic girls face one of the harshest double standards in place today. If you're too good at sports, you're made fun of because you're too much of a tomboy. If you're not good enough, you're made fun of for being too girly, and you're ALWAYS humiliated in gym class. Plainly stated: it sucks.

For those of us who happen to be physically inclined, there are even more downsides than what I just described. For instance:

Have you ever tried to play those typically male-dominated sports like wrestling and football? Yes? No? Maybe-so? Most of us haven't, because it's simply not a welcoming environment, no matter how skilled we may be. However, if anyone has ever tried to sign up for one of those sports in a school like mine, you'll have realized that a girl signing up for a sport played by guys has to go through hell just to get to the tryouts. They need intensive physical exams, express written permission from both parents/guardians, and a note from a doctor stating that the girl is allowed to play. If she somehow manages to get all those recommendations, she is next reqired to sit down in a meeting with her parents, and go over all the details of what physcal limitations the girl has, and exactly what will be demanded of her (of course, all in an effort to get the parents to change their minds). If that fails, and the girl makes it to tryouts, the chances are very slim that she'll be let on a team. By contrast, all guys have to do is get a dinky little form signed. That's right, one sheet of paper. This is a practice that goes on in my school, and countless others in my area. Unfair? Sure it is.

However, this doesn't apply to most girls, because most girls play on all-girl teams. I know I do. It's girls' softball for me. Now, just for show, let's compare and contrast the equipment for . . . say . . . the HHS JV softball team, and the HHS JV baseball team.

Softball:
-polyester uniforms dating back to 1985
-no ice chest
-no water cooler
-a nasty field with rocks and potholes in it
-no dugouts
-no trashcans
-half a team set of helmets, most of which have cracks in them
-a set of peewee catcher's equipment that wouldn't fit me for my life, the mask is an outdated catcher's mask, it's actually so dangerous to wear that it's been banned by ASA regulations.
-a backstop with holes in it
-no benches
-no bases
-no room to store our equipment
-no hitting tees
-no pitching machine
-no lights for night games
-three baseball bats that umpires won't let us use (because they're not softball bats, believe it or not there actually is a difference between the two)
-about 10 softballs, becase the school says it would be out of budget to buy us any more. Every year we pitch in to buy a new set of game balls.
-no diamond dust (the stuff that dries the field after it rains)

Baseball:
-New uniforms, including lightweight mesh jerseys, and long-sleeved green mock turtlenecks to go underneath the jersey when it's cold
-A beautifully manicured field with dugouts, foul poles, and lights for night games
-bleachers for the spectators
-a pitching rubber, bases, and a home plate that doesn't have holes in it.
-an ice chest
-a water cooler
-enough helmets for the entire team, all shiny and new
-a brand-spankng-new set of catcher's equipment, lightweight, with knee savers, AND a catcher's glove as a bonus
-an equipment room
-U-shaped and regular hitting tees to help perfect the boys' swings
-two, count them, TWO pitching machines, so that each boy can get more pitches in a day
-a stash of light-weight aluminum bats that would make the Yankees jealous
-So many baseballs they're running out of places to put them, the school supplies them with new game balls whenever they ask
-A fully supplied med kit with essentials such as gauze, prewrap, and so many bandaid they hardly all fit in the box.

We've complained countless times. It's not as though we sit there silently and actually tolerate this treatment. After all, the school is supposed to supply us with all necessary equipment. The funny thing about this all? Not only do they not listen to our complaints, and completely ignore our arguments when we talk to them, but they also have the nerve to boast of their accomplishments in female athletics when they won't even supply us with decent equipment to run these "talented" teams.

But it goes way beyond unequal treatment at school, or in a neighborhood league. In gym with the guys, no matter how good we are and no matter how hard we try, they still make stupid remarks about how we play just because we're girls. Teachers, coaches, umpires -- all of us have encountered a sexist authority figure, I'm sure, and it's a shame that sexism is so common. Some of us (myself included) can even see examples of it in our own homes. I've had teachers who always seemed to push boys to be the best they can be, while they were indifferent as to whether a girl passed or failed. I've had coaches who have discouraged collisions at the plate or on the basepath, because we're "young ladies", and no "real" lady would go barreling into a catcher at full speed. But then, I guess no "real" lady would be playing softball in the first place, would she? Oh, and don't even get me started about my father. It's a good thing I don't have any brothers, because he would have been a horrible influence on them when they leared how to treat girls. Why, way back in the good ol' days when he was growing up, us females learned how to knit and cook and be all domestic and pretty and "would you like a foot massage oh dear husband of mine?". But now we're playing sports, and performing open-heart-surgery, and flying to the moon, and oh gee golly isn't that such a terrible thing?

I'm sick of it all. Why can't I be a girl, but still be tough? Why can't I hit a game-winning home run, but still wear nailpolish? Why can't I have softball practice after school, but wear a skirt until I have to change into my uniform? The world is sending us mixed signals. Sometimes they want us to be girly, sometimes they want us to kick butt and be all that we can be, but NO ONE ever wants us to be something in between. If you "act like a girl", guys don't respect your opinion whenever sports are concerned. If you're a jock like any one of them, and can hold your own even if you're the only girl in the room, then (as in my case) you become "just another one of the guys". And you know what? That sucks too. It really sucks. Because as our Romance and Relationships Editor ivory will tell you, if a guy thinks of you as a guy even though you're a girl, there is no chance of you two EVER going out. It's just one of those things.

The moral of the story? This was a rant, all the way through. A rant, a whine, a complaint -- to all of the administrative staff out there who ACTUALLY think that their sports programs are equal. There is no way to escape this, and there is no way to solve it. It's one of those things which will slowly better itself over time. For girls like us though, "over time" is just a bit too long.

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