Let's Pay Attention to Women's Sports

Everyone remembers the controversy surrounding the women’s training facilities at the March Madness tournament last year. While the men enjoyed the luxury of Olympic-grade weights and bars, the women were forced to settle for yoga mats and dumbbells. It was as if the women were an afterthought.

This controversy begs the question: Why do women’s sports get so little attention compared to men’s sports?

It’s a question I have asked all of my life. I’ve never understood why men’s sports got all of the attention when women’s sports were often underfunded and forgotten about. The answers I got were unsatisfying and typically ranged from “Guy’s sports are just more entertaining to watch” to “The boys are just more aggressive.”

I beg to differ. I played soccer from second to eleventh grade. I’ve watched many men’s and women’s soccer games, and neither is more entertaining than the other. Also, after being body-checked onto the turf field, I’m gonna step out on a limb here and say that girl’s sports are just as aggressive (if not more sometimes).

My fiancé and I recently watched a high school basketball game. We stayed for both the boy’s and the girl’s games. The girls played first. It was a great game, and in the end the home team came out on top. The crowd, however, was a bit small.

When the time came for the guys to play, the gym bleachers began to fill and a growing student section began to form.

The boys game was boring. The home team blew out the visitors, yet the crowd ate up every bit of it. It was truly disappointing to see the lack of support for the school’s girl’s team compared to the overwhelming encouragement provided to the guy’s team.

Unfortunately, this is all too common. As a woman, I remember being thoroughly disappointed when I played my heart out on the soccer field for a few claps from the small group of parents in attendance only to notice the crowd triple in size when the boy’s game began.

I hate that there are little girls and women alike experiencing that same disheartening feeling right now.

I’m not saying that men’s sports do not deserve the recognition they get. They’ve earned that, but the women have earned that same respect.

Try to keep all of this in mind when you hear about a women’s sporting event coming up. Make it a point to come out, support them and cheer them on. I promise they will appreciate it.