To quote the 2006 film “She’s the Man”, “Girls aren’t as fast as boys. Or as strong. Or as athletic. Girls can’t beat boys. It’s as simple as that.”
Now, I actually don’t believe what the soccer coach said in this movie, but it’s interesting how something said in 2006 about gender roles in sports is still as apparent today.
As someone who plays a traditionally “male” sport, lacrosse, I have experienced firsthand gender roles in sports.
Automatically, people assume women’s lacrosse isn’t as good or doesn’t have as much merit as men’s lacrosse.
Although the rules between men’s and women’s lacrosse are different, it is still the same sport. In women’s lacrosse, you’re not allowed to tackle or do the same things as men’s lacrosse. It’s more about the mental game rather than tackling each other and being overly physical.
This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced gender roles in sports.
In my high school, the women’s basketball and soccer teams were much better than the men’s teams — the women’s teams were the ones to make it to state almost every year. But the men’s teams were talked about a lot more and therefore viewed as better, despite their record being much worse.
Gender roles in sports aren’t just apparent in my experiences, but nationally as well. Take U.S. women’s soccer versus U.S. men’s soccer. Despite the women’s team winning multiple world cups, they are paid less than their male counterparts who have a significantly worse record.
Obviously, each sport and each team is different in their abilities and popularity. But the general consensus is that men’s sports are taken more seriously than women’s sports in our society, especially in traditionally viewed “male” sports.
People generally associate better athletic ability with men rather than women. I’m not sure when the stigma is going to change, but in situations like the U.S. women’s soccer team — where they are significantly better and bring in more revenue than the men’s team — they should be taken much more seriously.
Will this change as more women are put in positions of power in the sports industry? Will our university’s first female Director of Athletics, Terry Gawlik, change the views of women in sports in our arena? I’m not sure.
Will it take a “She’s the Man” moment where a woman joins a men’s team in disguise as a man? I highly doubt that, because it’s a movie and it’s not real. Yet the movie teaches us how ridiculous gender roles are.
Yes, women can be as fast, strong and athletic as men.
Although our society is making strides toward accepting the merit in women’s sports, we still see men’s sports being given more value. It’s way past due for us to change that.
“She’s the Man” taught us better.
Nicole Hindberg can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @HindbergNicole