For the Love of the Game

This class has taught us a lot about the struggles that women have faced just to be able to play a sport they love. There are many struggles, perhaps too many to count. A struggle to prove that their ovaries were not going to fall out if they were active. A struggle to prove that they can stand the physical exhaustion that comes with a 800m run. A struggle to have the same rights as males in school settings.A struggle to be taken seriously as an athlete and not just another pretty face or body. A struggle to keep their personal lives off the court/field. I believe the latter was the one the most difficult to hear about. I was always aware of the stereotype of the "lesbian athlete" but I had no idea just how difficult it could be. The fact that coaches could/would make it virtually impossible for a player to participate in the sport that they worked so hard to play just because they do not agree with their lifestyle was horrible to learn. I would like to see advances in society that things like this was not an issue. Why so people care so much about who others love? Acceptance is what I long for. Acceptance to those that may be perceived as different but still work hard to fight for success. Women athletes are a force to be reckoned with. Struggle is just another word in the dictionary, and as far as I'm concerned go by this simple philosophy... Be who you are, do what you love, and play hard, for the love of the game.


Nicole A. Coleman