After watching the film, Kick like a Girl, in class today, it made me reflect upon the ways in which people, especially boys, grow up thinking that women talent is lesser than men’s. In the film, we saw the controversy that was created simply when a girl’s team competed against a boy’s soccer team. I wasn’t surprised but more angered to see the parent’s reactions when their son’s team was losing to the girls. And the fact that they gave them support by saying things such as “they’re only girls, you can get them” shows exactly how women in sports have been shaped over the years. The competition that women feel to perform as well as men has only been made worse with gender stereotypes. In my opinion, competition at a young age is ok only when sportsmanship is taught along with it. I really admired the coach for putting her girl’s team out there to possibly get beaten with the intention of having her team learn good sportsmanship. What was really amazing to me was how aware the girls were of the gender stereotypes. They all dealt with it well and never let it affect their game because they were proud of how far they had come. Although the film never really explicitly said it, I felt that one of the take home messages of the film was how mixed gender competition should be more incorporated into sports. For some, this may seem like a crazy idea, but maybe this is the next step to more equity in sports.
Christina Macias
Tues/Thurs 9:30-10:45
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I like that the coach of the Cheetahs put her team in a boys division to teach them how to lose. I think sportsmanship is very important in sports. I believe that if enough children are taught good sportsmanship, sports will become more equal. It did not seem like the girls on the Cheetahs were out to prove a point. They were just out there to play soccer. Them working hard to win proved their point for them. The responses that the parents and coaches made about the boys losing against the girls I feel were very inappropriate because 1) these are only children and 2) girls are competitive as well. We should not teach our youth that males are more talented than females in sports, but should instead be encouraged (like the Cheetahs) to exceed the expectations and press on to work hard and win any competition; whether it is male vs male, male vs female, etc. I think that is all a part of having good sportsmanship. And I admire the coach of the Cheetahs and how she was able to keep her team grounded and focused on competing rather than trying to break a stereotype or trying to prove a point.
Khalilah Tanter
T/Th 9:30-10:45
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