If any sport is a "boys club," none is so more than good ol' football. Yet, for the most part, these girls are participating with the support of both their coaches and male teammates. Having this important support may show that Title IX is indeed a "fine wine," as one of our class mates put it, and its effects are improving with each generation.
The first generation merely made sports more accessible for women and girls while causing huge controversy and backlash among men's sports and other women's sports detractors. In the second generation, a level of sport availability and support was already there, and girls had to fight a lot less to play. However, there were still remnants of the initial backlash, especially as athletic directors mismanaged funds and cut men's sports teams in effort to comply with the legislation. This third generation however, seems to be the first group of girls to truly have full access to sport along with the much needed support from males and females. Some girls probably would never have dreamed (or thought) of playing football with boys, but here they are competing, having success, and being fully integrated with the team.
Though girls playing football is by no means the norm, it is amazing to see how accepted these girls are on their teams. Hopefully, this equal treatment of girls in the most hyper-masculine of sports will translate into an entire generation that is more respectful and accepting of the benefits women can bring to society in combination with men. Hopefully, we can all look and see that such sex integration is both possible and beneficial.
I just hope these girls and boys playing together realize the importance of what they're doing beyond wins and losses. And please, don't screw this up for the next generation.
Based on article at: http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/girl/post/_/id/462/girls-tackling-football-across-the-country
Ivy Chamness
KIN 338I sec. 1
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