Why Girls Should Be Able To Play On Boys’ Football Teams
January 15, 2016
Recently, across the country there has been several cases of girls wanting to play on high school or college football teams. One documented example of this is Jacksonville State’s kicker, Ashley Martin, making history on her football team by kicking a winning field goal. Giving the extra point to Jacksonville in a close game, Martin kicked a total of three extra point field goals without a single miss. “I didn’t join the football team to assert any sort of girl power,” she said. “Nor did I do it to break down doors for any women itching to get onto the football field.”
This shows that not only is the accusation of females not being physically able to play traditionally “male” sports false in some circumstances, there has been no determination what exactly a “male sport” is.
Females, just as males, are capable of participating in any sport they desire. Whether it be putting pads on and getting ready for football practice, or stepping into the octagon before a fight, females need to be given the opportunity to play whatever sport they like no matter the circumstances of the rules regarding gender.
Although it is almost always the case for high school football teams to have an entirely male roster, there should always be space on the team for a girl if she wanted to play. Now, this doesn’t mean that she is going to be going up against 230 pound linebackers in tackling drills; she would be placed in a position that keeps her safe and fits her physical attributes.
It may be nerve-racking at first, but adding a female addition to the football team should be something to consider for any head coach. Knowing the circumstances of the sport prior to joining, they know what they would be needed for and what would be expected of them. They may be less athletic or slightly less strong than the rest of the team; however, you never know what these girls could be capable of.
If the privilege of joining a football team is supposedly open to the entire school, both males and females should be given the choice to join. Girls should never be looked past just because a coach may be unaware of how they can contribute. Everyone should be welcome to play the sport they love, no matter their gender.
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Do you think girls should be allowed to play on boys’ football teams? Leave your opinion in the comments below!
Creative Commons photo source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Vicenza_American_High_School_football_players.jpg
Andrea Dennis • Jan 18, 2016 at 12:25 pm
Great article! This really make me think about the issues we face about gender equality
anyonymous h12 • Jan 15, 2016 at 3:19 pm
My biggest concern with things like this is the likelihood of standards for girls being lower than for boys to join the team. If girls are permitted to join the football team, will a coach favor a female player over a slightly better male in order to have a token girl on the roster? We’re already seeing this in the police, firefighters, and military, where women are being held to lower standards than men. In those fields, that could result in serious consequences. Football is much less important, obviously, but the principle stands.