What would you do if your son wanted to quit hockey because it was hard or he was feeling discouraged?
Would you encourage him to keep on going? Would you tell him how he will get better if he keeps practicing?
Now imagine if your daughter was feeling discouraged and wanted to quit playing hockey with the boys?
Would your reaction change?
Would you question whether she should be playing at all?
When it comes to male dominated sports, female players, coaches, and referees will face this question every time they step on the field of play.
NFL quarterback Cam Newton laughed at a female sports reporter recent, which Chris Lee spoke about in last week’s Humboldt Journal and East Central Trader.
The backlash resulted in former NFL lineman, John Moffitt, coming to Newton’s defense, saying ‘her kind,’ meaning the female reporter, ‘are incapable of knowing the game.’
Unfortunately, this attitude will never go away despite evidence to the contrary from female players, coaches, and referees, and fans, both male and female.
I could say how I feel about Moffitt but of course readers are already know what I’d say based on previously writing about women’s tackle football.
That is not the point I want to make.
The only way we can fight back on this attitude is to keep women playing and proving this attitude wrong.
No matter what young female athletes are doing, they need someone in their corner when they want to make the team and join the men on the field of play.
They need someone to encourage them and not let them quit.
I was blessed to be at a Pee Wee hockey practice recently.
While hanging out at the players box waiting to talk to some of the players, I saw a young female player who was visibly upset.
I struck up a conversation with the player’s mother who told me that the player was frustrated and discouraged because she was having trouble skating backwards and got hit with a slap shot.
During the conversation, it was obvious that the young player wanted to hang up her skates and never lace them up again.
While she may not have been at the level of most players there, she should not ever be discouraged from trying.
She showed real courage getting out on the ice.
While no one was saying she should not be on the ice “because she’s a girl,” for some people that would be a valid reason not to let her play.
And I have heard it before.
Playing tackle football, we were told that we were a novelty. We were told we will never be as good as men. And I have heard plenty of female players who have heard the same line.
On the flip side, I have heard people say this about male dancers.
No player or athlete should be made to feel like their playing is pointless, that they should not be doing it at all.
While I am sure we care enough about our players in Humboldt to not do this to our athletes, what happens outside of Humboldt filters in, including comments such as Moffitt’s. Inevitably, some players will question their right to be in the game.
Gender does not define whether women know football or can play hockey.
And the only way we can make sure our female players keep going is by being in their corner.
