Unfortunately, like most things in today’s society, guy’s get all the praise, money, and fame in the world of sports. Luckily, February 6th celebrates the accomplishments and talents of some extremely athletic women during National Girls and Women in Sports Day. To celebrate and bring attention to some of these incredible women, I will be highlight 5 women that have changed the world of sports.
1. Serena Williams
One of the most obvious choices, but deservingly so, Serena has been the talk of the tennis world since becoming a pro in 1995. Her story is so iconic, because unlike most of her competitors, she did not get her skills from an acclaimed tennis club, but from a self taught coach, her father, in the public park courts of Los Angeles. Serena has now gone on to win 23 grand slam titles, and was the highest paid female athlete earning $18.1 million (Business Report). Not only is she killing it on the court, but since giving birth to her beautiful daughter, Alexis Ohanian Jr., Serena is defining what a working mom looks like in the 21st century.
2. Alysa Liu
The true definition of age is but a number, on January 25, 2019, Alysa Liu has becoming the youngest US Senior Figure Skating National Champion at age 13, beating out defending champ Bradie Tennell, age 20. Alysa began her professional figure skating training at 5 years old; she perfected her technique and skill before competing in her first competition in 2015. However, just one year later, she became the youngest to receive intermediate gold medal in the US Championship. Committed to her craft, she spends 8 hours a day training, with 2-3 different sessions. She is always pushing herself to be the best she can stating, “You always go for one more jump once you get one.” (Mercury News). This girl can do a triple lutz before learning the quadratic equation, and I am not mad at it.
3. Antoinette “Toni” Harris
People say football is too rough for girls to play making it THE “Man’s Game,” but that did not stop Toni Harris from doing something she loved. As a free-safety, she will become one of the first non-kicker females to play on a college field and the first, known, to receive a scholarship, from Bethany College. Harris is from Detroit and has always expressed interest in one day playing in the NFL. This dream motivated her to start her football career at the age of 6, and going on to play for her high school. When dealing with adversity and naysayers, Harris stated, In the end, you’ve got to push yourself. I’m going to focus on my goals.” (ESPN). Harris was the star during Super Bowl Sunday, though not on the field; she was the focus in one of Toyota’s commercials that was aired this past Sunday. Harris is the reason why we should step out on faith and follow our dreams, because it can happen for you, too.
4. Aly Raisman
Known for her amazing performances during the 2016 Summer Olympics, Aly Raisman is nothing short of talented. She is a 2-Olympian earning 6 medals: 2 -team gold, 1-floor gold, 1-silver all-around, 1-floor silver, 1- balance beam bronze, between 2012 and 2016 (Team USA). Raisman began her gymnastic career in 1996, just two years after her birth, after being inspired by the 1996 Women’s Olympic Gold Team. Though she deserves her praise for her work in the gymnastics arena, I am in awe of her bravery to stand up and speak out against Larry Nassar’s, former national gymnastics team doctor, acts of sexual harassment. Just last year, she took to 60-Minutes to end the silence. This act encouraged about 160 more ladies to speak up. Nassar is now serving his, well deserved, 40-175 year sentence. In the era of #MeToo, seeing justice being served is oh too sweet (CBS News).
5. Danica Patrick
Another women entering a male dominated industry and absolutely killing it, Danica Patrick has become the most successful woman in the history of open-wheel racing. She became the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race, clinch a pole position in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and highest finish by a woman in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. She began her race car driving career at the age of 10 and later decided to drop out of high school to take it on full-time and found instant success. After driving laps around these men, you can find her advocating for No Kid Hungry and DRIVE4COPD, using her celebrity status to give back to those in need and bringing awareness to a fatal disease (Wikipedia).
These are just a few of the trailblazing women in the sports industry; there are many more women out there working twice as hard to get the same recognition as their male counterpart. Though we, as a country, are slowly making changes to even the playing field, there are still too many people, women specifically, not getting what they deserve for the work they are putting in. Congratulations to these, and the many other, women that have found success and still fighting for the ladies that are following behind them. I salute you and your success.