Recently, there was a petition created to change the intramural sports point system. The former point system states that when a girl scores a goal, it’s worth two points, whereas if a boy scores it’s only worth one point. The goal of this point system was to encourage a more inclusive league and create more of an incentive to get pass the ball to women on the teams.
First of all, there shouldn’t be incentive for women to get passed to. If we’re on the team, it means that we: A) care about the sport and B) we enjoy playing the sport. Second of all this does not make it an inclusive league if women are provided two points when they score versuses when a man scores it’s only one point. In fact, it singles out the women who play intramural sports because it says that we’re on a different level; that because we are a woman we need crutch or an incentive to play.
As someone who has been playing sports since she was four, I was really upset by this rule. Why did I need a crutch to play sports? The policy says that it’s goal is to encourage women to play but it does the exact opposite. If anything, it makes me question my capabilities to play and makes me feel too embarrassed to play. The big thing that comes out of this, is that it promotes sexism in sports. The point system undermines our abilities to play sports.
Now if you’re reading this and disagree with me, hear me out: This undermines my capabilities to play because it says that that when a woman scores it’s more rare or that because I’m a woman, I need a crutch to play sports. Now you may think, “No, that’s not what they’re saying, it’s suppose to be an incentive for women to play intramural sports!” But it does the exact opposite. This point system tells me that because I’m a woman my abilities are going to be second-guessed, therefore I need a crutch to play.
Within the last couple of weeks, the Rec Center changed the intramural point system. They listened to the petition and changed the system so that when either gender scores a goal, it’s only worth one point. Now, that the rules have been changed, this creates a more inclusive and safe environment for women in sports.