I grew up on baseball season, college football Saturdays, Sunday race day, and Monday Night Football. I prefer collegiate sports to their professional counterparts; I’m not sure why. It could be a Midwestern thing, or growing up surrounded by sports. I understood from a very young age that weekends were, in fact, not for cartoons but instead for college game day and Sunday Night Football. March is easily the most important month of the year, and if you don’t fill out your bracket, you may as well go home. Despite my years of experience and knowledge of sports, I am constantly heckled on the internet, as well as in my personal life, about why I like sports. I want to explore some of the most common misconceptions about women in sports and what it is like to be a girl who loves sports.Â
Easily the laziest and most sexist accusation I get is that I only watch sports because the players are attractive. I won’t lie and say that a lot of players are not attractive, because they are. Any group of 20 to 40-year-old men who are athletic are bound to be attractive to many people. While I do love the player component of sports, my focus is on their personal stories and passion for their lives’ work rather than how “hot” they are. A recent focus by sports media on the personalities and people behind some of the most lucrative leagues in the world has opened them up to new fans from all over. Understanding why these athletes have the determination to wake up every day and continue to try their hardest to get better is endlessly fascinating.Â
Often, I am accused of not understanding how a sport works, or my opinions on athletes are considered invalid. There are very few people in the world who know how every sport works and who every player is. Sports is just like any other topic, there will always be something to learn. There are games happening almost every day, and within those games, thousands of plays are made. In my opinion, you don’t gain anything from having all of your favorite players’ season stats memorized. It certainly does not hurt to attempt to understand as much as you can about the sports you love; however, knowing those minute details will not improve your watching experience, I promise.Â
On a personal level, what drives me towards the world of sports is the human aspect. It’s how hard these people work to defy their bodies in order to achieve their dreams. The sacrifice players make to be the best and the psychology behind it is so fascinating. Besides the players themselves, the loyalty and passion of fans, regardless of personal investment in these teams, is innately human. Sports are one of the few things that people around the world, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or origin, can share, so why would we let something as insignificant as chromosomal makeup change that?Â