On the Kentucky football sideline with seconds left on the clock, I stand at the 20-yard line, waiting for a potential touchdown. Looking around, I see men from other newspapers waiting for the game-winning shot. Marcus Randall throws the ball, it is tipped again and again and then Devery Henderson runs into the end zone. I am shooting away, getting the best shots of my life.
Unbelieveable, read the headline, just above the picture that made me famous for a day. One of my Reveille colleagues got a call from her dad. He complimented the photo, saying our “guy” got a great shot. She quickly corrected him, “a girl took that picture.”
Any time I look down the sidelines, the people next to me are almost always men. Although I feel I have more to prove since I am a woman, my colleagues do not make it an issue. And while some people perceive women do not belong in sports, it has not been the case for me.
I may be the exception. Women in sports is a controversial subject, even in these post-Title IX days. But with women trying to become members of the male-only golf club Augusta National, women refereeing NBA games and the first woman playing in a Division 1-A college football game, women are working their way into sports mainstream.
Everyone has their opinion. Some accept women in sports, while some do not.
I am an advocate of women in sports. This seems obvious since I am a woman in sports, in fact, one of the few to grace The Reveille’s sports staff.
Women deserve the same opportunities in sports as men, whether they work on the playing field or in the newsroom. I, fortunately, have encountered mostly positive attitudes from my peers and colleagues.
I have to admit I am skeptical of women in sports, just like most guys are. Women should not be involved in areas of sports they are not qualified to be in. For instance, if a woman wants to play football, she should have to meet the same qualifications as men. If she cannot take the physical hits, she should not play the game.
However, one problem remains — women need respect. Women like LSU women’s basketball head coach Sue Gunter have gained respect in the sports world, but not all women have. For example, consider the LSU women’s basketball team. They are the No. 2 team in the country, but when you hear about LSU basketball, even on ESPN, they just talk about men, whether they are winning or losing.
For those still not convinced women belong in sports, I’ll leave you with one final thought. I hate to resort to this, but think of sports without the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders or the Laker girls — get back to me on that one.