On Sept. 14, the Blake Boys Soccer Team was seen getting on an air conditioned coach bus, while across the street, Blake Girls Tennis (BGT) was yelled at for asking the bus driver to wait for the coaches and other members of the team. While members of BGT were sprinting down the sidewalk trying to catch the bus that left ten minutes early, the boys took their time since the coach bus didn’t have a normal route assignment on top of getting the boys to their game. Just hours earlier, Blake Athletic Director Nick Rathmann stated, “Our transportation department does a great job.”
Rathmann disregarded the difference in boys and girls sports, saying that “I actually think our girls’ sports are the strongest points sometimes… we definitely want to support all of our student athletes.” But to student athlete and varsity tennis captain, Nana Vang ‘24, “Popularity in most women’s sports is lackluster, but especially boys soccer games are more promoted and attended than girls soccer.”
Although Title IX, the law prohibiting discrimination against female athletes participating in sports, had its 50th anniversary a little over a year ago, it’s 2023 and we still have not reached equal pay in women’s sports. Not only are women paid less but women’s sports are often criticized for not being as fun to watch, and therefore have fewer fans. According to a public poll by the data company, YouGov, there were multiple reasons why this was the case. Some believed that because women were not as strong or fast, the games were slower and not as exciting. Another showed that due to a lack of interest for women’s sports in those around them, they did not find women’s sports teams something that they wanted to engage with, and to follow.
Tennis, now considered the sport with the most equal pay following the 50th anniversary of U.S. Open fair pay, only established gender parity in the four grand slams. “I feel like the U.S. Open made a big deal about it, not only that but on their court, they even had the 50 years of equal pay on the sides,” said Vang. Although the U.S. Open did a phenomenal job broadcasting this anniversary, the regular tours in which players compete in the rest of the season, still have unfair pay gaps.
A great way to address the gender discrimination within our own school, is by showing up to support girls’ sports teams, instead of solely boys. The most important part is that there needs to be cheering at girls’ games. When Blake is down 1-5 to Breck, or any other team, the crowd should be behind the players. Although every game in the season counts, watch for information on when sections are for girls sports, because this is the part of the season that everything leads up to, and we need the most support during these games.
