{"id":16359,"date":"2020-12-22T10:41:19","date_gmt":"2020-12-22T15:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/update.midlandps.org\/?p=16359"},"modified":"2020-12-22T14:40:12","modified_gmt":"2020-12-22T19:40:12","slug":"arent-we-supposed-to-be-done-with-the-1950s-mindset-lindsays-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/update.midlandps.org\/index.php\/2020\/12\/arent-we-supposed-to-be-done-with-the-1950s-mindset-lindsays-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Aren\u2019t We Supposed to be Done With the 1950\u2019s Mindset? | Lindsay\u2019s Say"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cLooking good, 6.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDang, broke my scale.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFound an 8.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Some girls laughed it off, discomfort painted clearly across their faces. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some trained their eyes forward in a \u201cyou\u2019re-not-worth-my-time\u201d stare. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some glanced at the numbers on their basketball jerseys in confusion.  <\/span><\/p>\n

They were the ones that didn\u2019t understand. They didn\u2019t realize that the numbers were ratings—numbers reflecting the way we look, not how we play. <\/span><\/p>\n

We don\u2019t respond, though.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho cares? They\u2019re girls. It\u2019s not like they\u2019re playing real comp.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

No response. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re so slow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span> \u201cCan\u2019t even dunk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span> \u201cEven the eighth grade boys could crush them.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

No response. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe people would actually watch if they were hotter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span> No response. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m one out of 2.4 million female athletes in the USA, and these are all things that have been said throughout the 10 years I\u2019ve played competitively. All of the snide comments and sexist remarks seem to just grow in number as I get older, a<\/span>nd I\u2019m only a sophomore in high school. <\/span>Can you imagine what the women at the collegiate and national levels put up with?<\/span><\/p>\n

Look at what happened with Sarah Fuller. She made history Nov. 28 as the first female kicker in Division I football. It was no surprise that she would be met with tons of backlash but several comments on social media highlighted just how unwaveringly some people are pitted against women in sports. <\/span><\/p>\n

Comments like, \u201csomeone better tackle the f*** outta her. Make her realize it\u2019s 2020, but you shouldn\u2019t be on the f***ing field.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs it bad that I want her to get ROCKED? I mean it\u2019s only fair.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Sadly, this isn\u2019t a unique story. There\u2019s so many people out there just waiting for female athletes to fail. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is where someone will say, \u201cThey\u2019re just a few words. Don\u2019t be so sensitive.\u201d<\/span>
<\/span> However, it\u2019s not just \u201ca few words.\u201d This mindset of female athletes being lesser than their male counterparts impacts so much more than most people realize. A huge percentage of our society believes that the enormous strides Title IX has taken means that gender inequality in sports is gone completely. <\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a foolish notion. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, there has been progress. But while women make up 53% of Division I schools\u2019 students, female athletes only receive:<\/span><\/p>\n