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Girls playing with the Boys, and Boys playing with the Girls

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Women, Sport, and Film - 2002
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Girls playing with the Boys, and Boys playing with the Girls

Zoe Meyer

On the athletic field, in the gym, or on the ice, there have always been standards for the athletes to follow. These standards range from what type of athletic equipment is not only necessary but appropriate, to who can play when, where, and how. This last standard is the one that is being challenged the most; can men play not only on women’s teams, but can they also participate in female dominated sports without being taunted? The same goes for women, can females, without fear, really participate in traditionally male dominated sports? Although the social costs to the individual participating in the non-traditional sport are many, the benefits, if played well and correctly, can be and are quite plentiful as well.

For men, this desire to participate in traditionally female dominated sports is not quite as great as it is for females. This is because, honestly, men have a wealth of opportunities for athletics, whether it be professional or not, for every one chance women have. But, in the case that a male does want to participate in a female dominated sport, he will have a hard time being accepted, not necessarily by his female teammates, but by the society watching the sport. Traditionally, male athletes are supposed to be in rough and tumble sports. They are supposed to be hard bodied, passionate about the game, and willing to play no matter what the circumstances. Most female sports, even the female counterpart of a male sport, is less rough and tumble and less aggressive than male sports. For a man to participate in one of these sports he is likely to get laughed off the field, taunted with jeers of “homo” and suggestions that he is “not man enough” to play with the “real men” in traditionally male dominated sports. This can not only be damaging to the male playing, but it can also be damaging to the women playing. The jeers could become aimed at the women on the field or the ice and they could hint that women are not only incapable to play, but that since they need a man to join their team to help them, they obviously do not belong anywhere but on the sidelines.

This previous example is probably a little extreme, but the ideas behind it are quite real. Imagine a man walking onto the deck of a swimming pool, ready to compete in synchronized swimming. The expected first impression would be, “what the…?” because men are not supposed to be synchronized swimmers. There may not be jeers taunted at him, and he may not get made fun of, but he is not looked upon favorably by those watching the event. If, however, he is looked upon favorably, in whatever female dominated sport he is participating, the benefits could be plenty. Imagine the publicity the team would get, not to mention the only man on the team! The endorsements for athletic equipment, shoes, and many other things could support him for the rest of his life after just one year of playing. Being the only man on a professional or Olympic level team could potentially lead to more opportunities for endorsements and such than being just another member of a men’s team. This may seem well and good, but when a man “makes it big” playing for a women’s team, there is always the question and suggestion that he should then go play with the big boys. With this in mind, it is easy to see that a male’s opportunity for continual benefits from playing on a women’s team are slim. Again, this is something that is not very common for men at the professional level, or even at an amateur level because of the fact that men have more opportunities to play than women.

Women, on the other hand, often want to participate in, not only traditionally male dominated sports because, at least now there are female counterparts for them, but they want to “play with the big boys” as well. For a female to “break into” a male sport is probably one of the most difficult parts of actually being an athlete. The main argument that is used almost regardless of the sport for women participating in traditionally male dominated sports is that the female body is not made to correctly function while participating. Also, the idea that the women will lose their femininity if they play with men is another reason to keep them off the field and out of the ring. For women to be taken seriously in a male dominated sport they have to not only be the best female in the ring, gym, or wherever, they also have to be the best overall athlete.

Traditionally, women are thought of as more fragile, and less aggressive than men. With this in mind, it is clear the reasons why it is so difficult for women to participate in male dominated sports. The costs to a woman playing with a man in the ring or on the field are more numerous than simply getting laughed at and called names. Usually, to really see the extent to which women can take playing with the boys, the men will usually play their hardest, if not harder in an attempt to push the women to their limits and eventually make them quit. Also, since the woman is in a male dominated sport, the chances that there are other females out there helping “the cause” are very small which makes it even harder for her to be taken seriously.

The benefits for a woman in a man’s sport however are probably some of the greatest out there. She will not only most likely be the star and the sweetheart of the team, but she will also most likely get the most attention both in and out of the game. Also, the endorsements for a woman playing with men are unimaginable, especially with all the feminists behind her and supporting her, she will most likely never have to worry about money again. The one problem with all of this though, is that she will probably have to be defending her sexuality constantly from those that think all female athletes are gay. However, if any woman can get through the taunting, and succeed in a male dominated sport, then she truly will have “made it” in the world of athletics.

For men and women to participate in sports not traditionally dominated by their sex is probably a lot more difficult at first than would seem worth it, but in the end it could be a major stepping stone into the world of athletics as well as the rest of society. The costs to both seem, at first, almost insurmountable, but once they have become versed in the ways of the sport, the benefits out rule it all.

 

Continuing conversation
(to contribute your own observations/thoughts, post a comment below)

08/01/2005, from a Reader on the Web

I am an african american FEMALE, who plays football. I started at the age of 5 when i played on a 6 yr old BOY TEAM. when i first started yea, it was harsh but as i got older boys became scared of me and girls didnt even look at me unless they were my friends because they knew who i was!!!! I was the best player on the team amd recieved a lot of MVP's. people shouldn't discriminate agaist girl(women) because girls "some" girls r as tough as boys. sure i had lil boyfriends and i still did girl thing but dont juge a girl by what they look like, because i could be the prettiest girl but also the "one who knows how to take care of business! till' this day noone messes with me or even THINKS about "tryin'" to pick on me even though i may not look like a football player i AM one! Sincxe i am omly 13 i still have lots to accomplish and i say yeah to ALL the girls who think they can handle the sport!!!!!!!!!!!!1 P.S- on my team after the games boys couldn't even tell i was a girl until' i took my helment off becouse i was that good, i am not afraid to brake a nail and i am not preppy i am "a football playin' female repin' all da guhs!!!!!GET THAT?!?!?!?!?


01/05/2006, from a Reader on the Web

I am 14 years old and so into football... many people see its as strange (mostly females) but many other people (mostly males) think its cool. Its not that i wanna play with the "big boys" as your article states. I just like to play football. I am not trying to prove myself in anyway.. i just wanna play. What i'm trying to say is i disagree with the argument why females play male teams.

 

Additional comments made prior to 2007
i have been a very athletic girl since i was about 5 and i have always wanted to play football with the boys. yet its hard b.c of the trouble u get with ppl saying names and stuff . i believe girls should have the right considering its against the law to judge ppl of their sex. if they are just as good as the boys or better and can keep up with the competiotion then heck yess they should play with them and show girls are jsut as equal as boys!!! ... Reader on the web, 3 April 2006

 

 

there is no way that a girl can play football especially in the Texas 5A district I mean they would get killed. Plus I have played football with a girl and its weird it feels like u have to go easy on them or something.their also very dramatic and they might hurt themselfs ... Brennan Deuel, 15 May 2006

 

 

I love Football I have loved it forever! But I can't play on the team. I am in 8th grade and I am 14 I think that I can make up my mind if I want to play!! But the school sead that they don't want me to get hert! Give me a break I love football I can thow better then all the boys in my gym class. The boys think that I am not good enoph but give me a team and a football and I will show you what I can do! Even my dad sead that I am really good at home I have my own football and half the boys at school don't. So why can't I play?!?!?! ... Stephanie Garnett, 18 October 2006

 

 

i am 13 years old and i love to play football but my school wont let firls try out for football. i am really disappointed that i cant try out. i have also been told a number of times that i am a great thrower and sometimes a good chatcher. i would love to start playing football ... Falysha Raymond, 19 October 2006

 

 

WOW, what a great artical, congrats! all of it is so true...personally i think boys and girls should be able to participate in whichever sport, whenever and with who! it would be fantastic to see one day, during prime time, on a prime television station, a male dominated sport being played by females and gettin gthe same amount of surport as male sports do today ... Brooke, 9 November 2006

 

 

i am a 16 yr old girl that plays rugby and wrestles, because im interested in it and enjoy contact sports, Iv only been playin for two years and was introduced to it through my highschool. I wasn't treated differently by my friends and have continuously practised with the boys rugby team and wrestled with guy in practise. Im not particulary gifed in athletics, but just do it for fun and to stay in shape, and society has changed to accept females in contact sports ... Reader on the web, 5 December 2006

 

 

hey ya i think its so ture what the girls wrote we should be aloud to play football caus im a female and i love to play football iv been playing since i was 5 im 16 now and i still play. no girls think about messing me with and well u get know know alot of guys and they are cool about me playing with them they love it one year i didnt play cuz i broke a arm and they missed me ... Lee-Anna, 6 February 2007

 

 

I agree with the first person because most girls are tough like boys! I want to play football but the coaches are against it! I also love wrestling to but thier is no teams and of course the coaches won't let me try out! Any ways I soooooo agree with u! P.S girls are just as tough as boys! ... Elizabeth, 10 April 2007

 

 

Hi i am a female,some people think tht football is a game for boys only but is not,i am an african i love playing football but here in Cameroon most dont play i often play with the boys so i get stronger ,y dad supports me but my mom dont even think of it so i am pleading with any one who reads this which can help in any way to jon my fellow girls play should just mail me please ... Taka gina lor, 21 July 2007

 

 

I am 18 years old, and am currently coaching an all boys hockey team. I have been playing hockey from the time i was 5 and couldn't be happier. Yes i was playing on a all boys team for 12 years, but i think that it made me better at the sport becasue, i was challenged. I loved playing the sport and made some amazing friend threw it. I tried playing for a girls team but i missed my "boys". yes they do get pissed when they realize a girl just knocked them on thier butt but on the other hand it gave me more confidence as a girl playing a boy sport! MUCH LOVE! ... Stephanie, 12 November 2007

 

 

Im 14 years old and love to wrestle!! when i say i want to wrestle with the school!! they told me no cause i was a girl!! theres a couple of wrestling teams in the town that i live in!! but my parents say the only way i can is if i wrestle with the sschool team!! if there are other schools that r like mine i think its bull that they wont let u!! im already one of the girls that most people look at like o dont mess wit her!! ive wrestled before but now that im older i cant wrestle wit the clubs! but i hope i have a chance wit sumthing!! ... Page Slater, 13 November 2007

 

 

I have played soccer fo rthe last 8 years of my life and girls have been on my teams for my whole soccer "career" i dont see the problem with girls on my team i also wrestle and do cross country on my cross country team my best friend is tougher than i am when it comes to a pace and this is my first year wrestling and last year there was a girl on our team that lost only one of her matches and i have lost all of mine so anyone has no right to say that girls arent as tought as the men. i'm only 12 years old and i have many friends that play way harder in many sports that i play i think girls can play any sport they want to ... Austin, 6 December 2007

Comments

Anonymous's picture

girls and boys on the same team

well lets see i have grown up around around boys all of my life and i seem to get along with my boy cousins but i have played once on a boys team and enjoyed it... but i was only five or six then and it was a tball team... but i have always wanted to be on a baseball team forever and my dream is to be on the team next year but i may or may not be in denver colorado if i dont move from houston texas and i dont want to just waste away my time in houson for the rest of my time.................................. so should i try out for a boys team in denver colorado? please tell me what u think

Serendip Visitor's picture

I box against boys. There

I box against boys. There aren't many girls who are good enough to fight me.

Anonymous's picture

Cool. How old are you and

Cool. How old are you and how does it go fighting boys?

Anonymous's picture

I play footy for a club

I play footy for a club, im a girl , im 12.
I am in year 7, the coaches of the year 7 footy team
let me try out, so i did , they called my name out and
said i was in the team. the coach even said i was in the
top 5.
then a week later, last minute, they decide girls can't
play football !
how much does that suck ! i was really annoyed.
The school was meant to be non-sexist.
BULL.

Anonymous's picture

hey i play hockey and i

hey i play hockey and i understand exactly what u mean. I love to play and in high school im afraid their not gonna let me play cause im a girl. I don't see y not im just as good as them. They won't even let me tryout!!!!!! Im gonna change that and girls and boys will be on the same team so that everyone can play what they want when they want!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous's picture

I'am 13 a i play alsot every

I'am 13 a i play alsot every sports that boy play. I hang out with mostly my friends that are boys. I also hang with my friends that are a girls, but the don't care that i plays sports with the boys or hang with them even thow they are not good at sports. My Middle school have boy and girls sport team. girls are aloud to play on any boys team, they don't juge us because we are girls. My dream is to play High School Football And College Football and go pro one day. But i don't think High school and colleges let girls play but i will neaver give up my dream.

P.S Girls can be tought as boys too. !!!!!!!!!

Anonymous's picture

im 15 im a sophmore and i

im 15 im a sophmore and i play highschool football...its rough..very rough..im first string quarterback....but i worked hard to get there...i lift weights...alot..more then 1/2 the guys and run 2 miles everyday...but college footballs teams arent going to want a girl on their team i gurantee you

Anonymous's picture

Teams should be open to all. . .

Let's forget about gendered teams; there should be one-sport teams, and boys and girls should be allowed to play on them equally. Coed. None of this segregation.

Anonymous's picture

I'm a 15 year old girl and i

I'm a 15 year old girl and i play guys hockey and yeah i get hurt sometimes but so does every other hockey player. I also play lacrosse with boys, and if a girl wants to play football they should be able to. Most girls are a lot stronger than they seem. I don't get hurt any easier than the guys and im barely over 5 feet tall. If any girl wants to play football or any other male dominated sport I encourage you to.

Duhitsdora's picture

My sister is 15 and she plays

My sister is 15 and she plays guys hockey. She is the only girl on the team and she loves it. Sure she gets hurt but, so does every other hockey player.

Anonymous's picture

Some girls are tough enough

My next door neighbor was a muscular, athletic and tough girl. Up to 7th-8th grade she was stronger and tougher than any of the boys. She regularly beat all the boys at anything from armwrestling to tackle football to wrestling to fighting. Her parents always tried to stop her because "girls are too delicate for rough sports." They didn't look at her, they only looked at that stupid idea. The schools did the same thing. So the boys got lots of chances to compete and get better and my neighbor eventually had to give up and just be a girl. It was sad.

Anonymous's picture

NOOOOO

FOOTBALL is a mans sport not a girls sport they should stick to their sports or stay on a all girls team wow!!!! men men men! they will get hurt to easily and like girls always say you cant hit a girl.. so what r we supposed to do!

Anonymous's picture

Wow

If girls are just as good as guys then they should be able to play on the same teams as guys. its just fair. i knew a girl who was as good as the guys and played n our select team ever year.

jenny's picture

hello im one of the strongest girls in my class!

okay some girls can be 'femine' but dude!! r u serious girls can play football 4 xample im one of the best players on the team have u ever heared of long hornes!!! good god boy!

Foot Ball Lover's picture

Help!!!!

Hey, I think you are the greatest person on the web next to FRED because football is your fav. I always wanted to play football but my dad said , "I dont want my baby girl getting hurt"!!!! You know what!!! I dont care. I will find a way to play!!!

Jose Angeles's picture

GIRLS & BOYS PLAYING TOGETHER

IF A GIRL WANTS TO PLAY WITH A BOY IN A SPORT THEY SHOULD BE ALLOWED BECAUSE THEY GOT ALL THE RIGHTS THAT A MALE HAS.BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THAT A MALE COULD PARTICIPATED IN A FEMALE SPORTS THAT WAY EVERY THING COULD STAY EVEN

Andy O's picture

I AM not put on any teams

I AM not put on any teams for sports well i am in softball, but i love football, hockey, and anything heavy hitting. I am not the greatest at these sports but i play them and I am very good a some poisitions and always practice on the ones i lack. I am going to get in to hockey. it really isn;t ever too late to want to be in such a thing i am 14 and starting to learn hockey.
i love to body check people, adn i am a prety sick goalie lol
I for awhile had boys always telling me I couldn't be good when I played football with them. But i proved them horribly wrong ^_^ lol
I know have the respect from my guy friends to play football and i even have one of my closest ones always asking me if I am going to play with them outside
At my high school we have a pretty nice outside feild they play everyday at luch.
I decided to not play this year since i am a freshman adn rather keep on my studies but i am gunning for next year
Just don wat you love and dont feel ashamed
You may feel shy and at times liek you don't belong but once you take up your posistion and feel that adrenaline then it won't matter ^_^

Anonymous's picture

HOCKEY

I'm a girl that has played with boys on a hockey team since i was 5. I play very competitively and i am amazing at it. also i hang out with a lot of guys.

Monie's picture

I LOVE the game

I LOVE the game football.....i have only 1 girl-friend but most of my friends are guys and i play every friday with them and my mom is very worried but, i am kinda stronger than them. I ALWAYS win ! : )

Girls don't a little rough game stop YOU from being TRUE! <3

p.s: Guys are always kinda scared of tacking girls so, you mite win with that advantage! : )

Anonymous's picture

IM a girl and i play

IM a girl and i play football and its really fun and i grew up with all boys so im used of getting pushed and stuff like that...I just dont get why every one calls me a boy it sucks i was thinking about quitng but i didnt because was reading every ones comments and i got really happy. BUT every one says i have to lifes because i come home and i act like a girly girl and when im with the boys im not idk wat to do...... :)

Jorbug's picture

can gilrs play baseball????

I think girls should be able to play baseball. I love to be active and play sports. Yeah i know that girls have softball which is a spin off of basedball. But what if you don't have a girls softball team for your age group?? i absolutly love softball but my girls asa (traveling softball team) broke up and they don't have a little league team for us.....:( What am i supposed to do but i want to play so bad can i play boys baseball.... i would risk everything just so i could playy....but parents are kinda iffy on the subject and i don't know if they completely agree but they will come around.. =)

Anonymous's picture

I think it doesnt matter if

I think it doesnt matter if girls and guys are on the same team! i think that both girls and guys have the same athletic ability and should be able to play together!! guys arent better and stronger than girls and i know its not right for guys to hit girls but they need to get over it because its a SPORT! its not like their just sitting at home one day or hanging out and all the sudden a guy friend punches a girl NO its a sport and guys need to get over it!!

Kristin Merritt's picture

Girls can kick butt too!

Hey, my names Kristin and im a sofomore at IBHS. I play on a girls and boys soccer team! Some times i can be better then the boys and school them with the ball; but then theirs other times where guys dont really care if im a girl and charge me like im nothing. Yea it hurt getting knocked over by a big guy! (Last time i heard you shouldn't hurt girls on purposs!) but, if i choose to be on a team with boys and girls im in for it! Playing soccer with the guys toughed me up and perpared me for other guys! Given me support that im a girl and im getting pushed down and them yelling on the side lines telling me get up and get em back and etc. That support HELPS! I Think boys and girls should team up together!

The very thought of this is ridiculous!'s picture

The very thought of this is

The very thought of this is ridiculous, girls have their own hockey leagues so why do they have to play in a guys hockey leauge. If it is proper for a guy to open up a door for a girl and put them first then they should be playing rough sports with guys like hockey for example. Also im not saying that i am in any way interested but guys are not allowed to play in a ringette league so why should girls play in a guys hockey league. Can a guy play in a girls hockey league? Doubt it! You girls think you can do anything a guy can do but its not true, you just cant match the muscle mass of a male of your age. So get over yourselves and go back to cheerleading and moping the floor!

Anonymous's picture

OMG!? ARE YOU SERIOUS.

Ok, I am 13 years old and Play Netball (I am Australian btw so u may not know what this is) which is pretty much a girls sport EXCEPT some boys play to. I also am a State Champion in SHOT PUT and High Jump, and I am interested in playing Football (AFL footy which is more rough that American Football, there is NO protective gear at all and it is a CONTACT sport). At my primary school all the boys HATED racing me coz I was faster than all of them. Yes it's a fact that boys are stronger and faster naturally BUT that doesn't give you the right to tell us to go back to MOPPING THE FLOORS. Also I find Cheerleading REALLY cheesy. So get a life and find something better to do than being a sexist pig.

Stronger Than They Think's picture

Whoa Whoa Whoa There Mr

Alright, you must have hit your head really hard.
Now, when I have any of my guy friends that think they are so stuff walk up to my dad, they get scared. He's this HUGE guy, broad shoulders, 6 feet, 5 inches, he's this scary, tough guy. He's done karate, and could easily break your neck. Thats my dad.
We have a thing for wrestling, and even though I'm his little baby girl, (14 years old), he doesn't go easy on me. But what's funny, he's gotten scared of me, I've beaten HIM to the ground. I've gotten in fights before. Now, when your 12 years old, and you beat down a 14 year old boy, what do you say to that? Girls can do just about the same things girls can do, so how about YOU grab the frickin mob and put on a short skirt.

Anonymous's picture

sexist

sexist

Anonymous's picture

What???

"Go back to cheer leading and mopping the floor!" WTF do you think you are? Sexist!

I understand that some girls are not as strong as guys, but I am stronger than all of the boys in my class. You look at them and they look pretty strong, but when I go against them in PE, I am able to beat their asses. They see us as equals and therefore are very rough in PE, so it just shows me that I am stronger. No I am not as small as most girls because we do weight training, but it is pretty funny when a 15 year old girl is able to beat a 16 year old boy at military push-ups.

1. I hate cheer leading (no offense, hockey and lacrosse are more my thing.) and 2. what? do you think mopping is our job? Sexist. Stop Judging, LOSER!

Kendra Foy's picture

Girls Water Polo

Girls can play water polo just as good as guys. We can tread water better and swim faster than a guy.

Anonymous's picture

Ridiculous

Even in high school how is it fair that girls can play with guys and guys can play with girls? If girls were equal, then they wouldn't play on an 8-inch lower net in volleyball. I played volleyball and soccer through high school, but the simple fact is that women and men are not physically created equal. I'm sorry, but if I hit on a girls net I would seriously hurt every girl on the high school volleyball team. Even in soccer, we would scrimmage the girls varsity team and beat them five on eleven. Sure, there are some girls that are some nasty girls players out there that can hang with the guys of their respectable sport, depending on how good the guy's team is of that same sport, but if you are saying that men and women are equal then sure I'll go play with the girls volleyball team in my division 1 college now and be the best hitter in the country.

Cody C's picture

Unfairness?

I understand that girls CAN be equal to guys at sports in HIGH SCHOOL. But in the pros, they cannot come close.

I also don't get that all these girls are arguing that girls are just as good at sports and should be allowed to play guys sports, but why, then, can guys not play with the girls?

If you say that it's unfair to the girls on the team then you are contradicting yourself 100%. Think about it, girls on a guy team is fair, but guys on a girl team isn't? Why not? BECAUSE GUYS ARE MORE ATHLETIC!

I am not saying that some girls aren't as athletic as guys, but MOST aren't.

Girls who excell at their own sports shouldn't go to the guy leagues, they should find a higher level of competition, and play there.

Anonymous's picture

Females in male domated sports

hi i am 13 years old and i was reading a lot on why it is not fair that some people...mostly the men and boys think that us girls should not belong on the boys team. I used to play boys hockey until i got turned from it comletly because my coach didn't think that girls could really play hockey as well as the boys.And his son was the same way.There were a couple of players on the team that thought that i wasn't good enough for their team and a couple of player made a decision that they wouldn't pass me the puck at all so I hardly ever got the puck as much as i had hoped. So a couple of years later i decided that I had enough and switched to girls league.I've been playing there in St.Johns for just over three years now and i am having a lot more fun cause even though i know that guys and girls should be labeled as "equal"..we have to face it cause we aren't. And when i play with girls team I don't feel like quitting because i'm gettting put down.I feel like striving to do better cause everyone is cheerring me on. And THAT is what hockey is all aboout."GIRLS RULE"

Anonymous  (14 years old)'s picture

ya i totally agree with you.

ya i totally agree with you. my teammates don't really have any problems with me on the team...but some of the coaches do. they woudn't say it to my face, but u just know who duz and duznt want you there. the same thing happened to me in 7th grade they basically forced me to play on the girls team and it was fun but now i'm back on a boys team. next year tho, is high school...and i wouldn't make the boys jv team so i have to play on the girls high school team.

chineria's picture

guys&woman should be on the same team

Hi I'm 14th years old I think guys& woman should play on the same team.God made us the same.

Megan's picture

I love soccer!

hey, my name is Megan and I'm 13 and 1/2 years old. I agree that girls should be able to play whatever sport they want and not be judged about their gender! Girls are just as strong as boys! Some boys at my school saw me walk onto the soccer feild one day and asked me "what do you think your doing" and i said "Playing soccer, you got a problem with that?" anyways if you boys don't have the balls to play and/or get beaten by girls than you should go Sniff It!!! Girls rule too!!!

Madison's picture

worth it??

Hey I’m madison. I’m a 16 year old and I’ve been playing on the boys baseball and soccer teams for about 6 years now. I grew up playing with girls, so when I switched because we didn’t have any girls teams for those sports at school, I noticed the difference right away. Its not that guys are better, they just have different ways of playing the game sometimes! Girls can be just as aggressive as guys though! My baseball team didn’t want to be shown up by ‘a girl’ so they pushed me hard. It took me a while to learn to play like them, so I wasn’t doing so great at first. They would play jokes, swing right at me, and make me look like I had no idea how to play. I finally cracked though, after the oldest guy on the team, and the team captain, duct taped a bright pink bra to my batting helmet. I wore it through the whole game just to prove I had the balls to take whatever they’d throw, and they left me alone after that. But really, girls, watch out. If you get too confident on an all guys team, especially if you’re older, like high school, guys get pissed. Off the fields, some guys don’t think they have to ‘respect their teammates’. One of the guys and I got in a fight after practice one day and I was hurt and couldn’t play for a couple weeks. He got suspended from the team for starting the fight and I was so scared of the whole team after that. They blamed me. Everything’s good now though. We are a great team. And anyone who thinks guys can’t do what girls can, BULLSH*T!

Anonymous's picture

I am 15 years old and i play

I am 15 years old and i play hockey, people always tell me that im crazy..and when they dont know me they would never think that i love hockey and play it..
just because i act like a girl doesnt mean i act like a girl on the ice..lol..
i love playing and i really want to play on a coed team..everyone thinks i cant do it, but i want a challenge..i wish that a lot of people wouldnt think that you cant do something just because your a girl..

Anonymous's picture

I THINK THAT GIRLS SHOULD

I THINK THAT GIRLS SHOULD GET TO PLAY FOOTBALL BECAUSE SOME GIRLS ARE STRONGER THAN GUYS I HAVE A LOT OF GUY FRIENDS AND IM PRETTY PREPPY BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I CANT PLAY FOOTBALL I PLAY WITH ALL MY GUY FRIENDS ALL THE TIME AND SOMETIMES THEY FIGHT OVER WHO'S TEAM I AM GONNA BE ON BECAUSE IM REALLY GOOD AND OF COURSE THEY STILL TACKLE ME AND EVERYTHING...SO ANY GIRL THAT WANTS TO PLAY FOOTBALL SHOULD HAVE A RIGHT TO.

Courtney's picture

hey it's me again Courtney.

hey it's me again Courtney. i really need your opponions on this whole thing for my speech.
thanks for your help! btw thomas i agree with you, i think we should have a boy and girl volleyball team. i mean we all work together in the classrooms, why not on the field?!

Thomas's picture

so, i'm 17 and i strongly

so, i'm 17 and i strongly feel that men should be able to girl sports and girls can do male spots. i'm a boy and i do cologuard witch is considered a females sport but there are alot of guys who do this and i belive it makes it more entertaning to watch. as well as girls plaing football or doing other guy sports

Courtney's picture

Should girls be able to play on boys sports teams, YES!!!

hi, i'm courtney im 15 and im a sophomore in an illinois school. I have to do a persuasive speech for speech class and i handed out a survey asking the students if they think girls should be allowed to play on boys football and wrestling teams. Most of them (boys and girls) say that girls should not be allowed to wrestle with boys but they should be allowed to play football! Is there really a big difference between football and wrestling?! Most of the students also said that girls should be treated like a boy to an extent. Some girls said that they wouldn't want to wrestle with boys. I understand that but we should atleast have a right to choose! We have a powderpuff team (girls football team) but it is completely different from the boys team. We have 2 games where the seniors play the freshmen and the sophomores play the juniors and the winners from those games face off. Plus the boy football players coach the girls! I always go to the girls football game since we only have one and not many people show up. So what do you guys think??

marleny's picture

they let girls play whatever

they let girls play whatever they want it not fair !!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous's picture

wow

alright listen people!! this is absolutely ridiculous....girls can not play with the guys. in some sports that are jus girls yea but not with alll the guys. it is a proven scientific fact that girls do not have as much testosterone than guys and are not as strong or as physical. they might want to be but it will never happen. if i saw a girl across from me on the football field i would first laugh and then i wud put her right on her butt. and not feel bad about it. i have had a girl play against me in sports....she thought she cud handle it too!!
untill of course we made her look like the little girl that she really wuz!!! GIRLS CANNOT PLAY FOOTBALL......BOTTOM LINE!!!

Anonymous's picture

thats a shame you feel that

thats a shame you feel that way. guess what, i proved you wrong. im a senior chick and gave up a college volleyball scholarship to prove people like you wrong. i made it as the only girl on the high school tackle football team. i did everything the guys had to, including hell week. so you might wanna change your bottom line, because GIRLS CAN PLAY FOOTBALL

Tony's picture

I hate this

I hate how boys believe that girls cant play male sports. I'm getting really sick of this and i agree that females should play on male teams because they should be able to express how good they are in that sport. For instance my friend Monica she playes soccer and shes on of the best players i know. Even better than me. So boys and girls should just learn to get along with sports....

Ana's picture

Girls Playing Hockey With Guys

I'm a 14 year old Canadian girl, and I play on a Midget boys team (15,16,17 yrs old) and I am "surviving" the "fatal for girls" team, for every person who thinks girls can't do sports with guys is because they are scared of girls, they are scared of the the chance of being knocked over by a girl therefore "ruining" their manhood. I debated this with my class last week, one guy said the so very original "boys are stronger then girls" sentence, I was so very discourged by him, specially when he's a skinny tall thing. Anyway, just because I am girl, it doesn't make me worse than a guy. Most guys don't even see me as a girl I'm just "one of the team". I have no problem with a non gender based system, so instead of a girls team and a boys team, it shoud be a "b" and "a" team. I'm happy that there's a girls hockey league but I just personally prefer playing with guys. But don't get me wrong, the girl's "BB" and "AA" team are very good.

bob joe's picture

male are cool

it is my belaive that girl do not have the talant or the body matueraty to play on males sports teams because they are ruff and the girls will get huert to easylay so i say no to gilr playing on girls sports tems

Mickey &lt;3's picture

sports!!

Wow you guys are really stupid!! who says a girl isnt as tough as a guy. ya so guys are normally more into sports than girls but who says that girls cant play sports? heck! if i wanted to play football i could do it i would not care if a guy nocked me to the ground a thousand times! i would get right back up and try again! and also! about the wgole guys cant hit a girl thing! guys come on get over yourselves!! stop using excuses on why you cant hit us! all it does is make us think your are to weak to embarrass yourself! If you are so strong why dont you stop the smack talk and get up and prove it! cause i dont beleive you!!! Yall are so lame! any guy that says he cant hit6 a girl is just stupid!! If a girl hits you are you just going to stand there and let the girl hit you??? no!!! get up and hit her back!! if a girl hits you! she deserves to get it right back! if your playing sports against a girl do me a favor and dont freakin hold back thats what a girl hates the most is a guy that holds back! If you havent cought on by now i am a veryyyyyy competative girl and nothing ticks me off more than guys that talk smack about girls!! and when a guys holds back against a girl! come on for real if we didnt want competition or some one to play hard and attempt to beat us do you think we would really be there???!!!?! no!!!!!! i dont think so!!!!!! we are there to play!! dont hold back!!!! theres nothing i find more unattractivein a guy, than a guy that holds back because he is up against a girl! it makes you look so week!!!!! and btw for any guy that agrees with me and thinks girls should be able to play with the guys and have the same equal chance.....well you are amaziung!!! that is so awesome to have a guy on our side! well gtg just thought you should here my side!! laters!!!!!

Serendip Visitor's picture

It's all about respect.

No offense,but I personally think that your wrong on one thing"Hitting Girls.".I was raised in a home where we were taught to respect everybody.I am a teenage boy who is in High school.A lot of people who know me thinks that I am a pacifist.This is true.I don't believe that violence is the answer.When people fight at school,all I see is a bunch of little kids who needs to grow up.Don't get me wrong,there are times when you need to stand up for yourself,your family,your friends and you're rights.But just fighting just to prove a point,well let's just say that there are more "civil" ways of handling it.Now getting to the point,you may think that guys are weak when they don't hit girls back,but you got to understand the"Real Men" from the"Real Boys".Let me explain the differences.Real men are the guys[young or old] that have the decency and the respect of girls not to hit them.They will protect themselves if they have to,but they will never hit a girl.This is the legacy I stand for.My dad taught me this and I abide in this.Now the real boys,however,is the total opposite of real men.Real boys will disrespect girls in the uttermost ways.They will talk about you,God forbid abuse you,and do other feceshese things.So when you ever see a boy that truly respects a girl after she hits him,think about this:is he really a weak, unattractive little boy,or is he a real man that really respects girls enough not to hit them and is going to become a real gentlemen when he gets older.Think about it and Take care!

Anonymous's picture

A Guy's Opinion...

I think there are definite physical differences between girls and boys, which leads to parents and coaches trying to put girls off of participating in 'guy' sports. Particularly in contact sports like football and hockey there's an emphasis on strength and size, which guys tend to have more of. In sports like soccer or basketball where there isn't any contact, strength is measured more in terms of how well you can move, instead of how well you match up against the opponent in raw push and shove, so I think it'd be easier for girls to compete. Past the high school level, though, men will typically have a huge advantage over women (hence the separate leagues). But even if there is a gap between the natural ability of men and women in a sport, some guys just have more ability than other guys and some girls have more ability than other girls. There's definitely an overlap, so there will be girls with more ability than guys. There's also the fact that there are a lot less girls seriously playing sports which is really too bad. I think any girl who can beat me on the court is totally hot (and I do know a couple who can...)