Tackle the Stigma: There shouldn’t be such a large stigma around girls’ passion for sports and their knowledge behind them

In the third grade, I knew more than most elementary school girls about sports, making my brother’s weekly football games not only more enjoyable but more exciting and interesting to actually watch. My nightly ritual consisted of sitting with my dad on our old leather couch eating our classic vanilla ice cream and watching the highlights segment of ESPN’s SportsCenter. 

Watching women speak on SportsCenter everyday, I fell in love with the NBA’s Warriors at their peak, especially Steph Curry. My dad and I went to a game in San Francisco just to see him in real life.

After the trip, my boy classmates started calling me a “bandwagon” for supporting a popular team. They couldn’t comprehend that a girl would watch every Warriors game — or any NBA game in general — and actually enjoy it. Back then, l brushed them off as silly boys. Now, I recognize this reaction as a result of a misogynistic double standard.

“OK then, name ten Chiefs players.”

Sitting in my eighth grade social studies class, discussing sports with another peer — a boy overheard us chatting and took it in a offensive matter, hopping on my tail just to prove I truly know what I’m talking about. 

Why? Sure, I’ll name ten Chiefs players, but what does that really prove? 

To put it in perspective, what if a boy made a comment about makeup and I demanded he name Kylie Jenner’s 33 lip kits? It wouldn’t make sense to accuse him of trying too hard to impress girls if he simply didn’t know Jenner’s whole product line.

This trivial and accusatory mindset is flawed and unrealistic. Memorizing obscure trivia shouldn’t be required to prove you’re a sports fan. I may not know the touchdown count of the 1967 Super Bowl or Shaq’s cousin’s middle name, but I still understand and enjoy sports ranging from football and basketball to baseball and soccer — even as a girl.

Whenever I drop in a quick comment at football watch parties I’m looked at like “You know who that is?” creating a feeling in girls and even women that they can’t express their love for sports without being misinterpreted as someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about, causing them to feel insecure or just dumb.

Then boys complain when girls in their gym class don’t get as competitive in games like they do or can’t follow a football route on the TV — but why would girls contribute to the sports talk just to get shut back down?

This stigma also applies to women in sports-related career paths. Women make up only 16.5% of sports broadcasters, according to zippia.com. In such a male-dominated job, a woman’s knowledge of sports becomes even more valuable because it brings a new perspective. With even more eyes on their every word for simply being a girl speaking about sports, it’s a demanding career.

Boys who practically gatekeep being an avid sports fan push girls away from even being excited to watch them. What if we were to gatekeep their entertainment like shows or music? It wouldn’t be fair.

Boys should stop criticizing and judging girls for following the same sports world they’re so invested in and instead teach them a thing or two.