It was a beautiful day for football and I was just getting ready for my 6th grade playoff game. I was walking down the field and I saw a girl on the opposing team. I wasn’t 100% sure that the girl would be OK if she got hit, turns out I was right. During the middle of the game that same girl was laying on the field. The running back hit her hard unintentionally and the game paused for 20 minutes. She was taken on a stretcher and this is when I knew Girls shouldn’t be playing with us boys.
Girls just aren’t as strong as boys, their bodies are built differently and their body won’t be able to withstand a hit from a boy. According to Sciencedaily.com “males’ upper bodies, on average, have 75% more muscle mass and 90% more strength than females.” This is extremely relevant because in football the upper body is used for hitting and blocking, Because of this It would be a difficult task to line up against a 200 pound boy and block him or hit him again injuries are prone.
Boys also have more physical strength than girls. Sports author jeff fenske said “In terms of anaerobic power, boys have over 45% higher vertical leap and over 25% faster sprint times.” This shows that when it comes to football boys have advantages in categories that are crucial to the game.
To illustrate the difference, in a youth football league everyone is required to wear helmets and receive pads. Imagine a situation like a 13 year old 160-pound girl having a 13 year old 160 pound boy charging at her. She could get severely injured and even pass out. If another boy was to be hit by the same kid he might withstand it only because of the muscle mass boys carry compared to girls.
When it comes to girls playing football, it is unsafe for a girl to play but it is also not fair to boys. Most boys are taught not to hit or touch a girl. This creates problems when a boy lines up against a girl he might feel uncomfortable therefore affecting his game play.
Youth leagues like Pop Warner should create a separate league for girls to play in rather than girls being integrated with the boys. If a girl wants to play football badly enough she should be in her own league. The reason for this is because boys are normally larger and stronger than girls. If girls are on the same team as boys they might not perform the same as they could on an all-girls team, where they would be up against players with similar skills.
Dear Ben Z,
I respectfully disagree with you claim that girls should not play football with boys. I think this because anyone regardless of gender can get hurt in football. Football is a tough game and girls coming into the game know that. I play in a all boys flag football league and the select all boys travel All Star team. I know being a girl comes with its disadvantages but learned how to play though them. Before that I was one a all girls team in Greenwich, that experience made me learn that no one cares about girls in sports. My coach did not bother to show up to my play off games and he treated us poorly just because we were girls. Also girls in football will not have the same funding as a normal football team would, no funding no play time. Girls should be given the same opportunities as a boy.
Sincerely, Cici Weir
Cici,
That was an exemplary comment that demonstrated the importance of female voices in, predominately male, sports. I absolutely agree that coaches should not judge a player (of any sport) based on their gender. They should instead be assessed by their talent and ability.
Additionally, thank you for working through the disadvantages of being a girl in a sport that can be full of negative stigma when it comes to female participation. That takes an inexplicable amount of courage.
Finally, as you expertly stated, any girl should be given the same opportunities as any boy, in all contexts.
Thank you for your inspiring words,
Arianna Pereira