She's a Girl!

As a few of you have caught on I have a huge love for football and yes I am a women.  Growing up, I had an older brother who was really involved with football.  I wanted to be just like him.  I would always help him practice his running, catching, throwing, and even tackling (may I add that was my favorite part).  Sounds strange, but I loved being powerful and feeling like nobody could stop me.  I liked being tough!  One day I told my mom that I wanted to go out for football.  Like most mothers, she almost had a heart attack.  Her little 11 year old daughter wanted to put on football pads and play with the boys and get beat up.  My dad on the other hand, always my coach was ecstatic!  He knew how talented of an athlete I was and how this was another sport of many that I would try.  Long behold after much begging, I got to sign up for Pop Warner football.  I was so excited to show up for my first practice.  I thought to myself that I couldn’t be the only girl to play.  After the first practice, I noticed I was surrounded by boys.  I heard mumbles of parents picking up their boys that day.

“What kind of parents would allow their little girl to play a boys sport?”

“That is one girl you want to stay away from, you hear me.”

“Is that even allowed, she could get hurt?”

I was silent the entire way home.  I assumed my mom thought I had a bad practice (even though I did great).  I went home and told my dad that people made fun of me because I was a girl.  His response was “did you have fun?” and I quickly smiled and told him that I did.  He ending the conversation saying “just go out and show those boys what you can do!”  And from that moment on, I listened to him.  I was moved all over the place on the field.  My coach didn’t know where to put me.  I was fast for outside linebacker, had a leg that could kick at field goal, and feet that could out run the boys with a ball in my hand.  After the parents saw how much of a contribute I was to the football team, their comments vanished.  I even had little sisters looking up to me and wanting to play themselves.  After the season was over, I couldn’t help but wonder what pushed me to be the player I became.  Was it my dad’s inspirational talk or was it all the other people who were against me playing in the league being the only girl in the entire city of 70,000 people playing?  To this day I would say it is a mixture of both. 

I came across this YouTube video on a little 9 year old girl out in Utah.  Basically she is dominating on the field.  Why t is this any different from a little 9 year old boy rushing for yards?  She made national news for just being a girl and exceeding at a man’s sport.  Even though the news reporters seem like they are spreading good news, they are simply performing gender ranking.  They are saying that it is so shocking to see a girl outrun the boys (like it has never happened before).  It just goes to show that gender ranking and discrimination is still not over yet. 

I think it’s amazing that this player made the national news but to advertise that she is a girl make it seem like this is a rare occasion.  What are your thoughts?  Do you think its right to make note that this talented athlete is a girl or should the news just simply talk about the talents of this player? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrmi8_-u1c4

this one is better :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3eyetGvQNY