 We All Deserve the Right to Do Our Personal Best—By Karen Kenney Published: July, 2006 Last month my daughter Annie and I were talking about the upcoming 4th grade vs. 5th grade year-end kickball game. Annie commented that it wasn't fair that the boys always got to play three innings while the girls only got to play two innings. She and her friend had calculated how many more kicks the boys got than the girls. I told her that she should tell her Phys Ed teacher how she felt and remind her about Title IX (I gave Annie the 4th grade interpretation of the law, that it requires schools to offer equal access to sports for girls and boys). Annie said "Yeah, we should!" Coincidentally, the night before, Girls Inc. had held an event to explore the benefits of participating in sports and the challenges that still face girls who want to compete. The panel included women athletes, coaches, and other experts in the field. Panelists emphasized the many benefits girls receive from sports participation. Sporting activities teach girls how to be leaders, work together as part of a team, take healthy risks, challenge themselves, and develop discipline. Participating in sports also helps girls stay healthy and grow the self-esteem they need to avoid drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity. On the other hand, taken to the extreme, sports can defeat self-esteem. When girls are forced to starve, or overwork themselves and injure their bodies to achieve a "perfect" athletic type, are pushed to win at all costs, or are bullied for not being "feminine enough," the benefits of sports participation are negated. The panelists also emphasized that parents and coaches need to realize that girls choose to play for different reasons than boys and so aspects such as working together, having fun, and achieving "personal bests" should be emphasized over competition. But none of this matters if girls do not have access to opportunities to play. Title IX is being threatened. It's imperative that Title IX be preserved and protected. When I called Annie's principal it turned out that the girls and boys did play the same number of innings that day. We must continue to fight to ensure that girls and boys always continue to play on a level field. | ||
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