Sometimes in sports, it seems that negativity on a certain topic is so overwhelming that as sports fans we in the general public lose sight of all the amazing reasons why we love sports. Sports are fun, they’re entertaining, they’re a magical release from the rigmarole that is our every day lives. We all enjoy sports, we meaning men and women. And this week with all the extra curricular shenanigans that has been brewing in the sports world, I think that sometimes the sporting public forgets how amazing and important women are to the sporting landscape on so may different levels. Women rock, and sports has proven that women are just as spectacular and important to the landscape of sports as men are. And it’s time we sit back and appreciate why women in sports is such a phenomenal thing. Because it’s not applauded enough, and it should be.
Whatever We Can Do, They Can Do…And Maybe Better…
Physically men have the edge over women and I don’t think that’s something that needs to be debated or is even important. Physicality is where the difference ends. Women are skilled at any and everything they put their mind to and sports is no different. The best example of this is in soccer. I know I know, America doesn’t really care about soccer. Well I do, and so do many other Americans; as well as the entire rest of the planet. Soccer is an amazing sport and it’s safe to say that the greatest American soccer player of all-time is Mia Hamm, a woman. Hamm was so good at her craft that she wowed men and women across the globe for years with her skills. Hamm and the US Women’s soccer team reached the peak of their dominance by winning the 1999 World-Cup with a this penalty kick by Brandi Chastain leading to her awesome shirt waving celebration.
Between Hamm, Chastain, and the rest of the USWNT, America and the world were fully aware of what women are capable…Greatness. But it’s not only in soccer. Basketball has always been where so many talented women flourish. If you get a chance, watch the YouTube videos of NBA legend Reggie Miller talking about his sister the legendary female basketball player Sheryl Miller. Miller was lights out during her days as a player and her, Sheryl Swoops, Cynthia Cooper, Tamika Catchings and Rebecca Lobo paved the way for the new generation of young stars like Britteny Griner, Elena Delle Donne and Skylar Diggins. The WNBA may not get the respect or coverage it truly deserves, but that doesn’t make the athletes any less fantastic. From legendary Track & Field legends like Florence Griffith “Flo Jo” Joyner, and Jackie Joyner Kersee, to young softball phenom Mo’ne Davis, women can shine just as much as men. Even the greatest of all-time boxer Muhammad Ali has a daughter that was the greatest at her craft as well in Laila Ali. And let's not get started on the tennis greats from Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova to the Williams sisters because that's an entire article itself.
Even on the sidelines Pat Summit has proven that women can do basically anything men can do; and maybe better.
Sports Need Women’s Points Of Views More Than Ever…
We all know what women can do on the field/court/track, etc. It’s some of the amazing work women have been doing off the field that makes women in sports so important. For too long there was only one point of view, the male point of view. Now, there are some incredible sports writers and analyst across the globe that are absolutely must reads. Women like Michelle Beadle and Jemele Hill and Josina Anderson have all paved the way for female journalist. But for me, the best one ever has to be Jackie McMullen from Boston. She is an absolute Rock Star in my eyes and she’s one of the best sports journalists on Earth, period. Whenever she writes a piece or appears on a program I make sure to tune in even though I despise Boston sports. But it’s not only McMullen that’s raising the bar for journalist of both genders. During the entire Donald Sterling fiasco it was Romana Shelburne of ESPN L.A. that was on top of the story every step of the way. Her reporting on Sterling was first-rate and she was the envy of sports journalist everywhere during that time. We need female point of views in sports and every woman I’ve mentioned, and all the ones who I didn’t mention, are helping with the process. Where a man will see something in black and white, a woman will show us all the gray area and give us a different perspective. Or, they’ll enhance the perspective we’ve already had. It’s awesome. Thank the heavens for women journalist in sports.
Women Just Make Sports More Fun…
Let me take you back to May 6th 2014 on the day NBA MVP Kevin Durant gave his acceptance speech. Durant gave a great speech then capped it off at the end with talking about how amazing his mother was and how pivotal she was to all the success he’s had in his career. Durant was not only speaking of himself but for all the men on Earth that has had a mother, grandmother, sister, Aunt, friend, wife, fiancé, or girlfriend support them at every step of the journey. I know on a personal level my three brothers and I would never have accomplished anything without our goddess mother behind us. It wouldn’t have been possible. From sports to academics our mother was there. And from listening to Durant’s speech, to listening to other athletes in general talking about the strong women in their lives that encouraged them to do great things in sports, women have always been in the fabric of sports greatness. From the women who watch sports just because they love seeing their team win, to women who aren’t even into sports but are willing to learn because of their significant others, they’re are all great. Women make sports fun and insightful and all the other adjectives that you can think of.
So fellas, do yourselves a favor, embrace women in sports. They aren’t going anywhere and thank God for that. And ladies, keep breaking down barriers and smashing through glass ceilings and saving some idiot men from themselves. Women in sports are here to stay, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
by Frantz Paul
Edited by: Dana Pellotta
Owner/Editor in Cheif
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