by Maddie Evangelous
During a state playoff game, one of the greatest days in my hockey career, I skate onto the ice and see the Waltham fans filling the bleachers, all of them covered in red. Their yells fill my ears. I look over to the Hudson fans hoping to see the same, but as I look over I am able to count only 10 lonely fans going crazy; trying to keep up with the whole Waltham school. It was hard to believe I was playing at my home rink.
No one wants to watch or support the girls teams; they only care about the boys teams. Surveys show that kids would rather watch boys because of the competition, intensity and skill level. Five out of 170 kids say they would rather see a girls sporting event than a boys.
“It is society, not that it is right, but unfortunately it’s unbalanced,” Luis Macedo, Hudson High School athletic director, says.
This lack of support impacts all girls sports at Hudson High. “Just look at our field. It’s in the back of the school, and the grass is always too long,” senior softball player Jill Cendrone says. “No fans come to support us,. There aren’t even benches that the fans can sit at even if they wanted to come, but the boys have a bench and concession stand that’s at the front of the school.”
Personally the lack of support makes me feel as though girls sports do not mean anything. It makes me want to stop playing sports. Only boys get the support and credit for what they accomplish as athletes, and it is not right. It makes me feel like my accomplishments do not mean anything.
Carol Hobbs • Apr 13, 2012 at 2:44 pm
Wow, Maddie! Whatever happened with the consciousness raising of Title 9. Equal access is not always equal in practice. I hope the powers that be are aware of the discrepancies. Good work.