Female athletes are just as competitive, if not more competitive, than their male counterparts.
Male athletes being more competitive is a common misconception in the sports world and this fallacy disregards the work female athletes contribute to their sport.
Despite comments about women not playing as aggressively as men do, female athletes are often left with bruises and scratches from other athletes after playing games.
Women are incredibly aggressive and competitive. They show no mercy when they play their sports.
From personal experience, after a game or a simple practice I would have a slew of bruises and scratches on my body from other players.
After one practice I endured a bite mark and a gash on my arm from a female athlete’s braces.
I would also get massive burns on my legs because I would dive for loose balls when I played basketball.
Tennis icon Serena Williams is so competitive she holds a grudge against Justine Henin for calling a timeout in the middle of Williams’ serve, according to a June 1, 2013 Business Insider article.
A lot of women put their entire heart into games and let their emotions take control.
By releasing their emotions throughout the game, female athletes are more driven and passionate.
Social work senior Alexes Paris said she’d often get caught up in the emotional aspect of playing sports.
“I think I was more aggressive during games,” Paris said. “In my opinion, males have an easier time separating their emotions from the game to real life, while women tend to become more personal.”
Paris said in her past experiences in sports, there have been multiple times when female players would fight their opponent over small things out of pridefulness.
She said there are some women that didn’t like her simply because they played against her in a game.
Some may argue men are stronger than women, which makes them more competitive.
For example, male hockey players are allowed to check their opponents and male basketball players have an easier time dunking compared to female players.
However, women are often required to adhere by different rules and have different skill sets which make it necessary for strategic gameplay.
Women in hockey games would be penalized for checking an opponent, but for men it’s acceptable.
Players who bodycheck opponents in women’s hockey are given minor or major misconduct penalties depending on the severity of the hit, according to the International Ice
Hockey Federation.
While women are punished for playing tough, men’s hockey is known and loved for its rough gameplay.
Although in basketball it’s uncommon for women to dunk, there are more women training their bodies to dunk, according to a Dec. 5, 2018 article about the differences between the two genders in basketball from SportsRec, a website dedicated to sports and exercise.
It is more common to see women using skillful ways to get the ball into the net, like maneuvering the ball to get it close for a layup.
Women athletes are smart, strategic and extremely powerful, allowing their hearts and emotions to drive them.
They deserve to be recognized for being just as competitive as their male counterparts.
