Yes I am a woman, Yes I know the game, Yes I watch ESPN by Ariana

Growing up with two older brothers, I have always been around sports. Whether I wanted to or not, I came to love playing and watching sports. If you knew me before CITYterm, you would probably say that I fit into the “jock” category of high school. I made two varsity sports’ teams in 8^th grade and a third varsity team in 9^th grade. But, this to some people brings certain assumptions and stereotypes. People are surprised that I like the colors pink and purple, or that I like to go shopping, or that I paint my nails. Why do hobbies have to be associated with gender? Can’t we do what we love to do without judgment, without having to defend our femininity or masculinity? Tiffany Davies, a writer for bleacherreport.com, said “we are not the women who watch baseball and football for the men in tight pants. We are instead the women who bring a feminine touch to the sports world.” As she puts it, watching and playing sports as a female, does not mean we are more “masculine,” we simply bring new methods and perspective on the games.

Why does society automatically correlate sports and sexuality? Whenever I tell someone that my sister is on the women’s hockey team at Cornell, they depict a certain image of her without actually meeting her. One of the most common stereotypes is that if you play women’s hockey, you are a lesbian. My sister is not a lesbian, she simply enjoys playing hockey. In fact, all but 3 girls on her hockey team are not lesbians. But for men, playing sports defends your masculinity and is associated with being “straight.” Why does society adhere so tightly to these false stereotypes, instead of rejoicing in the common ground that can be found between genders?

Each year from freshman to junior year, I quit one of my sports. Some people think I’m crazy for quitting a varsity team, but the y are the same people that pushed me away from these activities. I never stopped loving the game. The thrill, the excitement, the fun, the friendships, the education that I got from basketball, field hockey, and softball are still there. It’s the stereotypes that confined me and limited me in my life that I wanted to get rid off. Yeah, the time commitment, and the physical stress was part of the reason I quit them. But, I think the main reason was because I didn’t want to be labeled as athletic, or a lesbian, or masculine. Why can’t I be straight and like sports? Society makes it that you have to choose which side to identify with: masculine hobbies, or feminine hobbies. I enjoy both “masculine” and “feminine” activities; I broke the gender lines by playing and watching “men” sports. Some people may say that I am not being true to myself, but maybe freeing myself from these stereotypes will open up new paths in life. Maybe I should have been happy with the way society perceives me. I found that playing sports outside of a regular structured team is the easiest way to balance both sides of myself.