Stopping Sexist Statements

​ My soccer-loving sister, Erin, and her volleyball-playing friend recently gave a presentation on gender equality in sports to one of their high school classes.
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When the presentation ended, the time came around for the class to ask questions. Erin’s classmate, Adam, raised his hand, but everyone knew he wasn’t waiting to ask a question. Erin and Adam have a history of fighting over the topic of women’s sports. He rips women’s sports to shreds whenever given the opportunity.

The other classmates finished asking their questions and Erin finally called on Adam…

…And yes, venting about women’s sports was exactly what he did. According to him women's sports are a joke, females aren't as athletic, women's sports are boring to watch, blah, blah, blah....

Adam, I now speak directly to you. You have a lot to learn, young grasshopper. The rest of this blog post is dedicated to you, spoken in your language of soccer.

1. If men’s soccer is more interesting than women’s, then why was the women’s 2015 World Cup final the most watched game in United States history?

2. Real athletes and sports fans appreciate all aspects of the game. Women’s soccer is called soccer. If you really love the footy world, you’ll appreciate any game you’re given the opportunity to watch. Even if the strategies and styles of athleticism are different than what you grew up used to, there’s still much that can be learned and taken away from watching a women’s game. Good ballers are eager to learn and they soak up as much knowledge as they possibly can. Seeing all the different ways things are done makes you a more well-rounded, educated player and sports fan.

3. Women aren’t supposed to be compared to men. Professional female soccer players should be compared to other female players. Why do you think soccer always has separate divisions for men and women? If we were supposed to compare male soccer players to female soccer players, there wouldn’t be two different World Cups – there would be one co-ed World Cup.

4. Please watch some highlights from professional women's soccer, such as the top ten goals from the women’s 2015 World Cup . These women are athletic BEASTS. I fully believe with all my heart they would absolutely destroy you in a game of soccer, Adam. Please take a seat.