Taylor Robinson
For years, sports have been a form of entertainment around the world. People come in crowds to watch their favorite players, but some argue that interest in athletics is much more targeted toward male sports.
Freshman softball player, Jordy Pollo, said that she feels like boys are extremely favored in the world of sports.
“They think that boys are more athletic than girls, and girls can’t do anything. They think boys are like ‘the man’, so they just get looked at more,” Pollo said.
As a softball player, Pollo said that she notices the vast differences in the crowds at male sports events in comparison to female.
“It’s the same sport. They’re both doing the same exact thing,” Pollo said.
Though Pollo said she is only considering pursuing softball in college, she has her own opinions about what is going to happen with the topic of gender bias.
“Maybe a little bit progressing, but it won’t change. I feel like it won’t change very much at all.” Pollo said.
Freshman soccer player, Tyler Batliner said he doesn’t think boys are neccessarily favored.
“I think boys have their main sports that are watched, like football, and girls have their main sports to watch, like soccer and volleyball.” Batliner said.
He said he understands that some sports are watched more than others.
“Me personally, like to watch boys sports because I am a guy and play sports, but I watch girls sports too.” Batliner said.
He said he thinks that the attention depends more on the sport than the gender.
“Overall I think boys and girls have their main sports, so for football boys are going to be watched more, but for volleyball girls are going to be watched more.”
Freshman soccer player, Lakin Rold, agreed that men receive more attention and money when it comes to sports.
“Well, people focus more on them, and they’re attended more than girls sports, and professionally, boys are paid way more than women,” Rold said.
However, Rold has a more positive idea of what will become of women’s sports than Pollo. She said she thinks that things will be different by the time she’s in college.
“I think it will be because the USA team just sent a complaint into U.S. Soccer saying that they should be paying more and have equal pay,” Rold said.
Her teammate, Zoey Coleman, has her own opinions on the issue.
“I feel like boys are more accustomed to like the competitive nature, and I feel like people are more drawn towards that,” Coleman said.
With that in mind, she said understands the issues behind it.
“It’s obviously unfair because women are doing the same amount of work and are even getting bigger titles than men, and they’re still not getting paid the correct amount,” Coleman said.
Coleman said to understand the issue spreads through every sport, not just soccer.
“I just feel like the women that are playing professionally that have worked so hard to get there, we deserve almost more. I think equal pay should be equal and nothing more,” Coleman said.
Coleman said that it can be extremely difficult for female athletes, especially on the professional side.
“The women who have been pushing this have been doing their job, and then on top of that, they are trying to make their job better and easier for themselves. Because on top of soccer they’re actually doing their promotion to draw attention to themselves and their case,” Coleman said.
Though she said she is not interested in going into soccer professionally, Coleman is interested in playing in college. She said she isn’t sure whether or not things will be better by then.
Coleman said, “I think that’d be a great step for us to take as a nation I guess. I don’t know if it’s a dream or if it’s going to become an actual reality.
