by Hope Gouterman ’13

Let’s get it out of the way and state the obvious; boys’ sports have always been recognized over girls. At Sherwood the only girls’ event that has attracted any consistent fan base of more than 30 is volleyball, which is well deserved for the defending state champions. Yet it should not take a state title to get the attention of the student body.

It starts with the morning announcements. Students get an update from the speakers about football winning or losing their game, but we were already there on Friday night. Next, we hear the JV boys’ soccer score with all statistics mentioned. Then, we hear the varsity boys’ soccer score including who scored and who assisted every goal. After, we hear the varsity girls’ soccer score with statistics included. Does JV girl’s soccer not exist? The last time they played was the exact same day at the exact same time as JV boys, so there is no reason to have a scheduling confusion. They won their same game same as the boys did, so there is no reason to cover up what could be an embarrassing game for the girls. So what is the reason? It is that not as much effort goes into supporting girls as if for boys. The people who distribute scores and other information to the newscast are at fault for girls not receiving equal credit for the same outcome. It is the coaches’ responsibility to send in scores, which some are currently not doing consistently.

One would think that since girls are still viewed as second class citizens, whether one wants to admit to it or not is up to them, the coaches of these girls’ teams would be focused on displaying their success for all of the school to view. However, this is not the case. Unfortunately, girls’ teams are not “talked up” as much as sports such as football or soccer are for boys.

Also, the student body is to blame. For lack of motivation, or for not wanting to know, the number of students attending girl’s games or even having knowledge of final results of the games is significantly lower than for boys. Even if the volleyball team won the state title, it is still not enough credibility to attract even a quarter of the fans that go watch our 6-3 football team play.

For lack of a better phrase, boys are more appreciated than girls are. To fix this, it is vital that more encouragement from all ends, including teachers and students, is publicized toward girl sports. Teachers can make more of an effort to attend girls’ games and possibly quiz students on previous results in girls’ games. Students can go to more games in general, especially the girls’, in order to show their support. For girls to succeed, they need people cheering them on, putting pressure on them to do well. If Sherwood wants to have triumph in all sports, it is necessary for an equal number of people to attend girls’ games as boys. Coaches of each and every team should be required to e-mail scores to the athletic director the night after a game. Fliers, shout outs, Facebook events and telling one another about future girls’ sports games could do the trick, and potentially boost not only the girls’ confidence but their record as well. Captains of sports should take some responsibility for this action. The magic is that it not only makes the girls’ teams look excellent, but it makes all of Sherwood look excellent.