“So you want to get yourself a Quarterback for a husband?”
I am a Sports major and with that comes unsolicited comments and assumptions much like the one above. This, while maybe well-intentioned, does more damage than good. I mean, you know what they say when you assume things? š
Thankfully, I can allow comments like these to simply roll off my back along with a minor eye roll. I do wonder sometimes though, aside from my love for the industry, why I chose such a challenging career path. I do believe my personality played a role. I am quite an independent and slightly sassy individual (okay…maybe not ‘slightly’). Just look at the movie characters I related to most- Anne Shirley, Mia Thermopolis, Princess Leia, Jo March, etc. But most of all, I learned from the woman who raised me. She is one of the strongest, bravest, and sweetest individuals I have ever known and she has quite a sassy backbone too (which is one of my favorite qualities about her). These are the women who influenced who I am today, gave me my fighting spirit, and inspired me. With that being said, if there is one thing I have learned about myself and many other women, we are not to be underestimated.
When I announced my choice of career, I was met with a lot of confusion. There is a stereotype that women do not know a lot about sports or they only pursue it to “fit in” with guys. Growing up I fit part of that stereotype too. I enjoyed watching different sports but never kept up with the facts and trivia of the industry. In fact, most of my sport knowledge came from my brother. I did play different sports but I played solely for fun rather than competitively. But how did I end up becoming a sports major in the first place?
Two years ago, I was feeling lost amidst the pandemic and being on furlough from a job that had been a huge part of my life and my personality. Up until then I had no career plan or even selected what to study to reach that. One day a friend invited me over to watch a Miami Dolphins game and as I watched the game- all I could think was “I want to be a part of this” and something clicked. I knew that Disney had the Aspire program which was an option for me to go to school free of the tuition and fees. So I began doing research….
Fast forward to today, I am majoring in Sports Management with a year left of school and a goal of event coordinating within the Industry. One of my class assignments was to interview people in my dream role. Given that my dream role is to event coordinate within the NFL, I figured it was highly unlikely anyone would contact me back but I sent the messages anyway. I quickly learned not to doubt because I ended up receiving multiple replies which has led to some amazing connections!
I chose to tell my story because you never know what the future holds and just because it may be additionally difficult or challenging is no reason to not go for it. The hard work will pay off, one way or another.
There has been growth for gender equality among the sports industry like equal pay among different sports. One of my favorite examples is how in the 1970’s Billie Jean King began the fight for equal championship money within Tennis and in the mid-2000’s that came to fruition with Venus Williams. Some other inequalities we see are the notable differences within the televised coverage of different events and the disparities between each NCAA team’s amenities. But we have been making more inclusive and diverse advances in the hiring process across the industry.
On the other hand though, there are steps to be taken by all of us to make it less challenging. Starting with comments like the one above, though it may be said in a joking manner, that does not mean it has no effect on the individuals who are listening. One simple way to make this change is to avoid comments that further the idea that women are weaker. It also diminishes the work of women who have been fighting for gender equality for years. My personal motivation is my love of football and comments like these personally make me even more determined. Contrary to popular belief I made this career choice for myself without men in mind. I am also motivated by the fact that I can continue breaking that glass ceiling for others and showing young girls that anything is possible. I want them to know they should not give up on their dreams and goals. If you only take one thing away from this, be aware of the comments you make because you never know who is listening.
“My Coach said I run like a girl and I said if he could run a little faster, he could too.”
– Mia Hamm
"Jess" keep swimming 