And no, it’s not because I’m kind of blind and have been trained to solely run long distances for 22 years of my life
^ I’m fairly confident that this group of athletes could destroy any group of men
Having been an athlete in college, many of my female friends at Chicago were outstanding athletes in track, cross country, lacrosse, volleyball, basketball, softball, and tennis. As my friend group has grown in New York, our squad now boasts specializations in field hockey, figure skating, soccer, ballet, swimming, and taekwondo to name a few. We have NCAA National Champions, All-American’s, marathoners, cross-fitters and all-around competitive women who are balancing crazy schedules and staying in great shape. Yet no one plays in co-ed leagues.
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I’ve done Zog Sports before. My friends thought it would be a fun way to get everyone together and meet new folk, an outlet for stress different from cranking out a 14 mile run, and a way to enjoy being a part of a team again. After two seasons, I decided against a third; it was too much work, there were a good deal of injuries, a lot of people didn’t show up, but mainly women were treated as…shitty bench players, if that, and none of the original reasons for joining were fulfilled.
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My best friend (who is one of the best basketball players that I know) sent me an article from Deadspin, “Why Co-Ed Leagues Are Never Really Co-Ed“, to which we both took pause. Co-ed leagues across all cities are seeing a low number of women continuing to play and while we can’t dismiss the influence of busy schedules, this article highlights the exact reason. Women leave games feeling angry, like second-class athletes, and are not treated by their male counterparts as equals. Many leagues have rules that force a certain number of women on the field, handicaps that assign more points to female goals, and an overt diminishing of women’s skills.
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In my two years of football, I witnessed marked levels of aggression and irresponsible physicality demonstrated by men on the field of play. My first year our team had a torn meniscus, a ruptured hamstring, a concussion, and fair amount of blood. I have about 25,000 miles on my legs from running so know I have to be careful with my knees. With the level of hostility in play, I began to fear any bad tackle could cost me an ACL. The anger became palpable on the field and no longer was it about skill but about who is taking the competition more acutely.
Zog sells the co-ed league as an escape from work. For men, it becomes an outlet for anger. For women, it becomes another source of frustration. As the author penned, “When I get angry I’m supposed to do a sheet mask and write in my gratitude journal.” I wish there were a true solve to make a level playing field – unfortunately it would mean men lowering the stakes in their own minds allowing for women to feel more comfortable and safe in a prior hostile environment.