At the school, numerous sports are offered, allowing students to connect socially around shared interests. There are boys’ sports, girls’ sports, and mixed-gender sports. Usually, gendered sports have a counterpart for each gender; it is argued that girls’ sports are less popular than boys’ sports. Many female athletes at the school share this sentiment, but some also disagree.
Gabriela Netwall is a senior at the school. She has run track and field since middle school, but joined the school’s team in her sophomore year after moving from Pennsylvania. She also believes that, by nature, boys’ sports here at the school are more popular than girls’.
“Generally, I think that boys’ sports are more popular by nature,” Netwall said, “but I do think that effort and results for equal coverage, spending and reporting are there for sure.”
Netwall also went on to describe her perspective on equality versus sports popularity.
“I think that popularity is confused with equal coverage because while our school does make the effort to equally fund and support both genders, boys sports, for example, basketball, where there is a girls’ and boys team indoors, are generally more popular,” Netwall said.
Zoya Ali is a freshman at the school and another student athlete. She plays soccer, both on the school team and outside of school. Ali also believes that boys’ sports get more attention than their female counterparts.
“I think it’s very unequal and we could definitely change that, especially if more people supported girls and went to their games,” Ali said.
Heyab Asegidew is a freshman at the school and she has played basketball for three years. She agrees that boys’ sports are more popular than girls’ sports and that it can be frustrating for female athletes who are committed to their sports.
“I think the girls’ athletes probably feel the same way, but they don’t speak up about it, and I think that the guys don’t really care,” Asegidew said.
Genevieve Holt is another freshman on the track and field team who offers a different perspective on the equal promotion of boys’ and girls’ sports. She also sails recreationally, rides horses and runs track.
“Unfortunately, I don’t pay the most attention to sports coverage, but I’d like to say that it is pretty even,” Holt said.
Holt also discusses the role that social media plays in sports promotion and coverage.
“Something I noticed with sports coverage in general is that a lot of it is on Instagram,” Holt said. “I never see sports posters up or anything.”
The school’s efforts to make girls’ sports and boys’ sports equally advertised are evident, but many athletes still feel that boys’ sports get most of the attention.
“If the student body put more emphasis and energy into female sports like they do to the male sports and all sports for that matter, I don’t think there would be such a difference in turnout like we see today,” Netwall said.
