I saw a question recently about a boy joining a girls field hockey team. What are your thoughts on boys playing on girls teams as opposed to girls playing on boys teams.
Here are my thoughts (I play field hockey so this is specific to that sport):
I don't think too many of the girls on the team I play with would be that bothered by playing against a team that had one or two boys on it (okay maybe there should be a limit on the number of boys that can play at any one time) and I definitely wouldn't feel threatened that a boy would take my place, it would just make me train harder. It's true that some boys have a physical advantage but I bet that most of the much bigger boys would go into other sports anyway and not field hockey. Plus field hockey attracts some stronger and bigger girls too. So I don't think the mismatch is that great. Plus it's like girls competing on boys soccer teams.
I really don't like comments though along the lines of boys who want to play on a girls field hockey team are just doing it because they can't get on another team. That just belittles us and makes it seem like girls can't compete and reinforces that somehow we are less. The whole idea that a boy would be teased for being on a girl's field hockey team just reinforces this all the more. A girl wouldn't be teased if she competed on a boys team. She might not be welcome and she might have to prove herself, but she wouldn't be made to feel like she was less for trying to compete on the team, yet this is the way some people seem to view boys who want to play on a girl's field hockey team. It's like when a girl competes on a boys team and she beats a guy or displaces a guy from the team and that guy then feels all embarrassed or ashamed that a mere girl has done that to him. All of this just reinforces the same old attitudes.
Reasons why a boy might want to join a field hockey team are the same reasons why a girl might join a boys team of another sport. There isn't a team for their own gender in the area and they enjoy or want to play the sport.
What I am trying to say is that a boy shouldn't have to feel ashamed or embarrassed that he made it onto a girl's team, but the opposite. He should be just as proud of being on a girl's field hockey team as any other boy or girl would be on getting on their team and he should have just as much pride in that team.
WDYT?
Here are my thoughts (I play field hockey so this is specific to that sport):
I don't think too many of the girls on the team I play with would be that bothered by playing against a team that had one or two boys on it (okay maybe there should be a limit on the number of boys that can play at any one time) and I definitely wouldn't feel threatened that a boy would take my place, it would just make me train harder. It's true that some boys have a physical advantage but I bet that most of the much bigger boys would go into other sports anyway and not field hockey. Plus field hockey attracts some stronger and bigger girls too. So I don't think the mismatch is that great. Plus it's like girls competing on boys soccer teams.
I really don't like comments though along the lines of boys who want to play on a girls field hockey team are just doing it because they can't get on another team. That just belittles us and makes it seem like girls can't compete and reinforces that somehow we are less. The whole idea that a boy would be teased for being on a girl's field hockey team just reinforces this all the more. A girl wouldn't be teased if she competed on a boys team. She might not be welcome and she might have to prove herself, but she wouldn't be made to feel like she was less for trying to compete on the team, yet this is the way some people seem to view boys who want to play on a girl's field hockey team. It's like when a girl competes on a boys team and she beats a guy or displaces a guy from the team and that guy then feels all embarrassed or ashamed that a mere girl has done that to him. All of this just reinforces the same old attitudes.
Reasons why a boy might want to join a field hockey team are the same reasons why a girl might join a boys team of another sport. There isn't a team for their own gender in the area and they enjoy or want to play the sport.
What I am trying to say is that a boy shouldn't have to feel ashamed or embarrassed that he made it onto a girl's team, but the opposite. He should be just as proud of being on a girl's field hockey team as any other boy or girl would be on getting on their team and he should have just as much pride in that team.
WDYT?