Sports have played a central role in American culture for hundreds of years; however, half of all athletes has not been included in the thrill and excitement surrounding the world of sports. The under-representation of women needs to be improved, starting here at Seminole High School.

Professional female athletes have experienced this discrimination, even at the highest level of sports. During the Men’s FIFA World Cup, the winning German team was paid thirty five million dollars compared to the two million dollars paid to the U.S team that won the Women’s FIFA World Cup.

However, professional sports are not the only ones facing this problem. Female athletes at Seminole High School have had to deal with discrimination as well.

For example, the Lady Noles Golf Team, which formed three years ago, has consistently had a lack of membership. Currently there are six players, compared to twelve players on the boys’ team. Having only six members has caused issues for the team, because six players are required for a match; if a member cannot attend, the whole team must forfeit.  

Golf is only one among dozens of other Seminole sports that are excluded from sports recognition.

Varsity volleyball player senior Katherine Whelton said, “We practice just as much as the men’s volleyball team and we’ve won more games than them, but we have so few players and receive inadequate funding.”  

This lack of backing is a recurring theme at Seminole. The girl’s soccer team also receive less support in terms of finance and spirit compared their male counterparts.

Junior Amrita Kapat said, “If you go to a girl’s soccer game, you’ll see how empty it is when compared to the boy’s team. It’s really sad to see that, because as a team, we put in the same amount of effort as them. I think the boys get more coverage because most people assume that they play better than the girls.”  

Thankfully, new changes are slowly breaking through. This summer during the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the girls’ gymnastics team took the world by storm. The amount of media coverage that the team got was shocking. Simone Biles, who ended up taking home four gold medals and one bronze medal, was hailed all over the world by women and men alike. Biles’s record win of 2.1 points was bigger in margin than any score from 1980 to 2012. 

People have also taken note of Serena Williams’ accomplishments in tennis, Alex Morgan’s in soccer, and Ronda Rousey’s in UFC. These women have helped break the stereotypes that women cannot be successful in sports. Williams has won nine grand slam single titles, Morgan became the youngest player on the national team at the 2011 Women’s FIFA World Cup, and Rousey became the first U.S woman to earn an Olympic medal in Judo.  

If women’s sports received equal coverage, it would increase interest and lead to more revenue. Women are athletes, too. They deserve the opportunity to show their skill and dedication in their respective sports.