There have always been stereotypes about certain sports being a boys world or it's to rough for girls to play. In this years NFL combine that runs from January until April allowing scouts for the 32 pro teams to look at the top kids coming out of college. This years NFL combine is different then any of the ones in the past years. The reason being is that in this years combine there is the first female athlete competing in it. Lauren Silberman a native of New York City will complete in this years regional combine.
Now she may end up being the best kicker at the NFL combine. Or she may be just average. The problem is that I don't think any team will pick her regardless of how well she ends up doing. I feel that the reason teams would not pick her is because the media would lable it as a publicity stunt, a way to get more fans in the seats.
She is attempting to break the sex barrier by becomeing the first female to enter the NFL combine and hopefully be drafted. But because the NFL is a "mans sport" the chances of this seem unlikely. Even if she does not get drafted this year she will still be the first step in getting women into leagues like the NFL. No matter what happens come the draft at the end of April, this will be a historic moment for both the NFL and women.
The media is no doubt going to label it as a publicity stunt, that's what they do best. No matter what happens there are going to be reprecautions. For example if she isn't drafted some could say that it's not because she isn't good enough but rather because she's a woman, and if she does get drafted some will say that it's again because she's a women, not because she's good enough. I think this raises an important question of equality in not just this situation but in any situation where men and women are competing for jobs. Which candidate are you supposed to accept? The more qualified or the more diverse?
ReplyDeleteObviously regardless of what happens it will cause a huge scene because women are just not seen in such a sport. This goes along with the idea that women aren't as strong or fast as men and they are not built the same so this affects them in a negative way. But as time goes on this idea and statements supporting it become more and more false. As clearly this women has proven she can compete along side these men in the sport of football. Just because she is a women doesn't mean she should have to suffer the repercussions because she has worked just as hard as any of the men in the sport to get where she is.
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