PLAYING LIKE A GIRL
W
e have all heard the phrase “you play like a girl” at some point in our lives. As a society, we have normalized the idea that female athletes are inferior to males simply because of their gender. These subtle microaggressions continue to build up and result in a toxic environment for many female athletes. Due to the intense scrutiny put on female athletes, many of them face immense mental health issues. Let’s take Simone
Biles as an example. Male athletes are considered “the bar,” so when a female starts making headlines, everyone is quick to put her into place by unfairly comparing her to a solid male athlete. For example, after dominating the 2016 Rio Olympics, Simone Biles was compared to other wellknown male Olympians. In an interview, Biles stated, “I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps, I’m the first Simone Biles.” Biles shouldn’t have to explain that her
accomplishments are unique to her, but this again shows how gender biases contribute to how female athletes are treated on all levels. When male athletes break records, the attention is solely on them, but when a female athlete makes headlines, we feel the need to compare her accomplishments to others. Simone has been at the forefront of tackling gender biases within the sports world and
tallahassee woman | 46 | february • march 2022
