Ava Miller | Opinion Editor
October 7, 2022
A proposal for women’s flag football to be included as a new California Interscholastic Foundation (CIF) high-school sport recently passed in the CIF Southern Section. From here, the proposal heads to the CIF state council which is scheduled to meet on October 7th. Will sports become more inclusive, or will people shy away from the idea of capable strong women participating in a male-dominated area?
The passage of Title IX in 1972 outlawed discrimination on the basis of sex in any government-funded activity, specifically targeting school sports. From 1972 onward, public schools were obliged to have equal opportunities available in sports with most sports teams having both a girl’s and boy’s team – with the standout exception of football.
Because of Title IX, females are allowed to participate on the football team, but for years, high school and college football has been dominated by males with very few exceptions, making it a daunting atmosphere for a girl to join.
“Football is such a male-dominated sport and females should have their own opportunity to play in their own league,” senior Tessa Campbell said.
It would be a huge step forward to have a football league, even if it is flag, specifically for females. Yes, theoretically women are able to join the regular football team under Title IX, but it’s essentially a pity invite.
Freshman Sami Christou pointed out the underlying discrimination in high school football teams. “Women don’t join football because there are no programs offered to them for training in football in middle school and elementary school,” she said. Football, from the training programs to the billion-dollar fandom, is marketed toward men. “It is quite literally called Boy’s Football,” she added.
To have a separate women’s flag football league, said Tessa, “would show that [women] are just as athletic.” Expanding women’s sports narrows the stigma towards strong, athletic women, giving them greater importance in professional sports and allowing them and their successes to be taken more seriously. And, to the NFL’s advantage, gives football a wider audience and more players, meaning more money and more opportunities.
Although it may never be as successful and supported as boy’s tackle football, an over-hyped and over-funded sport participated in to show masculinity and watched to show popularity, it will still stand as a success on women’s road to equality.
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