Now that I have your attention, I want to start off by saying that there are no specific ‘sports for girls.’ Anything that a man can do, a woman can do better. There are no metrics to determine the masculinity or femininity of any sport.
However, we still live in regressive times where women in sports are seen as unnatural creatures, even if they manage to achieve greatness in sports. Still, it is my job to indulge you and bring you some ‘sports for girls’ to educate you on how the archaic segregation between a man and a woman is obsolete.
1. Weight Lifting:
A sport where men, as well as women, compete. Yet, we only talk about men who are the ‘strong’ ones among the lot.
While other sports are all about stamina and endurance, weightlifting relies on the explosive power of human strength. An athlete is expected to demonstrate the threshold of human strength.
A primarily male-dominated sport. However, women are now challenging those norms and setting new records. Let us look at some of the female athletes who took part in this ‘sport for girls to play’ and showed that they were not inferior to anybody.
- Maude Charron: Back in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Charron broke the record of “highest weight lifted by a Canadian weightlifter in the 64 kilograms category”. She has also won a silver medal at the World Championship.
- Hsu Shu-Ching: A basketball player turned weightlifter, Hsu Shu-Ching is a prominent name in the sport of weightlifting. She is one of the few who has won accolades in the Olympics, World Championship, and Asian Games.
2. Tennis:
Another entry in the “lists of sports for girls” is a sport where men and women share equal relevance and status. The game plays a major role in the history of women’s empowerment. It was 1973 when Billie Jean King famously beat Bobby Riggs.
This match was famously touted as the ‘battle of sexes’ by the media. This was really significant because it depicted that women in sports share an equal footing. Some of the iconic figures of this “sports for girls” include:
- Serena Williams: Famously lauded as one of the strongest and most powerful women ever to play the game. With a long career and holding a 23-10 record in the Grand Slam, Serena is one of the foremost female athletes in this world.
- Margaret Court: Many experts believe that Margaret Court is the greatest tennis player of all time. The reason behind such assumptions is equally strong, with a total of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, along with 19 doubles and 19 mixed doubles titles. This amounts to 62 major titles to her credit.
3. Wrestling:
A greatly revered sport in the international community, wrestling is a game of focus, stamina, technique, and brute strength. For years, we heard about famous male wrestlers who dominated this sport.
However, this narrative is gradually shifting as we come across several female wrestlers who are breaking the stereotypes and creating their own space in the foray.
If you are Indian like me, you would know what I am talking about. Phogat sisters rose to prominence with their impressive skills and story of struggle.
This inspired a whole new generation of Indian female wrestlers who took the world by storm and made waves in a patriarchal system that did everything to discredit their relevance. Let us look at some of the prominent figures of the sport:
- Geeta Phogat: One who started it all for young female wrestlers. Geeta and her sister Babita became household names with their wrestling move and autobiographical movie that showed their struggles against a patriarchal society. However, no matter the obstacles, Geeta Phogat still managed to bag the first-ever gold medal in Commonwealth Games for India. Showing how wrestling, too, is one of the “sports for girls”.
- Risako Kawai: Remember her from Rio Olympics and her iconic celebration after winning? Kawai is one of the youngest athletes on the list. She is currently competing in the Tokyo Olympics, planning to bag another gold. Therefore, breaking stereotypes that society created.
4. Cricket:
Another popular sport in India, cricket, is said to be the soul of the nation. With a rich history and a hall of fame full of iconic players, cricket is easily one of the most celebrated sports in this country.
However, when the discussion comes to women’s cricket, things become a little different. For years, cricket fans have blatantly ignored the achievements of the Indian Women’s cricket team. However, like other sports on this list, this attitude is shifting.
Fans are showing more enthusiasm toward the women of the game. Reports claim, “The BCCI’s continuous investment in and support of women’s cricket, together with expanding media coverage and commercial deals, are anticipated to boost the sport’s growth.”
This attitude shift is not only true for India but is also synonymous with the whole world. Keeping up with the attitude, let us look at some of the prominent athletes of this sport:
Final Thoughts:
Now that we have seen some of the ‘sports for girls,’ does it shift your perspective? Do you believe that we are way beyond this notion that there are only a few sports where women can excel? If so, then we are certainly proud of you.
The article was not meant to be just another mindless content but rather a loud challenge to the patriarchal norms that plagued our societies for a long, long time.
There is no horizon where men are not matched with their female counterparts. All you need to do is believe in yourself and keep fighting.
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