Multi. #3 - Girls CAN Play Football

I have wanted to write about this story since it came out in March.  I wanted to write about it because I can totally relate to it.  A girl, by the name of Caroline Pla, loved the sport of football.  In fact she loved it so much she played it with the boys on an organizational football team.  She didn't care.  All I have to say is.....YOU GO GIRL!  When I was younger I did the exact same thing.  I wasn't on a team or anything but I was the only girl in my neighborhood who played football and basketball with the boys.  I liked it and wanted to prove that just because I was a girl didn't mean I couldn't do the same stuff they did.  Not to toot my own horn, but I was a tough little shit and could stand my ground.  This Philadelphia girl reminds me of what it means to stand your own ground when it comes to tough situations.  The situation she went through not many girls go through.  Caroline was part of a Catholic Youth Organization football team and loved it.  She loved playing and being with her teammates (Donvan & Thorry, 2013).   After two years of playing for her team someone filed a complaint and wanted Caroline off the team simply because she was a girl.  A video of the story can be found here.  Caroline was allowed to finish the rest of the 2012 season but would not be able to play the 2013 season.  Caroline's parents didn't tell her until the end of the season and fought for her to be back on the team.  Caroline didn't understand why she couldn't play the game she loved just because she was a girl.  "My mom told me and I was just really mad, because I just really wanted to play and I wanted to be able to have other girls be able to play," Caroline said (Donvan & Thorry, 2013).

Determined to play again Caroline's parents encouraged her to try and change the rules.  And that's exactly what she did.  She set up her own public campaign giving interviews, appearing on "The Ellen DeGeneres show," and she even started an online petition that collected over 100,000 signatures.  One of the reasons given to the "no girl rule" was that it was too dangerous for girls (Donvan & Thorry, 2013).  Given the fact that Caroline was the same size and had the same skills as the boys she played against she was fine to play.  When I played sports with the boys in my neighborhood I wasn't always the same size but I definitely had the same skills as them and I proved myself.  This is exactly what Caroline was doing.  She wanted people to know she deserved to play and COULD play even if she was a girl.  It's a shame this girl had to encounter sexism at such a young age.  Sexism is defined as "the oppression of individuals based on gender," (Erford & Hays, 2014, p. 108).  This negative message that girls can't play football simply because they are a girl could have had a big impact on Caroline.  She could have actually believed this crap, which is called internal sexism.  Caroline was tough though and did not want to believe it.  After campaigning and gathering many supporters the organization changed their mind and decided to let Caroline back on the team and will be able to play in the 2013 season.

Article:

Donvan, J., & Thorry, D. (2013, March 14). Girl, 11, allowed to play football, philadelphia archbishop rules. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/US/11-year-girl-allowed-play-football-archbishop-philadelphia/story?id=18732119

Reference:

Erford, B., & Hays, D. (2014). Developing multifulcutural counseling competence: A systems approach. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.