Gridlock on the Gridiron: Gender Issues in Football

Abstract

Lauren is a sixth grader living in a small town. She is athletic and interested in sports. With the encouragement of her friends, Lauren wants to play on the football team. In trying out for the team, she encounters some gridlock on the gridiron. 

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“Mom, I want to play football. Can I try out?” “Lauren, I don’t know. Let me talk to your dad about this.” Lauren was a sixth grader at Stockton Elementary School, located in the small town of Stockton. Football begins in sixth grade and continues in seventh and eighth grades. The junior high football program is believed to be a “feeder” program for the high school football program. Lauren had always been athletic and interested in sports. She regularly played soccer and flag football at recess, in teams that were mainly made up of boys. It was because of her participation in these games that her male friends encouraged her to try out for the football team. “Hey, Lauren, you’re pretty fast and can outrun a lot of boys,” remarked Connor, a classmate who played often in these games during recess with Lauren. “Yeah, Connor’s right. And when you throw, you don’t throw like a girl,” chimed in another classmate, Javon. Lauren instantly felt proud. She was getting complimented on her athletic ability from these boys. And then she wondered if she would feel the same way if girls had said these same things. Would she still feel complimented? Would the compliments mean anything different if they were said by girls? Does it mean more to her since boys said it? Lauren concluded the conversation by saying that she might try out for football but wasn’t sure. Even though Lauren indicated that she “might” want to try out, she instantly knew she wanted to try out for the football team. After all, this was the first year in school that students could participate in a school team sport. No more YMCA games . . . this was a bigger deal . . . playing for the school . . . and playing real football—no more flag football.