Girls’ sports lack deserved recognition
Students and parents fill up the bleachers, showing their support for the Staples boys’ lacrosse team against Darien.
As I stood in the bleachers with all my friends watching the boys’ lacrosse game, I looked around at just how many people were there. Tons of parents, younger kids and students came to support the boys. I heard my friend turn to the girl in front of her and say, “Imagine if this many people came to our lacrosse games.” They both laughed as they thought that would be unimaginable.
Staples is filled with lots of talented female athletes. However, their talent does not get the recognition it deserves. In the winter, students pack the bleachers to watch the boys’ basketball game. Meanwhile, just an hour before, only a few parents and a couple supportive friends came to watch the girls play. Though boys’ basketball had a better record than the girls, winning 21 games and only losing 7, the girls’ team might have done better if they felt more support from the home crowd. If they had people cheering them on and rooting for their success, they could have found the same kind of success as the boys’ team did.
Students should be able to feel like they’re supported by their school, no matter what gender is playing. Every sport works hard for their success, and that is something that deserves to be recognized.
— Kathrine Phelps '25
Earlier this school year, girls’ soccer had an incredibly successful season. They were crowned state champions, beating many talented teams like Cheshire, who was previously undefeated, along the way. Girls’ soccer has back-to-back state championship titles, a first for girls’ soccer history at Staples. Despite how much success the team had during this season, the stands were not nearly as crowded as they should have been for the state championships. Of course, the Staples Superfans Captains showed their support, but this team did not get the attention they deserved from the school despite how successful they were.
When the boys’ basketball team had their state championship an hour away at Mohegan Sun, hundreds of students and even teachers showed up to show their support for the boys. There were posts on Instagram hyping the basketball team up, getting students excited and making them want to go and watch. The basketball team absolutely deserved this recognition because of their undeniable talent, but other sports should be able to draw this type of attention too, especially a sport like girls’ soccer who has continued to show their talent over the last couple of years.
Staples Superfans comes up with elaborate posts regarding the idea that Staples will absolutely obliterate the opposing team that they’ll be playing against. Those posts are the most popular with sports like boys’ lacrosse, boys’ basketball as well as football. By posting for other sports like girls’ lacrosse, more students will likely show up because that sport is receiving more attention.
Students should be able to feel like they’re supported by their school, no matter what gender is playing. Every sport works hard for their success, and that is something that deserves to be recognized.
