Are girl’s sports overlooked in Hamburg?

Friday night football games see attendance from people all over the town, whether they are still in high school or graduated 50 years ago. Crowds young and old pack the stands, adorned in spirit-themed apparel while they cheer on Hamburg’s well-known athletes. However, in comparison to football games, female sports such as field hockey or girl’s tennis see very little attendance to events and an overall lack of attention to their achievements. Female athletes have been questioning whether or not their fellow classmates and residents of Hamburg are reluctant to show their support on purpose. Is the favoritism simply rooted in the American spirit for football compared to other sports, or is it the players themselves?

     Mia Kalbach is a senior here at HAHS and has been on the tennis team since her freshman year. Through many conversations, Kalbach has stated her confusion as to why the girl’s tennis team does not draw crowds even a fraction of the size of football games or other male sports. After all, the girl’s tennis team has had major accomplishments in the three years that she has been on the team, with titles in the county awarded to several members. “While we do get some support (shoutout to the Kline’s and Mr. Gaul) overall not many people pay attention to girls tennis, especially compared to the amount who cared about the boy’s team,” says Mia. Kalbach also agrees that as a senior, she wishes more people would pay attention to the team’s efforts. “It’s very discouraging, especially as a senior, to feel like nothing I’m doing matters that much when other sports get so much attention,” she comments. 

     Lauren Atkins is also a senior at Hamburg and shares the same frustrations, except she plays field hockey rather than tennis. “I feel like women’s sports, especially at our school, are not as appreciated as boys sports are,” says Lauren. Atkins describes the little student participation she sees at games, where the fans consist of a few proud parents. “Maybe it’s because they don’t understand the sport, but it does not mean that there should be a lack of school spirit. There is a huge difference between the two [female versus male sports] and it says a lot about what people at our school think is priority over others.” 

     While it is clear that the female athletes are feeling this lack of support, one question remains: is it because they are women? In her interview, Mia Kalbach even described the differences in support between the boy’s tennis team compared to the girl’s. Clearly this example is not relevant to the type of sport, but those who are playing the game. These discouraged female athletes work hard at every practice and their efforts should not go unnoticed. Whether male or female, each sport at Hamburg deserves support from the student body whom they’re representing.