Q: Why is it necessary to have a National Girls and Women in Sports Day? We don't have a national day to celebrate sports for boys.
A: It is not unusual to include special programming designed to educate the public about discrimination and to have that programming focus on the underserved or discriminated-against population (i.e., Black History Month, Take Your Daughters to Work Day, etc.). Education is the most effective way of remedying discrimination. Thus, National Girls and Women in Sports Day is not just a day to celebrate the achievements of women in sports to the exclusion of the achievement of male athletes. It is a day where males and females focus on (1) the importance of remedying past discrimination against women in sports, (2) the benefits of sports participation for girls, and (3) addressing the myths that have kept both boys and girls from supporting girls' sports participation; myths like "throws like a girl", girls who play sports are lesbians, girls who do gymnastics get eating disorders, etc.
Q: Isn't having a day that focuses on women in sport and excludes applauding the achievements of men in sports a form of reverse discrimination?A: No. Research shows that 91.3% of all electronic and print coverage of sports is about men's sports. (Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles, Gender in Televised Sport, 1999) One day of focusing on girls and women in sport is not reverse discrimination when every other day of the year is a media celebration of men's sports. It's important to note that one of the most important reasons why there is a National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebration to educate the public is because the achievements of women in sport have, historically, been close to invisible.
Q: Why not have the "Day" celebrate both boys and girls sports?A: The primary purpose for a day focusing on women's sports is to draw attention to the fact that women are not receiving the same opportunities to play sports or the same media coverage as men's sports - and to clearly point out these facts. The "Day" is not just a celebration of girls sports, it is a social history lesson. Just as the purpose of Black History Month is not to hide white history but to point out that, because of discrimination, much of black history has been overlooked. Suggesting that we have "Black and White History Month" similarly misses the point. Designating one day to focus on remedying an important social problem does not disadvantage boys who play sports.