Pepper Persley

Published on January 8th, 2020

Sports truly impacts my life. Sports teaches me to be a good leader and to always be open to every possibility. I have played on soccer and basketball teams, but I have been most affected by my experience as a journalist covering the WNBA, the league I dream of playing in. I have been able to see the players of the league not only constantly play at a high level, but also stand up to injustice in our world. Covering this league has honestly changed my life. It has changed my approach towards sports, teaching me that you not only play sports, but you use your platform to bring awareness to important issues. So, there is no shutting up and dribbling. What the women of the league are doing is inspiring and courageous. Female athletes aren’t viewed in the same way as men and aren’t always treated fairly if they’re athletes, but there are many women working to change that narrative.

Equity in sports is incredibly important to me. Women and girls are fighting inequality because they just want to be treated with respect when they do what they love. That means playing sports is also paying tribute to the people who worked hard to have women be proud of their athleticism and passion for sports.