LM’s Girls’ tennis team is currently undefeated and seeded first in the district. However, Brigid San Chirico ’27 stated that she “[didn’t] even know Girls’ tennis was a dominating sport in M.” Brigid is not alone in this sentiment; another anonymous student remarked, “I didn’t know we had a Girls’ tennis team.” Despite the team’s impressive performance, they receive very little attention from the student body compared to boys’ sports, which often have worse records. The LM Dawg Pound, known for its fun-loving and rambunctious spirit, heavily favors boys’ sports, resulting in a significant disparity in support. At a typical LM Girls’ game, the audience often consists of a few parents and a tumbleweed. This lack of attendance not only diminishes the morale of female athletes but also reflects how LM undervalues women’s sports overall.

A striking example of this attendance disparity occurred during the boys’ and girls’ soccer games against Harriton over the past two years. Last year, the boys’ soccer team played under the lights at Harriton at 7 p.m., drawing large crowds in support. Meanwhile, the girls’ soccer team played at 5 p.m. at LM and attracted only a handful of attendees. This year, the schedule was reversed; the LM Girls’ soccer team played at 7 p.m. at Harriton while the boys played at 5 p.m. at LM. Surprisingly, the expected increase in attendance for the girls did not materialize, as LM students flocked once again to the boys’ game, leaving the girls without support. This disappointment underscores the ongoing lack of support that LM girls face compared to their male counterparts. Last year, the LM dance team even declined to perform during the Hope Classic, stating they would be performing during the girls’ game and anticipating a smaller crowd. It is disheartening that, in such a progressive area, students and organizations still struggle to rally around girls’ teams in the same way they do for boys’.

The LM Dawg Pound has also been known to neglect girls’ sports in their social media presence. A quick glance at their Instagram account (@lmdawgpound) confirms this pattern; nearly every post promotes boys’ teams, while those featuring girls’ teams are much more subdued and significantly less common. When the girls’ teams are highlighted, they often appear on the second or third slides of posts, while the boys enjoy the spotlight. Even when the LM Girls’ teams are favored to win or actually do win, they rarely receive promotion that matches the attention given to boys’ teams. This trend is mirrored in the followings of the respective girls’ and boys’ accounts for LM sports, as evidenced by the Boys’ basketball team (@acesbasketball), which has over 4,500 more followers than the Girls’ basketball team (@lmgb_aces). This disparity demonstrates that the differences in attention are not merely a reflection of overall popularity or the sports themselves.

This issue at LM reflects a broader trend across the United States, where women’s sports are frequently undervalued compared to their male counterparts. For example, the average salary in the WNBA is around $71,000, while in the NBA, it exceeds six million. The common justification for these disparities is that differences in revenue between the leagues account for the pay gap. However, this argument falters when considering the revenue-sharing discrepancies: NBA players receive 50 percent of league revenue, while WNBA players receive only half that amount. These systemic disparities extend into media coverage, with many news outlets neglecting women’s sports. A study from the University of Minnesota found that, despite comprising 40 percent of all players, female athletes received only 4 percent of news coverage.

Such inequalities are particularly concerning when considering the numerous benefits associated with girls’ and women’s sports. Research shows that girls who participate in school athletics tend to perform better academically and personally. Female athletes often display higher self-esteem, lower levels of depression, and even greater professional success; a 2023 study found that 94 percent of female C-suite executives are former athletes. The advantages of increased participation in girls’ sports are well documented. Yet, LM’s continued indifference towards women’s sports sends a message that our female athletes are lesser than their male counterparts. If we genuinely want to foster a school culture that supports young women, we must show greater respect for our female athletes.

—The Merionite, October 2, 2024

Unsigned editorials reflect the general opinion of the Opinions staff and not the opinion of any single editor.