Tesoro High School is proud to announce the launch of a girls' flag football program, paving the way for a groundbreaking moment in women's sports. With Mr. Brail as the coach, the team recently completed tryouts and finalized their roster, which will include both JV and Varsity teams. Set to kick off in the fall, the girls' flag football
program will also offer a summer camp, providing an excellent opportunity for skill development and camaraderie. The girls' flag football team is poised to make its mark as the first of its kind in Tesoro's history.
Katherine Le, a future team member, shared her enthusiasm, expressing, "I'm incredibly excited to be part of Tesoro's first-ever Girls' Flag Football team! This upcoming season will bring together a fantastic team, along with exceptional coaches and athletes. I can't wait for the season to begin!"
Football is predominantly viewed, and played, by men. Its aggressive nature fits the male stereotypes, and this trickles down to the youth, where football is dominated by boys. Despite this, around two hundred million people watch the Super Bowl, proving the potential of the sport to women audiences and players. There are very few girls' football programs in high schools, but that’s starting to change. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the governing body for high school sports in California, recently voted to add girls’ flag football as a sanctioned sport. Now across the state, flag football will be offered to girls. The growth of girls’ flag football is not exclusive to the Golden State, as the NFL is promoting girls’ flag football nationally. It continues to grow nationwide as more states add programs.
Women’s historically minimal role in sports is growing. A movement began in the twentieth century when women started to play competitively, and then furthered in 1928 when women were given their own events during the Olympics. There were still only a few events, but slowly more and more women's events were created. As many of the world’s men were off fighting the World Wars, women found greater athletic opportunities, replacing the men’s sports with their own competitions.
Despite the overall advancements, women’s sports remain one of the most controversial topics. Women in sports consistently get paid much less than men. This fact is usually attributed to the lack of audience compared to men’s sports, but the question of fairness remains. The United States Women’s National Soccer Team does significantly better than the men’s team on average, but they get paid much less. This resulted in significant debate and even lawsuits demanding equal pay.
In recent years, discussions surrounding women's sports have shifted to the inclusion of transgender women. Proponents argue that their gender identity should be honored and that hormone treatment can balance the playing field. Opponents, on the other hand, argue that women’s sports were meant to give biological women an opportunity in a traditionally male-dominated arena. They also express concerns about potential advantages that biological men might possess. Instances like Lia Thomas, a college swimmer who achieved top rankings after transitioning, sparked further debate.
Despite the ongoing controversies, women’s sports continue to grow and the addition of girls’ flag football to CIF certainly proves that. Congratulations to everyone who made the team, and good luck to Tesoro High School’s newest sports team as the girls look to make history!
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