Female Panthers Kendra Long, Linn Timmermann and Kaitlyn Medlam ignore the societal claims of disparity between men’s and women’s sports in America.
Despite the obstacles many young female athletes face, such as unfair stigmas, unequal pay and lack of media attention, Long, Timmermann and Medlam continue to play the sports they love.
Whether opportunities are available in each of their sports after college or not, Long, Timmermann and Medlam are driven by their aspirations and to prove those who doubt the legitimacy of women’s sports wrong.
Georgia State women athletes (from left to right) Kendra Long, Kaitlyn Medlam and Moriah Bellissimo met for the first time and talked about the sorts they are involved in on campus.
No level playing field
Unlike the ample opportunities available after collegiate sports for men, the professional sports opportunities after college vary for female athletes depending on the sport.
There is an unfortunate reality that women’s sports do not nearly have the support nor the pay that males do in the U.S.
Sage Publication reported in August 2013 that media coverage for women’s sports are at a all-time low, ranging from just 1.3-1.6 percent.
For example, the average NBA game has an average of 17,000 in attendance, whereas the WNBA has slightly more than 7,000 in their stands on average.
Badminton Information reported in 2013 that the average American men’s soccer player salary is $90,000. The top players make more than $300,000 per season.
On the other hand, American women’s soccer players salaries range from $20,000 to $40,000 and the players can be paid up to a maximum $85,000 per year. This is a fraction of what the top males in the sport make.
For an athlete like Long, who plans to go overseas to begin her professional career, the starting salary is roughly $40,000, according to ESPNW.com writer Michele Steele.
The WNBA salary ranges from $36,570 to a league maximum of $105,000. Yet, the Huffington post reports that in the past NBA season, the average salary was an astonishing $5.15 million.
“I wish we got payed more and had our own shoes,” Long said, echoing what female athletes across the country have said.
Women’s sports simply do not gain the same respect and are said to be played by non-exciting and un-athletic players by its critics.
“You know what I think of women’s sports? Why watch them when you can see men run faster, jump higher or hit the ball longer?” Dallas sports columnist Richie Whitt said three years ago.
Despite the statistics, the stigmas and the lack of support that female sport receives, Long, Timmermann and Medlam focus on the sport and proving the critics wrong.
“I use it as motivation, to prove people wrong and show them what we are capable of,” Timmermann said.
“I never paid much attention to it,” Long said. “That stuff never bothers me. I just wanted to play basketball.”
“I look at it as an advantage for our sport because since we do not receive much attention, then, every game you watch, you are watching players that legitimately love the game.” Medlam said.
Long, Timmermann and Medlam never once cared about the prejudice women’s sports receive, but rather strived towards showing the world what women are capable of doing.
Women’s basketball
Senior Kendra Long’s dream has always been playing basketball. Her aspirations of a basketball career started in a recreational league where she was the only girl in the league. That did not stop her from competing with the guys.
Long said she owes a lot her talent to her older brother who treated her just like the rest of the guys.
“I just followed my big brother [and] believed that whatever he could do, I could do,” Long said.
Long said she knew in middle school that she could play the game at an elite level when in almost every game in middle school she would produce something exciting.
“In middle school, I would make somebody fall almost every game, and that’s when I knew I could play,” she said.
Long had a successful career at Mays High School in Atlanta and wanted to play college basketball at Georgia State. She easily accomplished that and now looks oversees for the next step in her career.
“I would like to play overseas, and, if I do well enough over there, maybe comeback here and try for the WNBA,” Long said. Her coaches are handling much of the process and helping her dreams come true.
Women’s tennis
Linn Timmermann is a sophomore tennis player who moved from Germany at age 14 to pursue her lifelong dream of being successful in the sport.
Timmermann was raised in a family that played tennis, so the decision to play was not much of a surprise to people who knew her. She recalled being very young when she first played tennis.
“My father would throw me the ball, and, even though I had no technique at the time, I would hit the ball back. That was fun for me,” she said as her skill for the game developed.
Timmermann said that her father was strict on her, but training with her brother and other males in Germany gave her that competitive edge that has taken her this far.
Timmermann has performed well at Georgia State proving she has a bright future in the sport after beating many ranked opponents over the years.
“I want to help this team,” she said. “I want to continue to get my ranking up, and once I’m done with college, I want to play professionally.”
Women’s tennis is a sport with many opportunities at the professional level for women as they join the professional circuit, tour the world and compete to play in some of the biggest tournaments in all of sports, including Wimbledon.
Timmermann has her eyes focused strictly on her goals and adds that she wants to play in the game’s biggest tournaments against the world’s best.
Softball
Medlam’s love for softball started after she did not make a recreational All-Star team. Her father convinced her to change positions and become a pitcher, and it was a change that gave her an appreciation for the game and to continue to pursue it.
“Mom and dad were my biggest influences and supporters,” Medlam said.
There is always a moment in an athlete’s career that makes them believe they can play their sport at a high level. For Medlam, it was after her transition from recreational softball to summer softball.
“Once I knew that I could compete with the top players in Georgia, I knew I could keep doing this,” Medlam said.
Unfortunately, Medlam’s sport does not offer her the same opportunities that Timmermann’s and Long’s sports do.
The National Pro Fastpitch League is the only professional level for softball in the United States. The league only offers four teams making the probability of making the team that much tougher.
Yet, the league is something Medlam said she never strived for in her life.
“My goal was always to play
college. So, being at Georgia State and being successful has been great,” Medlam said.
“It is my
senior year, so, knowing that it will end soon is sad, but I was able to play
softball and get my degree, so I am happy with that.”
Medlam plans to use her Hospitality Degree along with her softball knowledge to help others.
“I want to do event planning and get into the big exposure tournaments locally so I can help girls play college softball,” she said.
Although Medlam is not bitter about the lack of opportunity her sport provides her compared to other female sports and most male sports, it is prime example of the inequity that surrounds female sports because of society creating mental limitations and stigmas that regrettably continue to stick.
