It is 2013 and you think we would have moved on from phrases such as “you throw like a girl” but here we are in the twenty-first century and it’s still being used. Here are six reasons I would like to see this phrase eliminated from both parents and coaches vocabulary.
1. What does it even mean to throw like a girl? Are you throwing with a touch of femininity, is the ball not going far enough , is it just not a good throw in general? We tend to use the phrase so often yet have we even defined what it actually means. Most parents or coaches use it to mean that you are throwing like a sissy.
Here is an idea, why don’t you try teaching the player the fundamentals and what they actually did wrong instead of relying on outdated phrases. Sometimes we get lazy with our coaching (teaching) and rely on antiquated thinking and methods in order to pull a performance out of a player.
2. It is 2013 and time to think of something a little more clever as a put down. We have woman that are leading nations, and CEO’s of companies yet we still have people using lame phrases such as the one above and thinking that it’s cool or acceptable.
3. It is demeaning to woman athletes and young girls starting out in sports. How would you feel if you were playing with a bunch of guys and here comes annoying sports Dad yelling, hey Johnny you throw like a girl!
Admittedly there are a lot of woman (girls) out there that don’t throw a football, or softball well but they could care less and this doesn’t mean that they are a inferior species. I can assure you that the woman and young ladies that play football, softball, and basketball can throw and shoot just as well as the boys. Do them a favor and lift them up instead of using another annoying phrase to bring them down.
4. It gives young boys and men the idea that woman are inferior. Boys don’t start out thinking that woman or girls are inferior, they are taught this mentality by parents and coaches. It starts with phrases like “you throw like a girl”, or “don’t let the girls beat you!”. We think these statements and phrases are innocent but it automatically put’s pressure on the boys to be better and get down on themselves when they are not.
We have young men worrying about being beaten by a girl when they should be focused on their own game and improving their skills.
5. The phrase “you throw like a girl” can lead to other more obscene or inappropriate phrases. Think about it, if you give a coach the power to put down an entire gender then why not move on to race, or sexuality, or someone wearing glasses?
6. Hey mom’s I hear you using the phrase too, did you realize that you are putting yourself down when you say that? If you want to demean yourself I guess that’s ok with me, but I’ll choose a different path.
I don’t want to be the pc (politically correct) police but I have heard this phrase more than once at Kaden’s practices and games and frankly I am tired of it. We can do better and should do better for our kids and the next generation of athletes. Think before you shout and be aware of the impact that a phrase or a word can have on our young athletes.
by Stacey Atkinson
