Dear Editor,

There was an article that was published, I do not know if it was to purposefully ignite feminism or if the staff writer was as ignorant and misogynistic as he seemed, that indeed “ground my gears.”

It was not the argument itself that sparked strong emotions; it was the way it was written. I too believe that women should not be playing contact sports with men, but unlike the previous article, I have valid support on why.

First off, let us start off with something that even the author of the before mentioned article would understand. Most well educated men, have been taught not to play rough with girls and to protect them from harm.

Although I disagree with such treatment, They do cause internal conflicts in men that put them at a disadvantage. Single mothers are some of the toughest people I know. Taking care of, not only raising their children, but keeping up with all the household needs and paying the bills.

If men treat women just as they would any other player, they are breaking their morals; if they don’t treat women as equals but instead give us a break, they run the risk of losing to a woman and thus be called weak and forever be remembered as the guy who got beat by a girl.

There was an instance earlier this year where an Iowa girl won a match to a boy when he forfeited his match against her. His reason: personal beliefs and chivalrous personality.

Indeed he could not have made a better choice, giving him publicity and putting him in good standing with the rest of the girls in his high school. Kudos Joel Northrop, but what about the numerous other guys that did wrestle the girl? In my book they deserve more recognition.

Secondly, and probably most important than the first, would have to be the safety at hand.

I’m not talking about women getting hurt playing because we run as much risk getting hurt as any male, and it happens in women’s sports all the time.

Don’t worry guys, we can take broken bones and cuts just as you can. What I was referring to would be the countless sexual harassment issues and purposefully nasty actions men would do to women.

Like in 1999, when Katie Hinda got harassed and raped when she stepped in as a replacement placekicker in the University of Colorado.

The reality is that in this society at this time there is not that kind of tolerance, maturity or ability to take women seriously in such physically competitive sports.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of other non-contact sports where women can show off what we can do. Swimming, golf, track, tennis, cross country, maybe even baseball are all sports that can be co-ed to let us show that we have it in us.

It is not that we, “Don’t take [ourselves] seriously,” it is the fact that men have already made up their views about us, so we must sometimes work with what we have to present our strengths in other ways.

Like Lingerie Football. I bet most men were not thinking about football for that whole halftime.

I bet the huge women football aficionados out there could not wait for that BS to be over with; because opposed to what the article “Women and football don’t go together” stated, a lot of women do prefer to watch a game with their favorite football team rather than watch a “chick flick, [get] their nails done, and [go] shopping.” Plus, we would make those uniforms look oh so good.

Betty Rios