Written by Your body is the least interesting thing about you. I stole this from one of my favorite podcasters, Madi Murphy of The Bad Broadcast. Unfortunately, female athletes are still critiqued and judged on their bodies. Liz Cambage of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces was referred to as 300 lbs by the coach of an opposing team. She later posted a video calling the coach out, correcting her weight, and sharing that she is proud of her body. The coach was suspended for one game and fined $10,000. My personal question is, why would it even matter if she did weigh 300 lbs? She is still great at her job: has WNBA records, is an all-star, and an Olympic medalist. The opposing coach does not have any accolades near this caliber.
Weight is still a common topic among many female sports. Young gymnasts are held to almost unrealistic weight standards, criticized for putting on weight, even when going through puberty and hormonal changes. For any girl this age, the slightest comment regarding her weight can cause an identity crisis and leave a sport they love so much. While working for a National Governing Body several years ago, I received a call from a parent asking what she should do about a coach calling her 13 year-old daughter fat. I honestly did not have an answer, because I was so shocked to say the least, as this was post Larry Nasser and USA Gymnastics controversy. This teaches young girls that the most important thing they have to offer is their body. It also teaches young boys, that the most important thing about a woman is the size of her body. The reality is, it could not be farther from the truth. If you make a choice to coach youth athletes, especially young female athletes, you have an inherent responsibility to care for their development as human beings, and that absolutely does not include tearing them down for their physical appearance.
In the male athlete world size is often equivalent to strength, but why not for female athletes? I appreciate ESPN’s efforts in the creation of the Body Image Issues showcasing the differences amongst female athlete bodies, and that there is no one size fits all. Female athlete bodies are often criticized as either too big or too small, they seem to never just be. As women, we have had to work for decades to prove our worth and value as equals to men, this comment by the coach shows women still are not valued as equal humans, let alone athletes. We need men to stand alongside us in this cause as we cannot do it alone.