Grade 8
PersuasiveWritingThe girls watched as the boys stole the bases, getting dirty. After students reach sixth grade, the teams are no longer co-ed because of the stereotypes that revolve around male and female athletes. I see boys and girls separated on different teams everywhere from Everett Middle School to the Olympics. How is this fair? First, we will be addressing the stereotypes that revolve around co-ed sports. Second, we’ll address why there aren’t any co-ed teams.
According to the Livestrong Foundation, boys and girls of the same age are split evenly based on skill. They’ve also stated that boys are usually stronger than girls. Lastly, they stated that if girls played on boys’ teams, they might not do as well as if they were on a girls’ team. People might think this because of the way the world has grown to be. In today’s world, it’s all about gender, believing that girls aren’t as good as boys, and that this is the way we live. Yes, some boys may be better at sports, but girls can be at the same level or even better.
There are many advantages to co-ed teams. For instance, according to ACTIVE Kids, one benefit is that putting males and females on the same team breaks the stereotype that boys and girls can’t play on the same team. Secondly, placing girls and boys on the same team creates an environment that makes a safe place where they can both express their skills. Another idea from Livestrong is that if girls are on a team with boys, it increases their grades, causes less depression, and helps them have better body image.
Throughout my time writing this, I made a survey and ten people responded to it. The survey was given out to an even amount of people. Each person who took the survey answered that they agreed with co-ed teams. The most common sports were track, for boys, with four respondents choosing track as the sport that would most benefit from co-ed teams, and soccer for girls, with five respondents. The people who played co-ed sports said that they mainly liked doing it. With these positive reviews from co-ed teams, maybe there could be a co-ed volleyball team. This could be a good place to start to end the stereotypes about men and women playing sports together.
With everything that we’ve been through, all the stereotypes that are shoved in our faces, a place to start to break them is creating co-ed teams. At Everett, we should create a co-ed volleyball team, since the boys don’t have one. Having it would bring teamwork, friendship, and the hope that this can make change in society. Livestrong says, “A team mixed with boys and girls has many benefits, including friendship and stereotype smashing.”
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