March is National Women’s History Month! Celebrating the efforts of the women of yesterday, and embracing the efforts for the women of today, March is a time for everyone to recognize the special women in their lives who have made a difference. Whether your sister, mother, or grandmother, Women’s History Month serves to recognize and acknowledge the success of women who have made our world and society what it is today. However, Women’s History Month is overshadowed by March Madness.
Whether seen on social media or television, there are many, many advertisements dedicated just to showing basketball and specific highlights of the players. Male players. Just yesterday, while scrolling on my feed, I saw three different ads that were trying to get me to place my bets on different players and teams currently still in the tournament. And once again, these were just men’s teams. I saw no such advertisement for any women’s team. And I ask, why not?
People watch sporting events for the games that are being played. The players should have little if anything to do if one watches their game or not based on their gender alone. If you want to watch basketball, I suggest watching women’s basketball. It is the same game, with the same rules, and the same stakes. Why should the gender of the player play a part in whether or not one watches the game?
March Madness is a distraction from Women’s History Month. Period. And it shows how much more work we as a society need to do to recognize the strength women possess. Women are trailblazers. Women are strong. And they are the reason we are all here, which seems to be forgotten more often than not. Why can we as society not allow women the right and human decadency to be recognized and celebrated for what they have done and continue to do?
