This year is the 40th anniversary of Title IX. That gives me the perfect opportunity to rant about women’s sports. Keep reading. Please. It will only take you one more minute to finish this.
I will try not to be biased; I am writing this from the perspective of a sports fan, not a female athlete – especially since I don’t even consider myself an athlete anymore. I stopped doing that the day I walked up two flights of stairs in Lee Hall and was gasping for air.
So back to the point: women’s sports. We have two big women’s sports in season right now, volleyball and soccer. These athletes put in as much work as any other sport on campus yet hardly ever receive recognition.
Volleyball is one of the hidden gems at Mississippi State. The fast-paced tempo of the game keeps you on the edge of your seat and draws you into the match. You never know what may happen on any given point as the setter (the player who uses two hands above her head to touch the ball) has so many options for what to do with the ball. And nothing can beat the thrill of a kill. Just one powerful kill from your team has the ability to erupt the whole gym.
Then there’s the mental side of volleyball, which is hard to figure out unless you have played it. But that should make you more eager to figure it out. There are all the positions and plays and rotations and weird subbing rules. Who is the girl in the different colored uniform anyways?
But the strategy that goes into a game of volleyball is so much deeper than it may appear. The sport is upbeat, so there is never a dull moment. if you are skeptical, just try it out. I can almost guarantee you will enjoy volleyball more than you expect.
Also, go to a match with someone who understands volleyball and get him/her (probably her – point for the girls) to explain it to you. Trust me, you will feel so much more involved with the game if you have a clue of what is going on.
And then there’s soccer. I’m not going to lie. I have not always been a soccer fan, but after two years at MSU, I can honestly say I look forward to weekends with home soccer games. Here’s my reasoning: Watching a soccer game is like watching a scary movie. You have to be alert and intense the whole time because you never know when something important is going to happen.
Blink in a scary movie and you might have missed the scariest part (whether you think that is a good or bad thing). Check a quick text in a soccer game, and you might miss a goal (I am the queen of this. If State ever needs to score another goal, I should just look down at my phone and odds are we will score.)
It used to bother me that in some soccer games the score may be 1-0. I prefer high-scoring sports. But I have come to realize the low scoring in soccer makes each goal that much more important. One little mistake could cost your team the game. Think of the pressure that puts on every player. On the other hand, one goal by you and you could win the game for your team.
I have also come to believe soccer is the No. 1 sport where any team really can beat any team on any given day. Like I said, all it takes is one goal. In football or basketball, there is time to catch up since the score gets so high, but not in soccer. Every strike of the ball increases your intensity.
So do I count down the days until SEC football games? Yes, eight. Could I watch basketball or baseball all day long? Yes. And I most likely have before. But are volleyball and soccer just as intense and exciting to watch? Yes.
So, if you have a free Friday night or Sunday afternoon this year, try out one or both of these sports. You will enjoy it, and you will be supporting our female student-athletes.
This weekend both teams are at home for a pair of games. Volleyball hosts LSU tonight at 7 and Florida Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Soccer also hosts LSU tonight at 7 but plays Texas A&M Sunday at 3 p.m