Football games are the epitome of the high school experience. Getting dressed up with your friends, rushing into the game and cheering your team on is a feeling that everyone loves—as we should. But no one seems to ask the question, “What about girls?” The entire student body pours out to the boys’ football or basketball game, but no one considers going to the girls’ game. For instance, last year it took the girls’ basketball team getting to sectional semifinals for more than a few supporters to come to the game. And the amount of people that showed up was amazing. Having numerous supporting fans changes the energy of the game, making it seem more important and exciting.

This is a problem that occurs not only on the high school level but on the professional level as well. A Buzzfeed video informed the public that the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) gets paid significantly less than the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT), even though the women are the best in the world. Men get paid if they lose, whereas the women’s team does not. And if they do win, they get paid significantly less than the men’s team gets paid when they win. Even on the Olympic level, the Chicago Tribune reported Corey Cogdell as the wife of a Bears player when  she won a bronze medal. Her name is not even mentioned in the headline when she achieved one of the highest honors in sports. We, as athletes, must fight for equality. Men and women should be equal, not one above the other. Some may say that women get less support than men because men’s games generate more revenue. This traps women in an unending cycle of not getting that support because of the lack of revenue. Sports help everyone involved create a higher self-esteem for themselves, and when girls see that boys are treated with greater worth than them, those girls’ self-esteem declines. Girls deserve the excitement that comes with boys sports. Girls deserve the electric feeling of a stadium filled just to see them perform. Girls deserve to see their hard work being paid off with a win and the support from the entire fan base. Girls deserve equality.