Crissa Jackson is a Globetrotter, a professional exhibitionist team that merges athleticism, dance, and comedy to entertain the crowd. She joined in 2015, and currently, the 13th woman to be part of the Harlem Globetrotters. She is known for her sensational basketball - dance videos on Tiktok. Recently, as I was scrolling through her Facebook page, I found a video depicting the typical life of a girl/woman athlete when they are out to play. It depicts how she was the last to get picked for a team, followed by the comment, "I want to see how you play".
Two weeks ago I headed to a court with a close friend; he is also a good player, and this is what has brought us together as friends - basketball. On that particular day, he wasn't going to play, so I asked him to watch my game and give me feedback afterward. Below is a recantation of what happened when we arrived at the court.
I headed to Boy 1.
Me: Hi. Can I join your team, if it is incomplete?
Him: (looks aside, replies firmly) No we are complete.
I moved away smiling because while I made my way to pick up, they were just ahead of me and we literally arrived at the same time. They were 3 boys so they needed 2 more people on the team.
I headed to Boy 2.
Me: Hi. Can I join your team if it's incomplete?
Him: No. We are full.
Once again, I smiled but headed back to chill with my friend and wait for other people to arrive so that we could form a team. Another boy had joined my friend where I had left him, I went ahead to inform him that both teams were full. The other boy overheard and informed me there were only 3 people on their team, and invited me to join them (He was on the same team with boy 1). I just laughed it off, but my friend was not amused by the boy’s behavior and furiously went to confront him. I watched as Boy 2 talked to some other boys, who appeared to be his teammates, presumably about me, after which, he walked towards and invited me to join their team.
Long story short, I finally managed to join a team that wasn't reluctant to receive me and performed excellently on the court. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but we were playing game 7, I had 1 basket and 3 assists under my belt. In addition, I crossed hard Boy 2 who staggeringly gained his balance back and topped it up with an assist, and the crowd went into an uproar, pausing the game momentarily (no exaggeration). This angered Boy 2, who changed how he was playing around me once he realized I was not the bad player he assumed I was. In the end, my team won two consecutive games. When Boy 1s team stepped up to versus us, his change in attitude was palpable, he rushed to defend me, but was still careful not to be rough. Unfortunately, I had to step back and give my friend a chance to play.
At every pitch and court I've played, I noticed that the girls/women mostly sat by to watch the men/boys play. There could be other reasons for this, but based on my experience, the creation of an inclusive environment in sports spaces is still elusive. I have great respect for men who endeavor to create an inclusive space for women in different sports. There are times when I've watched games where there is only one girl on a team, who is running tirelessly up and down the court, but hardly touches the ball.
This has happened to me several times before, but once the usual attendees at the court watch me play, it becomes easier.
The creation of a gender-inclusive space for women/girls in sport begins in the respective communities from which they come from. The exclusion they may face in their communities will have far-reaching effects on their personality, as they begin to doubt their skill and training, and eventually, become desensitized. In the end, they may stop playing entirely. I would imagine that no loving and well-meaning father would want their daughter to face this; it's not a good feeling. Learn to appreciate, protect, and even fight for women and girls that break gender stereotypes to venture into a world that is dominated by men who may or may not see their worth in the sport. It's encouragement like that in the face of adversity that keeps them going. Support women/girls in sports.
Support women in sports
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