Forward/Midfielder at Mountainside High School, Crossfire United ECNL
Have you experienced gender inequality in your athletic career? If not, do you know someone that has?
I would say yes I have. In high school sports I have seen the boys teams in the school get more privileges and more acknowledgement that the girls teams, even with the kind of achievement the girls teams have reached.
Has the fact that professional women soccer players get paid less than men impact the way you play? Or impacted you in general?
In general it actually inspires me to work 10x harder. The fact that professional women are achieving such great things and still being told they less than men and being paid less because of their skill makes me want to improve my skill so much more. This idea that men are just overall better than women in sports and is reflected by pay is frustrating. But makes me want to work so much harder to someday maybe help change that idea.
What advice would you give to a young athlete dealing with gender inequality?
I would say to know your own worth. Because yes it is tough to see all you hard work slip through the eyes of people. And see them be blind to your true skill, but being confident and strong and women is so important to try and demolish this on going issue. Young athletes could be the future of making a change. By knowing their own worth they can stand up and be who they have always dreamed of being despite the inequality of men and women.
What is your biggest hope for the future of women sports?
Obviously to see women get the same pay as men. But to also start seeing women’s achievements meaning more to everyone. And for people to acknowledge the hard work these women have put in from day one.