Season after season, Evanston girls’ sports have competed at an elite level. Evanston’s varsity girls lacrosse and field hockey has ranked in the top 10 in Illinois for the past 2 years. Girls’ varsity soccer and basketball teams were regional champions and ranked 2nd in their conference. Evanston has consistently sent girls to state in swimming, tennis, cross-country, wrestling, and gymnastics. However, Evanston has fallen short in supporting its girls’ sports teams as much as it does for its boys’ sports teams.
“There is definitely a big difference in attendance. A lot more people show up to boys’ soccer games or just boys’ athletics in general,” stated two-year varsity soccer sophomore, Olivia Jean-Pierre.
“With the boys (basketball) team coming in 3rd last year at state, I believe the attention they get is well deserved, and I do not believe anyone expected us to perform as well as we did this season. I hope these successes we had this season will boost attendance for next year, which I know my underclassmen teammates so very much deserve,” explained senior varsity basketball player Havana Van Wyk.
Some of the support imbalance starts with social media. Platforms like KitPit encourage students to come watch games and support their high school, but most of the time, they highlight the boys’ teams with the girls’ teams in the background.
“Especially on platforms like KitPit, no matter what sport it is, I feel that the majority of the time it’s a boys game that is posted about and the girls games end up being hidden behind that,” stated varsity lacrosse player and girls cross country state qualifier senior Rory Malia shares
“Small differences in things like the number of photographers, social media features, or how highlights are framed can influence how programs are valued over time,” said Van Wyk.
Photos get posted all over social media of the packed stands and bleachers of students for boys’ basketball games, football games, and hockey games. Yet, the girls’ stands and bleachers are mainly filled with teachers and families.
“I feel like the majority of the spectators at girls’ games are parents and family members, and more students go to boys’ games,” highlights Malia.
Evanston is known for its supportive and active stands to cheer on its school’s sports teams. Evanston has the people, the resources, and the support to cheer just as loudly for their girls’ sports teams.
“I want the school community to understand that girls work just as hard as boys and our sports are just as intense and interesting as boys’. I want there to be more publicity and support for female athletes to help grow the number of girls participating in sports,” remarks Malia.
“By age 14, girls drop out of sports at twice the rate boys do. I believe that supporting our girls’ teams more would inspire future generations of wildkits to continue a legacy of equality and further boost our school’s culture and athletic competitiveness,” added Van Wyk.
