Bullying increasing in Women's Sports discussion with 4 USAWNT Baseball Champions

Tamara Holmes, Veronica Alvarez, Malaika Underwood & Alex Oglesby, Champions of the USAWNT Women's Baseball team, discuss the increase in bullying & pushing out of young girls in baseballTalking groups with young players at MLBDevelops Trailblazers uncovered more on how young girls are being pushed off teams & encountering bullyingClimate of bullying is getting worseMalaika Underwood recounts that when she was a child playing baseball her team did not care if she was a girl or not. Their main concern was if you were a good player.  The bullying & rudeness often came from parents Veronica Alvarez points how some Moms in the baseball space talk down young girls in baseball. They treat them as lesser than boys. Parents have an opportunity to teach good behavior toward girls & women to their childrenSocial Media praise of a successful player can increase bullying from the jealousy of others “Why is she playing instead of my Kid” – overheard by young children builds a prejudice against girls in sportsEncourage players to build friendships with others at the baseball camps & stay in touch to support one another  Kelsie Whitmore & Olivia Pichardo discovered that they had to get stronger facing adversity to advance as girls in baseball at college & professional levelIdea of these girls are a threat to boys & men’s career is insane. They have the same dream, they want to play baseballGirls may start with baseball in Little League but soon receive the message that they need to play softball. “We have baseball, you have softball, you don’t belong here” We need to start creating a pipeline for supporting girls who want to play baseball Girls are not trying to invade boys baseball it’s just that is the only place for them to playBaseball &  Softball can Co-Exist. Baseball loses girls to softball due to opportunities The bullying problem of pushing out girls & women exists beyond baseball, MLB points to the new softball league as the option for women“They’re just kids being kids” mentality strengthens the bullyingGirls internalizing negative remarks about them on social mediaGirls are expected to be perfect on the fieldPeople need to get back to common decencyMatheny Manifesto – written as instructions to parents from a coachTravel ball expands number of teams & opinionated parentsGood coaches do not tolerate bad behavior from kids or parentsYouth’s sports main focus needs to be development, it makes them better students & learn life lessonsCo-ed baseball an opportunity for young women & men to play baseball in collegeParents need to set the foundation teaching boys to respect the girls & their equalityMaking it normal that women & girls are in the gameVeronica notes how the men on her team respect her as a professional“Boys play baseball?” Sharing stories of their children learning about baseball & softballNeed to stick up for girls in sports & show respectThanks to Tamara Holmes, Veronica Alvarez, Alex Oglesby & Malaika Underwood for discussing the increase of bullying girls & young women in sports & the steps parents, coaches & players can take. Discover more at www.stopbullying.govSuggested reading: The Matheny Manifesto: A Young Manager's Old-School Views on Success in Sports and Life https://bit.ly/3SQWmJCTackling Violence Against Women and Girls in Sport A Handbook for Policy Makers and Sports Practitioners  https://bit.ly/3SSelzi</