Not so girly affair?

In my editing class, we churn out tabloids on a weekly basis. In the recent edition that was published by us, we covered some border stories. Being an ardent follower of sports especially cricket, I thought of grabbing the opportunity and offered to write the sports article. My request was followed by an unexpected response. Almost every eye in the room had a fishy smile on their face and questions in their eyes.

Why such an indifferent attitude? The answer lies in the infamous notion that girls and sports just don’t go well together. To me, this is disgusting. After all if one has the same passion and drive to cover the sport, why consider the sex of the individual. A usual counter argument to this is given that girls cannot cover sports because they have never played it. Seriously! That would imply that to be a crime reporter one has to commit a crime!!

In India the scenario presently is testament to the fact that the women aren't

encouraged to follow sports as a career beat. Time and again they are reminded that it is not something that they can afford to do. It’s well known that sports as a professional beat is challenging. It involves a lot of travelling, slogging and passion.  When women are ready to put in extra effort, it’s the men who hamper their prospects. As a result, the women journalists have to steer their way through the chauvinists.

Now that I have begun my journey as a journalist and sports writing is something that I cherish, I would make it a point to grab any opportunity that lands along my way. And since I am a girl who loves to write about sports, people will specifically be critical about my work. Certainly that would be a blessing in disguise. It would not only motivate me but also help in improving my skills for the better.