As a third generation Lakers fan, loving basketball is in my blood. When I was little, Dad used to explain basketball to me when we watched NBA games together. As I grew older and my knowledge of the sport expanded, Dad and I would discuss trades, scrimmage in our backyard, and debate who would win the championship that year. My passion for basketball intertwined with my enthusiasm for academics when I took a debate class in seventh grade. My first topic, I decided, was to debate why Byron Scott was the best replacement for legendary Lakers’ head-coach Phil Jackson after Jackson retired.
When my classmates’ immediate response to my topic was “What Are You Talking About?! You’re A Girl, You Couldn’t Possibly Be Interested In Sports!” my thirteen-year-old self felt like I was shoved into a tumultuous ocean when I didn’t know how to swim. Every demeaning “Girls Can’t Understand Basketball! Basketball Is Only For Boys!” sunk me deeper. I was drowning, suffocating from immediate disregard and stereotypical underestimation because of my gender. …show more content…
Fortunately, I had parents that refused to allow me to do so. They scolded me for even considering being peer-pressured, explaining that being a girl should never be a hindrance, that my capabilities are limitless, and that I can do whatever my heart desires as long as I work for it. Fueled by my parents’ encouragement and my love for the sport, I burnt the midnight oil developing an evidence-fortified thesis, researching and cross-referencing statistics, authoring a persuasive speech, and rehearsing a convincing
When my classmates’ immediate response to my topic was “What Are You Talking About?! You’re A Girl, You Couldn’t Possibly Be Interested In Sports!” my thirteen-year-old self felt like I was shoved into a tumultuous ocean when I didn’t know how to swim. Every demeaning “Girls Can’t Understand Basketball! Basketball Is Only For Boys!” sunk me deeper. I was drowning, suffocating from immediate disregard and stereotypical underestimation because of my gender. …show more content…
Fortunately, I had parents that refused to allow me to do so. They scolded me for even considering being peer-pressured, explaining that being a girl should never be a hindrance, that my capabilities are limitless, and that I can do whatever my heart desires as long as I work for it. Fueled by my parents’ encouragement and my love for the sport, I burnt the midnight oil developing an evidence-fortified thesis, researching and cross-referencing statistics, authoring a persuasive speech, and rehearsing a convincing