Female Athletes Are Sharing Their Brutally Honest Experiences Of Being Disrespected In Their Sport

"At my college back in the day, just as Title IX was being passed, the male athletes were given steak dinners at the cafe the night before big games, especially football, but basketball, and baseball too, but none for female teams. I was a walk-on to our softball team my freshman year, and also worked in the cafeteria to help pay tuition."

"A couple of days later, he asked if I wanted to get a few players together, and he would provide the food for us to make sandwiches before games. Needless to say, we did because free food was free food, even if we had to make the sandwiches ourselves. We didn't get steak, but those sandwiches meant everything to us."

"The cafeteria manager took it upon himself to help women's sports. I later earned a scholarship and didn't work in the cafeteria anymore, but the manager always let our softball team make sandwiches to take on our road trips from then on."

During the early implementation of Title IX, male athletes at a college received steak dinners before major games while female athletes received no comparable support. A cafeteria worker, also a walk-on softball player, questioned this disparity with her manager. Recognizing the inequity, the manager offered an alternative: female athletes could gather to make sandwiches before games using provided food. Though less luxurious than the steak dinners, this gesture significantly impacted the women's team. The manager continued supporting the softball team by allowing them to prepare sandwiches for road trips even after the worker earned a scholarship and left her cafeteria job.

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