Let the Sexists Forfeit

Girls play other physical contact sports, like soccer, field hockey, and basketball. Why should this, or the issue of namecalling that you raised in another comment, suddenly be a special issue in football?

We have a strongly ingrained cultural idea of football as something that only boys can do, so we come up with excuses why only boys can do it. And that isn't right. If a teenage girl can play on a field hockey team or participate in a martial arts tournament, then she can play football just fine.

Every sport is unique to its own degree.
Namecalling in football is very different from namecalling in other sports;
in football, you use it to draw an opposing line offsides,
or to provoke an unsportsmanlike conduct call,
when you need the penalty.
Yes, women can play football,
but there are a number of points that must not be left to solve themselves.
I've only mentioned two of many "worst-case-scenario" possibilities;
if either of those were to actually occur,
the whole idea of women playing football, and of equality in general,
will be set back substantially.
It's good to stand up for equality,
but before you do, be certain of your footing.

I certainly don't disagree that changes, any changes to the way things have always been done should be approached with consideration and preparedness.

But I think that allowing unlikely, alarmist worst-case scenarios to dissuade us from making changes would mean that nothing would ever change. It is always possible to come up with bad things that could happen if we enfranchise a whole group of people, because any group of people is large and diverse and yes, some of them probably will use their newfound freedom in unwise ways. But these possible, hypothetical consequences have to be weighed against the consequences of failing to enfranchise those people -- the very real, present, negative consequences to them now.

We're in much more agreement than one might have guessed.

I'm a cautious incrimentalist,
and willing to take risks,
but never urge others to move forward
if I'm not certain they can do so safely.
Even though I think the two possiblities I cite
are reasonable concerns, I don't object to a young woman playing football,
but I can't argue on her behalf in good conscience
unless/until I'm reasonably certain regarding those points.

*nods* I think we are actually in more agreement than disagreement; thank you. :) I think that I used to be much more on the cautious-incrementalist end of things, and have gravitated towards being more ... I certainly wouldn't say radical, but inclined towards a more rapid pace of change than I used to be. But anyway, I'm sorry for my intemperate tone in my earlier comments; though I still stand by my opinions, I do think that I was reacting more strongly to your comment than was warranted, and did not express myself as respectfully as I should have.

It's not as if you called me names
to draw me offsides...
:)