“Kick Like a Girl,” by Sumona Gupta, is a relatable short story about Savannah, a girl kicker on the football team who showed that it doesn’t matter what gender you are to play a sport that you love. The passage showed how she faced the challenges of being discriminated as a girl playing a sport generally meant for boys. For example, other teams treat her differently in order to not be embarrassed to “lose to a girl.” However, she responds to this challenge in a positive way. As mentioned in the text, Savannah said that, “They’re running harder because they don’t want a girl to score on them. I don’t see it as a bad thing. I take it as motivation.” Savannah is presented as a strong, independent girl that isn’t afraid to stand up for herself and continue to play the sport that she is inclined to pursuing.
As I was skimming past the many different pieces that Teen Ink has to offer, this one was the first to catch my eye. Although I am younger than the main character, I can incorporate her experiences with my own. As a girl who plays sports I am often underestimated. In team sports the other teams play harder because they are ashamed whenever I score, or make a good play, only for the simple reason that I’m girl. However others, like my teammates and friendly opponents treat me equally, just like with Savannah. I admire Savannah and what she does to prove that girls can’t be belittled in sports, and that she wasn’t afraid of playing in spite of the gender differences.