Nothing is more American than football. Think about it: there truly is no activity that embodies the spirit of the United States more than watching huge, sweaty men tackle each other in pursuit of an ultimately meaningless goal—a ball. Yet, there is still something so entrancing about the thrill of competition and the unity that it brings to a city or school. So why are women excluded from such an important cultural tradition?

The typical role of girls at a football game is as cheerleaders. However, male cheerleaders are not unheard of, so why does the concept of female football players seem so absurd? Everything about cheerleading emphasizes unity over individuality, so they never seem to get the recognition that a star quarterback might, no matter how well they perform.

And certainly, some cheerleaders enjoy it, but not every girl wants to watch the action from the outside. Luckily, they no longer have to.

With the creation of its first-ever girls’ flag football team, the school is finally starting the long process towards putting aside some of the absurd and antiquated gender roles that have existed in high schools since the beginning of time.

Flag football will be a spring sport, with practices beginning on January 29. David Attaway was recently appointed as the coach.

According to the FHSAA, there were 277 Florida high school teams that competed last year, including Timber Creek, Seminole, Colonial, East River and University. Some of them have had their teams for decades, and it seems that Hagerty is just now catching on to the trend.

However, it is not time to pat ourselves on the back quite yet. Creating a girls football team now is like watering a dead plant—the effort is admirable, but it may be too late.

The social norms created by the long history of boys playing football and girls cheerleading are already deeply cemented in high school and college society. It will take a lot more work than discreetly adding “Flag Football” to the list of sports offerings to rid ourselves of outdated gender stereotypes.

Very few colleges offer women’s football as a competitive sport, and there is no NCAA league for it. The only official flag football teams are at private colleges, meaning that a female student-athlete who plays flag football in high school cannot get a scholarship to do so in college unless she plans on going to a private school where tuition rates are significantly higher. 

Many athletes rely on a sports scholarship to pay for college, and for some, it is a major factor in why they play. If girls are going to be denied a scholarship—or even the ability to continue playing—for something that they would put so much time and effort into, it is no different than an unofficial club sport.

It is likely that flag football will go on unnoticed and forgotten unless the staff and students make a joint effort to give the new team the appreciation it deserves. School-wide pep rallies should be held before home games, and the student section could coordinate themes just like with boys’ football. But since there has never been a pep rally for any girls team, the chances of this are incredibly low.

Most of all, when the season begins this spring, go see a few games and cheer on the team. Going to games shows support for the program and tickets provide funds so that it can continue.

It’s time to leave gender stereotypes on the sidelines.

This story was originally published on Hagerty Journalism Today on September 11, 2023.