This post was inspired by Jeff Bogle from Out With The Kids. Go read his take on the beautiful game as it relates to his two daughters.
[twitter]There was a Women’s World Cup game 3hrs up the road from our house last weekend. Canada was playing China in the tournament opener. 50 000 people would be there adorned in white and red. I wanted to be a part of it.
My wife was out of town and I thought it would make a perfect boys’ weekend road trip.
“Let’s go see Team Canada!” I cheered to the boys. They’re fiercely patriotic guys. Anytime the anthem comes on they command me to “stand up, daddy!”
Still, on the topic of going to Edmonton to watch some soccer, “meh,” came the response.
“Christine Sinclair is playing, she’s the best player in the world! We should go see her,” I implored.
“Girls aren’t good at soccer,” Zacharie puffed. “They can’t play better than boys.”
Woah, woah, WOAH.
I don’t know where Z got the idea, who put gender bias in his head, but this was going to stop. Immediately.
A lecture as to Sincy’s greatness followed, along with video evidence of her prowess.
I convinced him that girls are very good at soccer, thank you very much, but I couldn’t convince him to go to the game. I wasnt about to put up with pouting for a 6+ hr commute and 2+ hr game. So I gave in. And watched the game at home on tv.
“Stand up, daddy!,” came the request during the anthem, and the boys sat for a few minutes, tracking Christine Sinclair across the pitch during the game before the pull of LEGO and iPads drew them away from the finale when Sinclair scored the winner.
Earlier this week a Team Canada jersey, with Sinclair’s name and number 12 on the back arrived for me. “That’s Christine Sinclair!,” Charlie exclaimed as I put it on. “She’s the best player in the world!!”
No game watched, lesson that girls are just as good as boys sunk in. I’ll take it.
#GoCanadaGo #DoItForChristine