Female high school athlete has courage to play football, more

Everyone who knows me knows that I feel female athletes are just as important as male athletes. But as I was checking my email I came across a link to an article about a young lady interested in playing college football.
I asked myself … “Redd, how do you feel about girls playing football would you let your daughter play if she was interested and showed promise?”
I thought and thought about it; I finally decided that if a young lady has a strong desire to do something, then who am I to say that it’s wrong?
The young lady I speak of is a native of Bloomfield, Conn., plays soccer, throws the shot put and plays linebacker and tight end on the Bloomfield High School football team. She is interested in pursuing football at the collegiate level at Norfolk State University.
I personally think that it is wonderful that she has the drive and the confidence to go out and make her dream come through. I wish I would have had that kind of confidence. Not very many people know it, but I always wanted to play wide receiver and play trumpet in the Southern University Marching Band.
But, I never had the courage to go and make my dreams come true. But, enough about me.
I admire this young lady so much, but I also fear for her. Football is a world dominated by men. Many believe that a women’s place in football is on the sideline in a short skirt dancing and cheering the men on to victory.
I fear that she may be ridiculed for doing something that she loves. I fear that she may not be accepted by her peers who have bought into the “man”tality that only men should play football.
I only hope that her collegiate career will be as kind to her as her school career obviously was. I hope that she lets nothing or no-one deter her from her dreams.