Men’s and women’s athletics at Cabrini seem to be equal, according to players.
Division III athletes are different than others in higher divisions. They do not get compensated financially for what they achieve and produce athletically. They are expected to be students first and athletes second.
Division III Athlete’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee says that students know in this division that they are not playing with the next Olympic athlete. Instead, they are playing with a future CEO or doctor. However, no matter what way it is put, all of these students are collegiate athletes.
In some larger divisions, there are some discrepancies in athletics when it comes to gender equality. Many schools favor men’s teams over women’s in certain sports. In other sports, women’s teams are held at higher esteem than men’s.
Cabrini is different. Kerri Hinkleman, junior soccer player said, “Both teams get the same perks.” She added, “We are both really competitive teams in our conference so we are able to travel to different countries and help out the community.”
Hinkleman is referring to the trip to Portugal with the women’s soccer team and the the men’s soccer team’s trip to Bermuda this summer.
“We both receive the same amount of gear, turf, time, and also dinners. So, I’d say that’s pretty fair,” junior men’s soccer player Robert Pino said. “Cabrini does a good job making things fair and equal between the both of us,” Pino adds.
Students agree that Cabrini does a nice job on keeping things equal, but do men or women have a larger fan-base?
“The boys have a bigger fan-base. People tend to think men’s soccer is more fun to watch than women’s,” Hinkleman said. Pino, however disagreed. “The girls have a bigger fan-base for sure. A lot more of their parents come out than ours sadly,” he said. Despite their difference in opinion, Pino still says, “We really get along well. If we aren’t supporting each other at games, we are doing one day training sessions together for little kids.”
Sophomore lacrosse player Steve Halko said, “Both teams are treated equal, but in different ways. And that is because of the respect our coaches have for one another.”
Halko believes that both the men and women’s lacrosse teams are treated the same on the field and in the locker rooms, but some of the perks are different.
“The girls get to go away to Florida for spring break, but we don’t,” Halko said.
We see that there is a consistent pattern of equality in sports that have teams to represent both genders, but what about sports who only represent one?
Junior volleyball captain Jennifer Grenauer said, “I don’t believe women’s volleyball gets any extra attention out of all the women’s teams.” Grenauer adds, “The staff at Cabrini and the athletic department are very supportive of our team and distribute that to all the teams on campus.”
Cabrini makes sure that both men and women are represented as equal athletes. Fans will continue to fill the stands and cheer on their favorite Cavaliers year in and year out because they know this. If the athletes feel things are equal they will continue to play their best and represent their school with pride.
