Kick Like A Girl
Vanderbilt University football. A program currently sitting at the bottom of the standings in the Southeastern Conference in the 2020 college football season. They were winless on the year, and on the brink of firing their head coach during this COVID-ridden season after several poor performances. With their starting kicker opting out of the 2020 season, and other kickers on the roster out due to covid contact tracing, the Commodores of Vanderbilt had little to no options for their kicking duties for the upcoming November 28th game against Missouri.
Enter Sarah Fuller, the Vanderbilt women’s soccer goalie, and was given a shot to try out as a kicker for the football team. After proving in practices earlier that week that she was fit for the job, Fuller was brought on the trip to the 11/28 game against Missouri. She was given the opportunity to kickoff for the second half after already facing a large first-half deficit. Fuller opened the half with a 30-yard squib kick by design, and history had been made; she became the first woman to play football in a Power 5 conference, which essentially consists of the most elite conferences in college football.
Fast forward to today, December 12th. The Vanderbilt football team, still facing a winless campaign, had Fuller come in and kick 2 extra points in a lopsided loss to Tennessee. History once again! She had now become the first woman to ever now score in a Power 5 conference. In what has been an extremely unusual and circumstantial season, we have seen so many fantastic stories like Fuller that we certainly will be able to look back on one day, and what was so certainly seen as a bright spot in our tough times.
While Sarah Fuller’s story is truly incredible and she has received tons of praise, it doesn’t come without much unprecedented criticism from many extremist men who claim to be the experts and women’s athletic skills and abilities. Many took to social media and other platforms to express their beliefs that having Fuller kick for the football team was all just a “publicity stunt” to get the school and team more media attention, and comments include that “if she is getting a chance to kick extra points, shouldn’t she be kicking all of the field goals too?”, “let’s see her make a 40-yard field goal”, and “Vanderbilt’s normal kicker is good enough to kick field goals but not extra points I guess”.
As a man, and certainly can say that I was feeling thrilled about this achievement by Fuller, I am extremely embarrassed. These rotten comments were all such a shame to have to read. To put it bluntly, anybody who feels this way is an absolute clown and should know that. From a football standpoint, yes, it is rather obvious that Fuller does not have the ability to kick anything much longer than an extra point, let alone longer field goals like a seasoned Division 1 kicker can. But I can assure you it was never about that. It is about giving her the opportunity to help the team and give them depth in a time and position where they needed it, and just because she is a woman should not hinder that opportunity.
This only proves further that the sexism and discrimination in this country towards women in sports is still real. As unfortunate as it seems, there are still men out there that will find any chance they can get to blast their fragile masculinity on anything successful a woman does. I will never understand the reason why a moment like this for Sarah Fuller cannot just be unanimously celebrated. Fuller put in tons of last-minute effort to be able to be put in the spot she was in and dedicated herself to performing the best she could in a sport she has never played in her life. When we see an athlete work exceptionally hard to achieve their goals or has a big career moment we should almost always celebrate that. But because in this case, it is a woman making history in a sport primarily played by men, she is being shamed about her abilities. As you can see, this does not add up!
So much about this does not sit right with me, and it makes me so disappointed in this day and age that we still cannot have perfect gender equality in sports. If what Sarah Fuller did on the football field bothers you, I hope that someday you can educate yourself and reevaluate your assessment of the situation. I hope her story and performance will inspire young women around the world to strive for their goals, and never let anything hold them back.
Brandon Zapotoski
Sports Throne Founder
