Anyone who ever played sports as a child knows that the thought of being a champion conjures up visions of a tall, shiny trophy. Getting a trophy for working hard and coming out on top is one of the most exciting things to happen in the life of a sports-loving kid!
Contrary to what one league in Florida assumed, that vision isn't specific to boys. Girls want trophies, too. But the girls who were the Babe Ruth Allstars champs didn't get their trophies. They got gift bags instead. Let's just say, there were some tears.
One mom posted about what happened on Facebook, calling out the league for the complete and total failure. That post has since gained national attention over what a lot of people see as gender discrimination.
Ashlee Partin wrote that her daughter Faith's team went undefeated all season and won the state championships. The boys’ division champions took home personalized trophies. The girls on the other hand, got gift bags. Not only that, the gift bags were notably … unremarkable. Like, really.
The drawstring "goody bag" was not much of a goody bag at all. It had a commemorative softball, a plastic luggage tag, and adult-size batting gloves. Um … OK?
It's pretty shocking that anyone would assume the girls would rather have these boring gift bags than trophies. Trophies are the most exciting thing ever when you're a kid! Obviously, the girls were super disappointed. Ashlee said her daughter was confused and some of the kids were in tears.
Partin didn't even know what to tell her daughter. Along with the rest of the team, she had assumed she'd be taking home a trophy after the win. Ashlee told Today that she didn't know what to tell her daughter, so she made up a little white lie. “Faith asked me, ‘Where’s my trophy?’ And I totally lied to her. I said, 'Oh, it’s coming.'"
Ashlee also noted in her Facebook post that the league hadn't apologized for not only the gift bag incident, but for a lot of other upsetting situations that occurred during the girls' season. She mentioned a six and a half hour rain delay where the girls sat on the sidelines and waited, while there was no rain, lightning, or thunder. Ultimately, the game was cancelled but no one even told the team for another hour. Yikes!
Publicly, the league did issue a statement, though. Florida Babe Ruth State Softball Commissioner Doug Robinson explained to Fox45 Orlando that undervaluing the players was definitely not the intention. He said, “Our intention was to provide the players with the recognition they deserve and a lasting keepsake of the tournament.”
Oviedo Babe Ruth President Jim Brashear wasn't happy about the gift bags and decided to do something about it. Now, the girls will be honored with a special ceremony this week, and a special surprise: the trophies they should've been given upon their big win.
“We recognize the Florida Babe Ruth directors feel the alternative awards had similar dollar values to trophies,” Brashear told Today Parents. “However, they simply were not what [was] expected and left the girls disappointed.”
Ashlee says the league still hasn't reached out to apologize. Of course, she is excited that her daughter, along with her teammates, are getting the recognition they deserve. But it's still pretty sad that such an oversight was made because what should've been a moment of pure celebration was lost over a sexist assumption.
