Being Discriminated Against is NOT an Advantage
“It’s an advantage that I was discriminated against. Cause I had to work harder.”
This is a quote from Rachel Balkovec upon being named the first female manager in the history of a Major League Baseball-affiliated team. Is this really what we want to teach our girls? Discrimination is good? I applaud Ms. Balkovec upon her first. Truly. As an avid follower and lover of the game of baseball, I say heck, yeah! It’s about time we start to see women being included in the highly visible (not to mention highly lucrative) leadership roles of professional sports. It is a fact that when girls see themselves represented in a career that they are interested in, they are more likely to aspire to and work toward that profession themselves. The more women in these roles, the better for all girls and women.
But along with the global spotlight that accompanies being a “first” comes a responsibility to speak in a manner that does not condone reprehensible behavior. I guarantee that being discriminated against is not an advantage to anyone.
I am certain that Ms. Balkovec did not need discrimination to motivate her to be a hard worker. As an NCAA Division I softball player, she juggled the demands of being a student athlete. She earned two degrees in Sports Performance. She had a dream and a work ethic and she wasn’t going to let her gender keep her from doing and being exactly what she wanted.
Did discrimination light a fire in her to prove her naysayers wrong? Absolutely. She changed her name on her resume from Rachel to Rae and reworded her accomplishments to be gender-neutral in order to just keep the door open to her. She wanted to be judged based on her merits and skills and not to be kept from consideration just because she was born female. She found ways to work around her “gender issue” because she was not only at a disadvantage but was completely excluded due to the discrimination she was facing.
Let’s celebrate Rachel Balkovec for her first and for inspiring girls to dream big and work hard. She’s on a big stage and has a golden opportunity to change how the world views women in typically male roles.
Let’s also hope that Ms. Balkovec more carefully considers her words while in the spotlight. Discrimination was most certainly not an advantage for her. She has succeeded DESPITE being discriminated against, not BECAUSE of it.