While we do live in a male dominated society, let me begin by saying I am a firm believer that women should participate in sports.   I have two daughters and my oldest loves to play soccer and basketball.  She is very athletic and I want her to have every opportunity to participate that is available and luckily for her, in the good ole USA, women can participate.  Sometimes they are allowed to participate to the detriment of the men’s programs in the NCAA but that is for another post.

Women in the USA have softball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, basketball, and much more available on the NCAA level.  In the professional ranks there is soccer and basketball.  The fact is that women can compete on several levels in professional sports and get paid for it.  Not to mention that women can support every major professional sport as a cheer leader, but they can also go to games and cheer from the stands as a fan.  This is not the case in Iran. 

Heading into the World Cup, which will be held in Germany this summer, Iranian women are barred from attending and supporting their Boys of the Bedouin.  The President of Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, first decided to allow women to watch, but thought better of his decision when he found out the Supreme spiritual leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei disapproved. 

"The president has decided to revise his decision based on the supreme leader's opinion," Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said Monday.

You would think that the Ayatollah was still living in a third world or in the third century.  Wait, he is.  Not allowing free citizens to attend athletic competitions because of one’s gender is not only sexist but confirms what free world has known for a long time.  Freedom does not exist in the Middle East for everyone.  A person is only free if he is born a male and if he is born of Arabic descent.  Apparently, if you are born of Jewish descent, your whole race should be exterminated.  At least that is the message of the Iranian president.  (This must be a famous pose with his finger pointed toward the sky. He is actually doing it in the real press conference and the cartoon.)

All I can say about this predicament is that I am glad I was born in America.  I am proud to live in a country where my daughters will enjoy the passion of any sport they choose.  I am proud that my little girl can read about WonderWoman, Batgirl, Catwoman, Storm, and the Invisible Woman.  How dull would  comics be with only male superheroes.  What would Batman do without Batgirl or Superman without his super cousin, Supergirl.  Women bloggers unite and make your voice heard!(Leave a comment)

SoCalSportsFan