Amid all the victories and ear-splitting roars of the crowd, it remains evident that stereotypes of sports athletes still persist. Whether it be the media simplifying football players as dumb jocks or cheerleaders being written as overly enthusiastic while lacking brains, athletes are constantly grappling with being stereotyped. However, students are no strangers to falling for these stereotypes; at Claremont High School, the Wolfpacket confronted the varsity and junior varsity athletes with cliches associated with their respective sport. Here is what they had to say:
Sophomore Josef Krips, a junior varsity football player, shed light on what he believes to be a common stereotype for football players.
“I think a common stereotype of football players is that we’re either dumb or don’t care about academics,” Krips said.
However, Krips finds this stereotype to be predominantly false. For him, he has always prioritized his academic pursuits, striving to achieve the highest possible grades. He reasons that this stereotype has only gained prevalence because “people only end up seeing all the loud football players and group them all into that category without paying attention to most of them.” Krips maintains a firm belief that this portrayal of football players does not align with who he actually is as a person.
Furthermore, sophomore Mario Miranda, a varsity cross-country team member, noted that cross country athletes face stereotypes related to their physical appearance.
“I think a common stereotype for cross kids is somebody who’s really thin,
kind of like bare bones and has no muscles,” Miranda said.
When asked about his personal experience with the cross country community,
he immediately launched into stories about other competitors who rooted for him and congratulated him. These experiences only reinforce Miranda’s unwavering belief that while one may occasionally encounter the “skinny, thin” cross guy, the overarching nature of cross country boys are better described as caring and compassionate.
The first hand experiences of athletes like Josef Krips and Mario Miranda unveil the flaws behind these stereotypes. Whether it be on the cross country or football team, they demonstrate that individuals can defy these preconceived notions and embody qualities that go beyond what others perpetuate.