I came to college to be a Division I college athlete. I was so excited to be a member of a team, and I loved the comfort of having 15 or 20 girls who were always at my side. When you spend so much time with someone, you share so many experiences. You laugh together, cry together, win together, and lose together. It’s impossible not to become close friends. It’s impossible for someone to understand you better than those girls do. I loved the team camaraderie, and I thought that without athletics, nothing else could give me this type of bond. Unfortunately, halfway through my freshman year, I suffered an injury that left me unable to continue playing. Suddenly, everything I knew ended.
I decided to go through recruitment, thinking, “What the hell, I have nothing to lose.” I knew how the athletes felt about sorority girls at our school. They felt the way lots of people feel–that sorority girls are dumb, blonde bimbos who live off Daddy’s credit card. But I gave it a chance.
I ended up thoroughly enjoying recruitment, meeting some friendly girls, and ultimately getting a bid to the top house on campus. Though it felt like a huge change of scenery then, I know now that the transition wasn’t really that extreme. After being in a sorority for almost three years, I can conclude that being in a house is similar to being a member of an athletic team (and neither one is better than the other). Here’s why:
1. They Get It
Moving from a sports team to a sorority is nothing but an expansion. Your team just got, like, 100 players bigger. That’s all. You have each others’ backs, you follow the same rules (most of the time) and you have to attend the same things. Your college experience is pretty similar to all the other girls in the sorority, so they can relate. It’s just like being tired after a hard practice–your teammates get it, because they feel the same way.
2. You Win And Lose Together
Sure, it might not be an athletic event per se, but in the off chance your perfect sorority loses, you all lose. If it wins, you all win. No matter the outcome, it affects all of you.
3. You’re All Stereotyped
You would be a liar if you were a female athlete and acted like you didn’t get stereotyped. Being called butch, lesbian, or worthless in comparison to men’s sports is something that is constant for female athletes. Same with being called a slut, an idiot, or a snob for sorority girls. Most of the time the stereotypes aren’t true, but they still exist. You all know what it feels like to have people judge you, and dealing with it together will help you get through it.
4. You All Like To Have A Good Time
When there is no practice the next day or you just won a big game, the only appropriate thing to do is rage your face off with your team. Sorority girls do the same thing after winning Greek Week. Everyone likes to party, just maybe in different ways.
5. You All Care A Lot About What You Do
Whether you love your sorority or your team, you love it fiercely and wholeheartedly. You cheer for it, you rock sweatshirts that represent it, you post pictures of it, and overall, you’re proud to be a part of it.
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