Size discrimination

During this basketball season there is something that I have noticed. I discovered it through the many trips our team has taken throughout the year, and I feel it is my duty to share it with the world. What I have noticed is that, at least throughout the travel industry, there is a severe case of size discrimination.

Now, I know that I am not the tallest player on our team. Actually, the Stanford Women’s Basketball team is the one place where I actually feel normal in the height department. I can have a conversation with someone eye to eye without having to look down. The fact that I am noticing the size discrimination means that it is even worse for my teammates that are taller than me. There were three main instances where the discrimination caught my eye.

Instance number one was on the plane ride to Ohio. I walked onto the plane, put my bag in the overhead bin, and took my seat. As I sat down, I realized my leg space was so small that my knees were touching the seat in front of me, even though I was sitting straight up. I could not believe that they had allotted such a small area for their passengers’ legs. They clearly were not taking into account anyone who is over 6 feet tall. I find this unfair. Tall people deserve leg room too.

Instance number two was at the hotel in Fresno. During this trip I was lucky enough to be rooming with the incredibly lovely Sara James. This has nothing to do with my story; I just thought you all should know that she is awesome. Back to the point, after a long day of hard basketball work I went to curl up in my cozy bed only to find that my feet dangled over the end of the bed. In order to get my entire body on the bed I had to make sure I slept diagonal. It was an outrage! Tall girls need to sleep too.

Instance number three was at our hotel in Colorado. We had just come back from practice, and I desperately needed a shower. What can I say, we work hard. However, to my disappointment, the shower head was so low I practically had to touch my toes in order to wash my hair.

Enough is enough. Size discrimination has got to stop. I know these are not issues for everyone on our team. However, if I am dealing with these issues I can only imagine what Sarah Boothe must deal with. Yes, we may have long legs, and we can reach the very top shelf, but we are people too.

Erica Payne