The Women’s Sports Foundation estimates that by age 14, girls start dropping out of sports at twice the rate of boys. Maybe they think it’s too masculine to play sports throughout high school, but I would bet the logic behind the decision to quit lies more in respect.

Any day now, I’ll be the father of a beautiful baby girl.

I wanted a son, but I wouldn’t trade my daughter for anything.

Most of my reason for wanting a son was my desire to watch him grow up to attain the athletic glory my tubby behind could never gain. When we found out we were expecting a girl, those dreams seemed shattered.

As I cover more and more sports, however, I’m realizing just how hard these ladies work. I’m starting to understand what it is they do and that most of them could  really hang with the boys.

I owe that to folks like Maryann Mitts and Alese Woolard, coaches here at Missouri Southern who have shown me what passion they have for their own sports and athletes.

But it was the Olympics and the Women’s Sports Foundation that really opened my eyes.

Watching Gabby Douglas take the hearts of America this summer with her breathtaking gymnastics performance inspired me. She’s become a role model for so many young girls across America.

What might have been overlooked, however, is how she’s inspired people like me, young fathers who may stupidly think their daughters would never get a shot at that glory.

Maybe female athletes and teams don’t get the same respect male athletes do, but that’s not how it should be. We even see it here at Missouri Southern, particularly with the basketball teams. The gym is nearly empty for the women’s games, but it’s essentially standing room only as soon as the men take the court.

Don’t let this be the standard anymore. Stand up and support female athletes, both here and around the world.

But don’t do it because I told you to. Support these women because they need it, and more importantly, because they deserve it.