Hopefully we're almost at a point where women's sport is just, sport, remarks Ellyse Perry
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Ellyse Perry has voiced her opinions on the bridge between the males and females as far as cricket is concerned in terms of popularity, choosing to focus on the positives. She further gave a brief insight into her life as a female cricketer and how the sport has been making progress.
Having won the World Cup a remarkable five times, four of them in the shortest format while another coming on cricket's biggest platform, Ellyse Perry is easily one of the best cricketers in the world. She has won her country's cricketer of the year award twice while also being named as ICC's Women's Cricketer of the Year a couple of years ago.
However, with all the fame such accolades would normally bring to a player, the slow viewers count of women's cricket has kept her away from the spotlight even in her own country. Though she surely serves as an inspiration for plenty of aspiring females, she doesn't mind the lack of hype that surrounds her.
"I would argue that by and large coverage of women's sport is incredibly positive. In a lot of ways it's flattering. It's good news and I love reading positive stories, but what happens in male sport – and it comes with the territory – is that they get heavily criticised. For everything. In so many ways. In media, online, from people in the street. They deal with things that female athletes just don't have to worry about yet," Perry said in an exclusive interview to the Sydney Morning Herald.
While most of the world's influential sportsmen have talked about how they been born of the severe hardships they have faced at some point in time, Perry has had a pretty normal life. She is not shy to admit how good life has been to her and does not see any reason to complain.
"Everything I've experienced has been positive, and keeps getting better, too, so for me it's not worth whingeing. It's worth cracking on with what you're doing," she was quoted saying.
Known for her different perspective towards mainstream things, Perry has a reputation of maintaining a persona that doesn't give away too much negativity. Be it tough times on the field or struggles associated with the sport, she focuses on the silver linings and her opinions reflect positivity. Her views on the progress her game has made no different.
"A while ago, those questions about pay rates, or 'Does it upset you that you can't be a full-time professional?' were literally the only questions you got. And it just perpetuated the issues, because you weren't able to highlight the game. That's changing though, into 'How great is women's sport going?' The next step is, 'Can you talk to us about that last innings?' Hopefully we're almost at a point where women's sport is, just, sport," Perry concluded on the matter.
