Locker rooms. They can be summed up by your middle school nightmares consisting of being bullied by the football team or having to get undressed in front of 50 other people. Whether you saw it on Diary of a Wimpy Kid or experienced it first hand, the stereotype of locker rooms is a very popular one.

However, on another note, a huge contributor to team bonding are locker rooms. When it comes to team sports, one of the aspects that can either make or break a team is how well the team is connected. Recently, many teams have been left either without a locker room or have been forced to use P.E. lockers that are far too small to fit the equipment needed.

Basketball and volleyball are the obvious favorites when it comes to girls sports, but does that give them the right to be more privileged with equipment and space? I strongly disagree.

This year, track, cross-country, tennis, lacrosse, cheer, etc., have all struggled with locker room space. Last year, most sports were able to share bigger lockers with the volleyball and basketball players, but this year rules have changed and all sports besides volleyball, basketball, softball and soccer have been crammed into the P.E. locker rooms. I think this is ridiculous and, on a certain level, a little selfish.

Having a personal locker along with an open space is crucial to helping athletes rushing to get ready for practice or school on time. Tennis and lacrosse players being forced to carry around their heavy equipment all day and then having to change in the school bathrooms is ridiculous. Not only does it hold up the line for students trying to get to class, but often times it makes athletes late to practice. But let’s be honest, does forcing athletes (that represent our school) to change in school bathrooms and carry around all their equipment every single day make much sense to you? In addition to being inefficient, it’s also putting the athletes’ valuables at risk.

The P.E. locker rooms have small lockers that do not provide enough space for athletes to lock up their equipment and backpacks. Having personal valuables and expensive equipment lying around is just asking for trouble, but most athletes have no choice. Complications with hundreds of dollars of makeup being stolen from Silver Stars, Adidas sweats and sweatpants being stolen from track, and the occasional cellphone being stolen have sadly become relevant issues. Constantly having to worry about valuables being out in the open shouldn’t have to be a dilemma for student athletes.

Teachers always emphasize the importance of equality among people, races, cultures and sexual preferences, so by separating sports based off of favoritism is hypocritical. Popular sports seem to believe they should have seniority through separate locker rooms and extensive funding is not fair considering athletes work just as hard in other sports year round. Stepping into the volleyball and basketball locker rooms you’ll see what looks more like a living space with couches, tables, freshly painted floors and lockers. Take a step into the P.E. locker room and you’ll see crammed, rusty lockers with chipped paint, girls crowding around two mirrors to get ready and maybe two or three hard-wood benches.

It makes no sense for coaches to constantly discourage favoritism and segregation regarding seniority when student athletes experience it everyday.