How would you like to be treated on court?
Yanfei Mao, a senior student majoring in global health, and most importantly, the first captain of DKU women’s basketball team answers this question, “I don’t want to be regarded as a female player. I only want to be a player. When I am standing on the basketball court, I am simply a player, a player who is ready to conquer all the combat, conflicts, and even the possible danger.” Yanfei fell in love with basketball when she was a child. But limited by the small number of female basketball players, she learned and played basketball with basically male players. “Some described me with the words ‘like a boy’, which I do not like actually.” Yanfei is making a documentary project about female basketball players. She explained that the gaze from the crowds will depart the women players from the basketball court, “girls may think they do not belong there, but the basketball court is for everyone,” Yanfei says, “Being in the basketball team is the highlight of my university life. The girls in the basketball team will plan for every team member’s birthday. They are not simply reliable team members, but also sincere friends “I wish everybody could participate more in sports. You can do sports, cheer for the sports, or just watch the sports. And I hope there will be more girls to break the gender stereotypes and participate in sports.”
As a senior student, Yanfei plans to go into graduate studies to chase her dream beyond the court. She has already received offer from a joint master degree program – Erasmus Mundus Master of Arts in Sports Ethics and Integrity.
