Not all tall people play basketball

Please stop asking

By Jillian McMullen, Staff Writer

I’m 6’1. According to a CBC report, the average height of Canadian women in 2014 was 5’4, placing my eye level far above most people’s. I’m often stopped in public or at work, and the first question I usually get is, “Wow, you’re really tall. What are you, like, 5’10?” in answer to which I obviously must provide my actual height. The second question I always get is, “So, you must play basketball, right?” No. No, I don’t play basketball because my height—unfortunately—does not determine my ability to shoot three-pointers.

Height is a fascinating focus in so many sports. When you think of athletes who are playing hockey or football or volleyball or even baseball, most people would think of someone with a much larger stature than themselves, at least at the professional level. Height, in all those sports, statistically helps one’s chances in being successful. The top of the hoop is set 10 feet above the ground, if you are closer to it then—logically—you should make baskets more easily. Tall hockey players can use their size to knock opponents off the puck easier than shorter players. However, some of the best players in each sport are people shorter than what is considered advantageous. Height and its correlation to ability is simply a convention of the professional sport industry.

While height may inherently provide an advantage in many sports, it does not, however, determine skill.  I would love to say I was a basketball or volleyball star in high school, but I wasn’t. I could never synchronize my long limbs enough to figure out how to effectively dribble the ball up the court. My height mostly made me an unwilling target for poorly-planned passes, my teammates unaware of my lack of coordination. I’m more of a solo sport person, preferring cycling, mostly. I prefer that my abilities affect only myself, whether positively or negatively.

Ultimately, what I’m saying is stop asking tall people if they play “tall people sports” because the answer, unlike the question, will not always be universal.