Bullying in Sport

Bullying is something that can happen anywhere, and to anyone. Some people are blind to how much this can happen, and how bad it can get. I have been bullied, seen bullying, and even bullied. It is a huge problem in our society, especially with the internet now being used to bully. I am going to talk about a situation I was a bystander of bullying.

At my high school, there was about 2,500 kids. Most people knew of each other in each person's class, but it was big enough not everyone knew everything about everyone. Most of the athletes, male or female, were considered to be "popular" and were more well-known than other kids were. I played many sports throughout high school, but my favorite was volleyball. We had a girl on my volleyball team with a secret. She was also one of our star players. She had come out as gay to a few of the girls on the volleyball team, including me. Although I was accepting, many people were not. Some of the girls on our team told others, and it became gossip. Basically the entire school had found out, and people had a lot to say about it.
At my school, many people were openly gay. This was a bigger deal than anyone else, however. Maybe because she was the star player in three different varsity sports, or because she did not fit people's "stereotype" of what a gay girl would be like. She is very feminine. People bullied her, including girls on the volleyball team. I said I was a bystander, because I did not do anything about it. I thought I should stay out of it, but that was wrong of me. She needed someone to stand up for her. Thankfully, our coach found out about this situation. He made it a point to individually talk to each player separately and ask them to be respectful of this girl.
Even with the help of an adult, she still had a very hard time. She ended up quitting her sports. Watching this happen and knowing I could've helped her makes me feel guilty. I realized being a bystander to bullying is just as bad as doing the bullying yourself.
In my eyes, someone's sexuality shouldn't be judged by anyone.
Bullying happens in a lot of settings, but it seems that it happens a lot in sports settings as well. More people should pay attention to this, and stop the stigma.