FIERCE Athlete Promotes True Identity And Femininity
While Title IX opened many doors for women since it was enacted by Congress on June 23, 1972, the past fifty years have also seen an increase in messages and policies that are harmful and toxic for female athletes. In recent years, Title IX has been interpreted to enforce policies such as biological men using women’s bathrooms, living in their dorms, and even competing in women’s sports, all of this contributing to a challenging and confusing environment for female athletes. In a world where female athletes are encouraged to toss aside their femininity, a former D-1 athlete is changing that narrative and responding with a voice of truth. FIERCE Athlete is a non-profit Catholic ministry founded by Samantha Kelley in 2016. Using the teachings of the Catholic Church and Theology of the Body, FIERCE helps young women discover their true identities as daughters of God and to understand what it means to be authentically feminine.
FIERCE believes that athleticism is a gift given by God and is part of His design for both men and women. FIERCE also believes sport is an incredible opportunity for formation and growth in virtue. “Sport trains body and spirit for perseverance, effort, courage, balance, sacrifice, honesty, friendship, and collaboration,” affirmed St. John Paul II during a 1984 homily at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. Athleticism should be a healthy outlet for young women, yet many of today’s young female athletes struggle with depression, anxiety, alcoholism, and negative self image. Recent statistics indicate that nearly 30% of today’s female collegiate athletes identify as gay, and 62% struggle with disordered eating.
Before the founding of FIERCE, young women in sports didn’t know where to turn for the truth. “While there are other Catholic organizations for athletes, most are male-dominant and don’t know how to speak to women specifically. Catholic organizations that exist for women don’t address athletes specifically, and thus female athletes don’t feel at home in any of these places,” notes President and Founder Samantha Kelley.
Kelley was a Division 1 soccer player at UConn living a typically unhealthy college lifestyle and experiencing a bout of depression when a FOCUS missionary invited her to Eucharistic adoration. It was at that moment that Kelley had a radical encounter with Our Lord. After this, she says, “I was no longer playing for me, I was playing for Christ.” Upon graduation, Kelley spent a few years as a FOCUS missionary and then worked for various Catholic nonprofits. It was during this time that she began to feel the call. “I began to dream and pray, and the Lord asked me to launch FIERCE to address these issues, to help female athletes heal, and also to prevent younger athletes from encountering some of the same obstacles I faced.”
Since its founding in 2016, FIERCE Athlete has received the backing and approval of Archbishop Perez and Archbishop Neumann, it has put together a qualified board made up of members with extensive business experience, formed a Coaches and Pro-Athlete Alliance, and has formed partnerships with Catholic colleges, high schools, and other Catholic athletic organizations nationwide. FIERCE has already reached thousands of women through speaking, mentorship, clinics, retreats, and podcasts, and plans to continue to grow and reach more and more women until the environment of women’s sports has been radically transformed.
