Recently, a video has been making its rounds on the Internet, featuring a men's volleyball player getting his face crushed by hard hits in a college men's volleyball match between Yale and UNC. There's only one problem with this picture: Yale and UNC don't have varsity men's volleyball programs. This goes unnoticed because c'mon, the guy scores a point with his face. How great is that? Still, many people would be surprised to know there are only 29 Division I Men's Volleyball programs, as compared to the more than 300 women's programs and the 252 football programs. Why is men's volleyball not given the same attention that sports like football receive from the general population?
On many occasions, I have heard people say volleyball is a "girl's sport" as a way of insulting men who play the sport. I can't begin to understand why a "girl's sport" has a negative connotation, and I do not see any way in which this comment detracts from the value of the sport. Though it is more popular on the women's side, volleyball is a sport that should not be categorized by the sexes who play it. I have been a spectator at many women's games, and I have both played and
…show more content…
However, in my experience with high school volleyball, this was a common theme with nearly every team we played. We had a different cheer for every occurrence, allowing for a strong positive atmosphere that definitely left some room for some trash talking in the more serious games. The win-by-two rule often leads to games that go to more than 30 points, even though the actual score is supposed to end at 25. In games like this, each point is a nail-biter and it is one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my time playing sports. Overall, being part of the gym atmosphere during an intense volleyball match can become as intense as any sport I've ever seen played, and I'm an avid sports
When I think of what it means to be Canadian, one of the first things that come to mind is hockey. This is true for many Canadian’s as hockey was and is an integral piece of the formation of the national identity. However, when people think of playing hockey their attention usually turns to the men in the National Hockey League or other top men’s leagues and tournaments. Even so, Canada has come a long way from its beginnings, when women were not even considered persons under the law until 1929. While it has taken many decades for women to receive more recognition in the world of sport, today shows great improvements from the past. A key reason that women are not treated the same way as men in regards to hockey is due to how the game began;
On a more personal level, it has been my observation that up until the junior high level both boys and girls are actively engaged in sports, but once the boys start to get bigger, the adults in the society become apprehensive about allowing mixed gender play. I feel as though society has a tough time embracing the possibility that women might get hurt if they play sports. It is at this point in a student's career that a great division occurs, all of a sudden innocent games become strictly regulated and boys and girls are separated.
I recently had the amazing opportunity to watch the University of Illinois women's volleyball team play Stanford, and let me tell you… THEY. ARE. AMAZING. Stanford has a six-foot-eight beast; her head clears the net when she blocks. I bet she's been nailed in the face quite a few times, but hey, if that's the only downside to being that tall and a volleyball player, then sign me up! I’ve chosen to play volleyball in college, but since I’m only five-foot-ten, I won’t have to worry about being smacked in the face when I’m blocking. Attending the game just two rows in front of me was no other than Charlie Rodman, probably the greatest volleyball coach I’ve ever encountered. Never having played, when Belleville West was looking for a new head volleyball coach, he began to read books and teach himself the game. He coached my mom when she was in high school and led her team to win back-to-back state championships in 1990 and 1991. No longer the head coach, he still helps run practices, comes to the games and tournaments, and whenever I have a question about what I did wrong, where to go, or a new technique, he’s always the first person I go to for an answer. He coached two girls who ended up playing for Stanford and the University of Illinois in the same year, so when I say he’s an amazing coach, I’m not sugar coating
At the peak, female players and sports has little publicity and smaller crowds. The general public has little to no desire to partake in female sports. This isn’t about equality. It’s about what people want to see and they want to see all-male teams perform at the highest level.Teams would struggle to coexist with women in the same organisation. For example, they would have to invest in private changing and shower areas. Small team organizations couldn’t maintain sufficient funds to accommodate this. Take into consideration, at the professional level where players usually earn millions every year with extensive contracts, females might have to take a leave of absence from 9 months to however long to raise and care to a new-born. Which is normally the length of a season or long enough to cause a big impact in their careers. In female sports there would be other female players to cover another for maternity leave, but if it were mixed up with male sports, over time general managers would start to sign extensive contracts to males and short ones to females due to longevity of careers. Taking in all the aspects about biology, economy, and desire into perspective there’s no validating reason why any team consisting of men and women would be better off than having separate teams. It would fulfill the much seeked out desire for equal rights, but we must not ignore the basic deviations that make women and men so
Gender in sports has been a controversial issue ever since sports were invented. In the early years, sports were played only by the men, and the women were to sit on the sidelines and watch. This was another area of life exemplifying the sexism of people in which women were not allowed to do something that men could. However, over the last century in particular, things have begun to change.
Volleyball is one of the biggest team sports there are. It is big in the summer olympics and all around the world men and women play it every day. The game of volleyball was originally called “mintonette”, it was invented by William G. Morgan in 1895 at Springfield College in Massachusetts, they made it along with basketball. In 1957 volleyball was officially an Olympic sport, the first games were held in Tokyo 1964 and the first beach volleyball games were in 1996 Atlanta. In London 2012, USA got 12 silver medals. In the Olympics, the Soviet Union has won the most medals. The best country right now is Brazil, winning gold medals in London 2012. One of the best volleyball players from Minnesota right now is Tori Dixon who played for the Gophers
It is clear that sports are big deal in our lives. They shape us as individuals and more importantly they promote gender roles and stereotypes that have negative impacts on females. It promotes a paradigm that states males are superior to females when it comes to sports. Co-ed sports can be used as a foundation to break through this paradigm and jumpstart a movement to disease these gender roles and stereotypes we place. Females don’t get equal opportunities as they don’t want to perceive as manly because of this dichotomous thinking we have. They shy away from getting into sports. Using co-ed leagues not only benefits females and promotes them to play sports, it also benefits them as a generation to further this paradigm shift and dismiss
Media plays a large role in affecting peoples thinking, opinions, ideas, etc. In essence media can shape our thinking into negative views and perspectives that are typically not true. Sometimes the media plays as a puppet master to society. Specifically, the inequity of the gender roles within sports causes for a stir in commotion that calls for some attention. In doing so the inadequate misuse of media towards women in sports causes low exposure, amongst many other things. On the other hand their male counterparts are on the other end of the success spectrum. Because of this noticeable difference, it is vital that action is taken place to level out equality within sports. Due to the power of media, it is believed that a change in media coverage
Giddens, Sandra; Giddens, Owen. Volleyball Rules, Tips, Strategy, and Safety. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2005. Print.
You’ve probably been so busy getting attached to other sports and almost forgotten that the women’s golf sport boasts some of the hottest ladies in the sports world. One thing about women is that they’re some really “well-modeled creatures,” and that means that even the golf world affords quite a few of these damsels. We take a look at 10 the hottest lady golfers in the game. Stay around!
Are high school sports beneficial or not for students? I personally believe if a student is in a high school sport they’re forced to prioritize between school and their sport, and at a young age I believe the student would decide to use his time to improve in his sport instead of school. Which in the long run would affect his academics, unless they decide to stay up late and work on their homework to keep up with both school and their sport. But, even like that in time the lack of sleep would catch up to them, and cause them to do even worse in both academics, and sports. High school sports are like the lotto in my opinion, many play but only a few get rewarded for their work. Therefore, high school sports cause more negativity than positivity.
Next to the court, under the shade of a large oak tree, sits Ali. Ali is a man of about 55 who attends the gathering every week. He used to be a professional volleyball player, and now spends his time watching the game at a youth level, and giving advice to novices and experienced players alike. He watches pensively from under the shade of the large branches, quietly munching on his turkey sub-sandwich. Every few minutes Ali yells wisely to a young player. He says, “Keep your jump approach in stride,” and “Remember to cup your hand before you make contact, then follow through.”
It would appear, from the outside, that men's sport will forever have all of the advantages, all of the rewards, all of the prestige, while women's sport is left to perpetual inequality. Yet, not only are there sports that are considered "non-traditional" for both sexes, the obvious majority of these sports are "traditionally" recognized as women's sports. While there may be a very small number of teams of male synchronized swimmers or synchronized ice-skaters, there are virtually no integrated teams. Of the number of sports considered non-traditional for women, among them football and wrestling, women have gradually opened the door into these sports. In most states, girls even have the right to participate on boys' sports teams if there is no girls' team or even a girls' team which plays by the same rules because of the historical limitations on women's sports.
It was at this moment that I realized that there truly is no “I” in team. A team is not characterized by the individuals within, but rather what the individuals can come together to achieve. For so long I had tried to discover where I belonged on the team. In reality, I should have realized that from the moment I stepped on the court, I was already a member of the varsity team. With a newfound sense of strength, we continued the game. Every single point we won felt like we were putting our lives on the line, while every single point we lost felt like ten-ton chains were holding us down. Even so, it was just another volleyball game. One I had experienced on multiple occasions, perhaps not to the same magnitude, but it was a relatively familiar situation. Strangely, it felt different. I felt more relaxed, more confident, and I was having more fun. At the time, I was not sure what it came from. I was too focused on finishing out the game to pay it much attention. But reflecting on it now, I realize that without a doubt, it was because I truly felt like I belonged on the team. For the first time, I knew that my team was behind me, ready to help me up whenever I fell. We continued on with the game. Despite being down two sets to one at one point, we now found ourselves nearing victory in the fifth set. Finally, we were able to overcome the opponent to win the match three sets to two and secure the second SPC championship for Greenhill Boys Volleyball in three
It seems strange that a simple sport can do so much to a person, but it is not just a simple sport. To an outsider it is just volleyball, but to a player it is love, commitment, and family. It is a way to connect with people who become people in your life that are unforgettable. I have spent the past five years playing this sport with many different girls and I watched them as they grew up and went on to college and other things in life, and now I am that girl. I am now a senior in high school playing volleyball for the last year and I could not imagine what my life would be like if I had never tried this