Women in athletics can be huge role models for younger girls. “Women’s efforts by working to inspire women and girls to challenge stereotypes, overcome barriers and follow their ambitions” (Mlambo-Ngcuka 5). Although most young girls find their parents and caregivers to be their heroes, they often look up to older female athletes as their role models. Female athletes can’t show their full potential, however, without the support of their peers. It’s disappointing to think that even high school girls can’t receive support from their classmates. In all honesty, the student section at girl’s sporting events is significantly smaller than boy’s sporting events. Men athletes continue to earn more than their female counterparts, even though there have …show more content…
Media is key and one of the ways to provide more coverage would be to display women’s champions the same amount as male champions are displayed, “Feature women’s champions more prominently, to show girls, boys, women and men alike what female athletes can achieve'' (Mlambo-Ngcuka 7). When a National Football League (NFL) team wins the Super Bowl, they receive more coverage than when our United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) won the World Cup. Another way to provide more media coverage to female athletes would be to grow the number of female sports reporters and analysts. “Boosting the number and visibility of female sport reporters and analysts at major events” (Mlambo-Ngcuka 7). Most of the time when female reporters are on the field, people taunt them or do not give them enough credibility, so this brings down female athletes. Lastly, the media needs a more diverse representation of women, “I think the corporate world still loves the good-looking blonde girls” (Rankine 28). Some may argue that there is still media coverage, but it is the wrong kind, female athletes need to be represented because of their skill, not their …show more content…
In addition, some girls aren’t even taught the proper way to head a soccer ball, “Girls soccer accounts for more concussions than boys soccer” (Controversies). Women have a wider pelvis, which can result in more knee injuries. Many report that women have a higher pain tolerance than men, “They induced their hypoalgesia response after repeated sport trials of exhaustive exercise” (Garcia-Falgueras 13). Women may have a higher pain tolerance, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be protected from injuries. In conclusion, if female athletes were taught how to prevent injury, then they wouldn’t be injured more than boys; if girls are injured, they can’t capitalize on the little opportunity they have. Lastly, women need more opportunities to show their skills in sports, so they can provide support for younger girls who look up to them. Most opportunities are taken away from girls because they are pressured out of them, “The pressure to conform to traditionally ‘feminine’ stereotypes leads many girls to abandon sport entirely” (Mlambo-Ngcuka
Title IX was passed in 1972 and according to the Women’s Sports Foundation, as of 2011, women make up 38-42 percent of all sport and physical activity participants. Yet, research shows that women receive only 6-8 percent of the total sports coverage. A double standard is defined as a set of principles that allows greater freedom to one person or group than to another. (dictionary.com) In athletics, women are judged more on their appearances and their non-sport related activities, than their male counterparts who are judged primarily on their skills and performances. Female athletes are scrutinized based on their appearances more than their skills and athletic performances in the media.
The discrepancies in media coverage in coverage of female and children athletics have large gaps, but are gaining momentum in sharing equality. Major athletic leagues such as the NBA and FIFA World Cup have wide gaps in marketing and ratings for their male and female athletes. Children are future athletes and superstars, but as funding and coverage in athletics catering to the males, women are breaking the barriers to be in the spotlight of sport. Both gender contribute equally to athletics, and challenge the each other to accept new ideas and change. The sports world that has a single gender dominating the media is unjust. Society does not want to bored, we need change in sports entertainment to cater to all. Not all parents and teachers are available to educate our children about the concepts of sharing and teamwork, our children are growing up learning key concepts through media. I will discuss these concepts and how they intertwine.
In 1970 only 1 in 27 girls participated in high school sports, today that ratio is 1 in 3. Sports are a very important part of the American society. Within sports, heroes are made, goals are set and dreams are lived. The media makes all these things possible by creating publicity for the rising stars of today. Within society today, the media has downplayed the role of the woman within sports.
Promoting Women’s Sports “It doesn’t matter if you are a woman or a man, the important thing is your determination,” race car driver Milka Duno proudly stated when being represented as a CNN woman. As women recognition continues to grow since the past, it still does not appear to be promoted enough. The promotion of women’s sports needs to be focused on due to inspiration passed on, gender equality, and the gratitude of women and their dedication to sports.
Sports provide an amazing outlet for people of all ages. It has been proven that sports help focus and concentration as well as improving ones physical state. It is a beneficial pastime that all should be allowed to enjoy. Up until that age of 12-13 both genders are invited and welcomed to play sports. After this point something changes, it is not really talked about but pressure is effectively applied and society somehow manages to push people into very gender orientated and gender specific sports. The question is, what happens when someone doesn't succumb to the pressure and actively participates in what it referred to as a non-traditional role in a particular sport? This idea applies to both sexes, not just females. We are talking about how society reacts when women compete in body building competitions and when men become figure skaters. I believe that the root of our problem lies within the biases of our society.
There has been a link between media coverage and the indulgence of girls in sporting activities in schools. This is primarily because television and other media show sports as a preserve of men. As a result, there are few females in the sporting activities on media. Hence, female students never have role models to ape in sports. Boys find several sources of, motivation to participate in sports.
Females have taken great strides to be able to accomplish as much as males in a male dominant world. Women are more competitive and are able to play at great intensity that was thought impossible several decades ago. It is sad that women have many factors against them, making them more susceptible to injuries. Injuries occur all the time. Although there are many suggestions as to how to prevent ACL injuries, we cannot control everything.
Women have forever had this label on their back of being too small, too weak, too feminine, and too boring. The traditional gender roles of the female interfere with the extortionate nature of competing in sports. Men are usually the ones to go 100% and give whatever they got, and to show masculinity while doing it. The standard masculinity of being strong, smart, and taking charge over dues the feminine traits of being soft, gentle, and polite. That’s what society has taught us to learn and accept. But the traditional female gender role is diminished when participating in athletics and people may think it’s weird to see females compete at the same level as males do. Men have always had the upper hand in the professional, collegian, and high
Can women's sports establish itself as a topic of on-going media and journalism curiosity? Currently TV stations do minimal coverage of women's sports, while newspapers and magazines do just a little bit better. In a recent interview with Gary Webb, a sports writer for The Spectrum, he says that "the people have demonstrated that there is an audience that loves hearing about women athletes. After all, they are somebody's kids, sisters, and moms". I learned that these sports writers love to cover women's games, especially girls highschool basketball games. Gary said that he would rather watch a Parowan-Beaver girls game over the boys anyday. Karen Winegar, staff writer for the The Star Tribune of Minnesota said., "Portrayal of female athletes is improving, but despite increasing interest and participation, their sports are getting no more coverage than they got five years ago" (1A+). Women's sports participation will surely continue to grow in the future, so the media and journalists better be prepared to increase their coverage accordingly.
In summary, Despite opponents argue, fans want to see thunderous dunks and incredible athleticism over the lesser abilities of females, male competitions is more intense and there is more at risk, and male driven associations produce more revenue than female driven associations. It is apparent that male and females are built differently therefore they have different abilities, females go through the same types of events and often have more on the line, and female athletics aren 't given the same recognition or praise. Then, maybe one day female will receive the same amount of pay as their male counterparts. As, Vera Nazarian once implied, “A woman is human. She is not better, wiser, stronger, more intelligent, more creative, or more responsible than a man. Likewise, she is never less. Equality is a given. A woman is human.”
Within todays sporting community, certain aspects of sport and its practices promote and construct ideas that sport in general is a male dominated. Sports media often provides an unequal representation of genders. Women athletes are regularly perceived as mediocre in comparison to their male equivalents (Lenskyj, 1998). Achievement in sport is generally established through displays of strength, speed and endurance, men usually set the standards in these areas, consequently woman rarely reach the level set by top male athletes. Due to this, the media significantly shows bias towards male sports while we are ill-informed about the achievements in the female sporting community. On the occasion that a female athlete does make some form of an appearance in the media, images and videos used will usually portray the female in sexually objectified ways (Daniels & Wartena, 2011). This depiction of female athletes can cause males to take focus solely on the sexual assets of the athlete in preference to to their sporting abilities (Daniels & Wartena, 2011). Sexualisation of sportswoman in the media is a prevalent issue in today’s society, it can cause physical, social and mental problems among women of all ages (Lenskyj, 1998).
Most people watch some form of sports, whether it be the Olympics or the highlights on ESPN. The NBA and NHL playoffs are underway and theyit seems to be the only news on ESPN. There is almost no coverage of the WNBA playoffs or any female athletics. Tennis isone of the only big sports on ESPN for women. While during the Olympics the coverage seems to be non-stop and close to equal. Women’s participation in sport is at an all-time high and has almost become equal with men’s, however,. sSports media does notfails to show this equality and skews the way we look at these athletes. Through the disciplines of sociology and gender studies, it can be seen that despite the many gains of women in sports since the enactment of Title IX, “traditional” notions of masculinity and femininity still dominate media coverage of males and females in sports, which is observed in Olympic programming and sports news broadcasts.
Gender bias in media is a problem with multiple different aspects. Statistics show that 40% of all athletes are women, but they receive just 4% of media coverage (The Statistics). Secondly, a recent analysis found that of 6,503 sports photos taken by national newspapers, only 78 were of females (Media Coverage). What are the reasons toward such uneven coverage? Females participating in athletics get more attention to their physical appearance than their actual ability to perform the sport. Athletes that are not considered appealing or attractive are commonly disregarded and forgotten by the media. In addition, female athlete’s are often compared to male athletes in their same sport, and ignored for their real ability because not as impressive as their male counterparts (Low Female). For years, women have not only been fighting equal treatment and coverage, but also discrimination and sexism. Media’s coverage of female athlete’s is a problem that can be solved by closer to equal coverage in the press, and more attention on actual ability than physical appearance.
When it comes to women's sports and popularity in the 21 century it has been little progress made toward gender equality for woman sports, now in the 21 century more kids and adults know who some of these females athletes are but as far as media coverage goes for female athlete are in the shadows of the male athletes dominance and the tradition that males developed in sport due to what gender establish athletics first, because women sports were brought up years after men athletics had been established.
Women in Sports Challenges appear to be part of the human experience. In the course of history, very little has come easily. The progress that women have made in sport in the United States over the course of the last 100 years seems remarkable for the amount achieved in so little time. In relation to the other advances made in this century, including men's sport, that achievement dims. While women have made great advances, they haven't, in comparison, come that far.