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How racism shaped sports
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Kathrine Switzer is not a name you as often as Susan B. Anthony or Sojourner Truth in the fight towards women's equality, but in 1967 she made a stand for all women and proved that she was and still is strong enough to do anything a man can do. Run the Boston Marathon, this little task to some now was a huge step for her, she had to push against everything almost every man most of her life except or few, including one of the men's coaches “A woman can't run the Boston Marathon. Women are too weak and too fragile for 26.2 miles. No dame ever ran no marathon.”(ESPN). During a time period where women in the United States were fighting for equality in the world, Kathrine Switzer battled her way for equality in the world of sports. In 1967 she …show more content…
Kathrine knew that she was meant to do so much more than to sit around and let other people play the game, this thought of equality was instilled in her young by her father who said to her ‘"Cheerleaders cheer for other people, You want people to cheer for you. The game is on the field. Life is to participate, not to spectate."’(ESPN). This stuck with her through life, she was a fighter and when she knew it was time to run her race Kathrine remember this and it pushed her through even at her weakest, and most vulnerable of times. Men didn't understand that she or any women was much more than a housewife, Katherine throughout her life dealt with this conflict. Katherine when explaining how women were treated in that time said "Let me paint you a picture about the status quo for women when I was growing up, we have a box here, and a woman's job is to mind the house, her husband, take care of the kids and be feminine and domestic." (ESPN). This is so significant because you can see how women were oppressed by this statement and how she had used her strength and pushed through the oppression not only by word, but by force and you can see this when she was physically harmed during Boston. While running Boston as I just stated she was physically attacked by the …show more content…
“Historical Newspapers from 1700s-2000s.” The Greenville News, 18 Apr. 2004, p. 45, basic.newspapers.com/image/69373188/?terms=katherine+switzer+boston+marathon. https://basic.newspapers.com/image/69373188/?terms=katherine+switzer+boston+marathon Grinberg, Emanuella. “1st Woman to Officially Run Boston Marathon Does It Again, 50 Years Later.” CNN, Cable News Network, 18 Apr. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/04/17/us/boston-marathon-kathrine-switzer-trnd/index.html. http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/17/us/boston-marathon-kathrine-switzer-trnd/index.html oddou, lillie. “Interview.” Kathrine Switzer - Marathon Woman, 28 Nov. 2017, kathrineswitzer.com/contact/interview/.
Switzer, Kathrine. Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women's Sports. Da Capo Press, 2017.
“1967 Boston Marathon: The Real Story.” Kathrine Switzer - Marathon Woman, 2017, kathrineswitzer.com/about-kathrine/1967-boston-marathon-the-real-story/. http://kathrineswitzer.com/about-kathrine/1967-boston-marathon-the-real-story/ “Katherine Switzer.” Newspaper.com, 1967,
In 1826 Gertrude Ederle swam the English channel two hours faster than all the men who preceded her. In 1967 Kathrine Switzer ran the Boston Marathon disguised as a man, because females were not allowed to run.
Angelina Grimke and Sojourner Truth were both prominent American civil rights activists of the 19th century who focused on the abolition of slavery and women’s rights issues, respectively. While both of these women challenged the societal beliefs of the United States at the time regarding these civil rights issues, the rhetorical strategies used by each of these women to not only illustrate their respective arguments but also to raise social awareness of these issues was approached in very different fashions. Angelina Grimke promoted the use of white middle-class women’s positions in the household to try to influence the decision makers, or men, around them. On the other hand, Sojourner Truth, a former slave turned women’s rights activist,
Thompson Paula. “ A History of Women in NASCAR.” YahooSports. Np. Web. 13 March, 2014
I, Susan B. Anthony, am a transcendentalists and women’s right activist. I was raised in a family where everyone was politically active. My family was active in the abolitionist movement and also the temperance movement. When I was campaigning what the temperance movement it inspired me to fight for women’s rights. The reason being is because when I attended a temperance convention I was denied the right to speak because I was a women. I was infuriated by this. I also realized that if women didn’t earn the right to vote no one would take any women seriously where politics were involved. So i founded the National Women Suffrage Association with activist Elizabeth Stanton. Then I began speaking and protesting all round america. In 1872 I even
To further analyze a more spoiled African American of the time, Phillis Wheatley did address the issues of her race as much as Sojourner Truth did. Wheatley mainly wrote “to Whites, for Whites and generally in the Euro-American tradition at that time” (Jamison 408). Her content focused on Christianity, morality, virtue, and other non-African-American-related topics. Her poetry has an underlying attitude of a white, not an African American. She shares the same views and attitude as a Caucasian, therefore she is part of African American literature because she was born into it, but she did not share the particular views and struggles of the African American population. She was heavily praised, because it was not expected from an African such as herself, although her upbringing should be considered. Some white men admired her work, because it was more than
Turn on ESPN, and there are many female sports reporters, and many reports on female athletes. Flip through Sports Illustrated, and female athletes are dotted throughout the magazine. Female athletes star in the commercials. Female athletes are on the cover of newspapers. Millions of books have been sold about hundreds of female athletes. However, this has not always been the case. The number of females playing sports nowadays compared to even twenty years ago is staggering, and the number just keeps rising. All the women athletes of today have people and events from past generations that inspired them, like Babe Didrikson Zaharias, the All-American Professional Girls Baseball League, Billie Jean King, and the 1999 United States Women’s World
When the American people think of women in sports, they think of ice skating, field hockey, and diving. People don’t recognize that women have the potential to play any sport that a man can play, with equal skill, if not better. Much has changed for women since the 1970’s. One of the most important events that have happened in the world of female athletics is the establishment of professional athletics for women. Educational Amendments of 1972.
Hightower, Kyle. "Female Athletes Pushing the Boundaries of Sports." Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, FL). 02 Jul. 2005: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Diana is an excellent illustration of the many struggles of women to find a place for themselves in sports. On an individual level, defying societal stereotypes is extremely difficult. The buriers that the first person must overcome are often extreme. However once the first person breaks down those buriers, it becomes increasingly easier for others to follow in their footsteps. Diana's struggle demonstrates both how far women have come and how far women still have to go.
How would you feel if you were told you can’t sit in the front of the bus or you can’t dine in a certain restaurants because of the color of your skin? The civil rights movement was a movement that held massive numbers of nonviolent protest against racial segregation and discrimination in America especially the southern states during the 1950’s and 60’s. The struggle of African Americans to gain equal rights in America during this time was a major problem. The civil rights movement was not only about stopping racial segregation amongst African Americans but also to challenge the terrible economic, political, and cultural consequences of that time. But with the help of great leaders and organizations in the civil rights movement, help brake the pattern of African Americans being discriminated against and being segregated. Martin Luther King Jr. And Maya Angelou were great leaders who had a huge impact on the civil rights movement; even though Dr. King was in the field marching and protesting to fight against segregation and Angelou wrote poetry to inspire the movement and people aware of segregation, they both helped put an end to segregation here in America (American civil rights movement).
“The past three decades have witnessed a steady growth in women's sports programs in America along with a remarkable increase in the number of women athletes (Daniel Frankl 2)” From an early age women were thought to be “Lady Like”; they are told not to get all sweaty and dirty. Over 200 years since Maud Watson stepped on the tennis courts of Wimbledon (Sports Media Digest 3); women now compete in all types and levels of sports from softball to National racing. Soccer fans saw Mia Hamm become the face of women’s soccer around the world, Venus and Serena Williams are two of the most popular figures in tennis, and Indy car racing had their first woman racer, Danika Patrick. With all the fame generated by these women in their respective sports, they still don’t receive the same compensation as the men in their respective sports fields.
When we think of "professional athletes," the names that come to our minds are players such as Kurt Warner, Andre Agassi, Mark McGwire, Michael Jordan, Brett Hull, and Steve Austin to name a few. These male athletes are very popular in the professional sports world. But what about Dot Richardson, Rebecca Lobo, Sheryl Swoopes, Mia Hamm, and Cammi Granato to name a few more? These are female professional athletes that some might recognize, but their names are not as popular as the men's names. Their names may sound unfamiliar to most of us because women's professional sports are not recognized as much as men's. However, thanks to the passing of the 1972 Education Amendment to the Civil Rights Act, Title IX, women are participating more than ever in the sports world and funding has been increasing. Title IX states that "no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
It has taken many years for women to gain a semblance of equality in sports. Throughout history, women have been both excluded from playing sports and discriminated against in sports. Men’s sports have always dominated the college athletic field, but women were finally given a fighting chance after Title IX was passed. Title IX, among other things, requires scholarships to be equally proportioned between men and women’s sports. Although this was a huge gain for women, gender inequality still exists in sports today. An example of this persisting inequality can be seen when looking at men’s baseball and women’s softball. In college, baseball and softball are both major NCAA sports. It is widely accepted throughout today’s society that baseball is a man’s sport, and softball is a woman’s sport. Very few people question why the two sexes are separated into two different sports, or wonder why women play softball instead of baseball. Fewer people know that women have been essentially excluded from playing baseball for a long time. This paper will focus on why softball has not changed the way women’s basketball has, why women continue to play softball, the possibilities and dynamics of women playing baseball with and without men, and the most discriminating aspect of women being banned from playing professional baseball.
Gail, a dark, tiny, female reporter, is given the assignment of investigating Babe, one of the most talented female athletes of the twentieth century. Suggestions have sprung up that Babe was not a woman at all. These suggestions have come from beer corporations and radical right-wing opponents of a new growing opinion that men and women's sports should equally share primetime TV slots.
Gender equality in sports is still an issue that will be dealt with many years to come. Great advancement has been made through history and accomplishments did not go unnoticed. There is the fear that Title IX, with time will not be as strong or it might be ignored with time. But it is also a powerful weapon that can be used in the legal system to make sure women have their rights protected and saved. We can say that female athletes have enjoyed the fruits of this law to provide them with confidence and empowerment. Although, some women athletes will still face adversity because of racism and ignorance, but looking back at the past decades the fight for gender equality is well worth the fight and determination.