The Growing Presence of Women in Sports The sports industry is male-dominated and that affects the low numbers of women working in it. But, in recent years, more women have been hired for jobs despite gender bias. Even though some of these positions are temporary, these achievements are huge and show that the gender barrier in sports is starting to break (Roberts). This results from the advocacy for women in sports and their relentless pursuit of success. For young females aiming to have a career in sports, it is important to have role models that have already paved their way through the gender barrier in sports. In an article about Kim Ng, the first female GM in the MLB, Laura Armstrong writes that even though pursuing a career in sports as …show more content…
Likewise, when women who aspire to have a career in sports see their peers being their true self and “not trying to be guys”, then these women are shown that they can also succeed without having to change themselves in order to get hired for a job (Reiner). Young females are more inclined to pursue their goals if someone like them has shown that it is possible to do so. In addition to the determination of women, sports organizations can also make an impact with increased numbers of women in sports. Research shows “a key beyond making diverse hires will be for teams to create cultures that are psychologically safe for decision-makers such as GMs to have the latitude to grow” (Bell). Many women don’t apply for jobs in sports because the industry is male-dominated and they will face much discrimination. Yet, if organizations can create a safe place where women can prosper without feeling threatened, many more females will be working in sports. Additionally, these numbers would also increase if qualifications are the only consideration when choosing who to hire for a job …show more content…
In the past years, sports teams have organized programs whose purpose is to provide opportunities for women. An example of this is the “Next Shift” program organized by the Philadelphia Flyers’ that consists of girls and women shadowing female employees to expose them to different jobs during a normal hockey game (Reiner). This program gives aspiring females a chance to succeed by providing them with insight to the behind-the-scenes work that women do for a sports team so they can gain experience in the workforce and obtain networking opportunities. In this same article by Olivia Reiner, she wrote: “relationships can make a major difference in breaking into the industry, underscoring the importance of continuing a program like Next Shift.” Since relationships are so important in the process of getting a job in the sports industry, it is even more important that women have an opportunity to gain these relationships because they already have a disadvantage when it comes to hiring due to their gender. Therefore, this program will continue to give women resources to help them succeed in
Women have faced an uphill battle throughout the history of sports whether it is to be able to compete in sports, to attain equal funding for programs, to have access to facilities, or a number of other obstacles that have been thrown in their ways. Women have had to organize and administer their own sports structure rather than compete within the men's structure that existed. The sheer strength and determination of many women sports heroes is what propels women's sport to keep going. One theme that has predominantly surfaced in this fight though is the merging of women's programs with men's, oftentimes only when they are successful enough to stand alone on their own.
...ennis, basketball, soccer, and martial arts—have come from the days of cheerleading and synchronized swimming when she was growing up in the ’70s.” Disparities in media coverage and over-sexualized female athletes on magazine covers is something that needs to come to an end because of its effects on both male and female viewers, young and old, athletes and non-athletes. Both female and male athletics influence young people and shape their personality and morals as they mature. Retired WNBA player, Lisa Leslie credits her participation in basketball with shaping her character, as well as her career. “Sports can also help teenagers during an awkward time in their development.” (“Women’s Athletics: A Battle For Respect”). The solution is to come together as a society and identify how to balance the respect for female and male athletes in the media.
Industries and companies supported sports teams for women. They did this to promote personal health and worker efficiency. These teams brought advertising opportunities for the companies who supported them. This offered competitive opportunities for women and occasional income for the athletes (Women’s Sports Foundation, 2/21/2011).
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 caters to the males, women are breaking the barriers to being in the spotlight of sport. Both genders 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.
When people talk about the impact of women in professional sports, they mention one huge concept: Marketing. Marketing to women is a tremendous source of profit for professional sports, but the impact of how women would respond recently became knowledge. However, now the marketing programs of the different professional sports, including the NFL, need to change their approach on marketing to women. Because the NFL still lacks sales to women compared to other professional sports in America, the NFL needs to change their viewpoints on the experience of women in the stadium and the variety of merchandise available for females.
Woolum, Janet. Chapter 1 Women in American Sports. The Oryx Press, 1992. eLibrary. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
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. 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.
Unintentionally, a lot of us have been boxed into institutions that promote gender inequality. Even though this was more prominent decades ago, we still see how prevalent it is in today’s world. According to the authors of the book, Gender: Ideas, Interactions, Institutions, Lisa Wade and Myra Marx Ferree define gendered institutions as “the one in which gender is used as an organizing principle” (Wade and Ferree, 167). A great example of such a gendered institution is the sports industry. Specifically in this industry, we see how men and women are separated and often differently valued into social spaces or activities and in return often unequal consequences. This paper will discuss the stigma of sports, how gender is used to separate athletes, and also what we can learn from sports at Iowa State.
It goes without saying that a person's gender, racial and social origins influence their participation in sports. Particular races and genders often dominate certain sports. African Americans, for example, tend to dominate football and basketball, while Caucasians tend to dominate ice hockey. The same holds true for gender as well. Football is an entirely male dominated sport, while horseback riding, gymnastics and figure skating are much more female oriented. How and why did these divisions come about? Determining the origin of gender goes beyond the scope of this paper, however one can speculate about how gender classifications and stereotypes affect one's role in the sports arena.
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.
Gender discrimination is prominent in every industry, but it is as though the sport industry is one of the worst. Women in the work force currently receive only 80 cents to every man’s dollar (Holmes, 2016). However, female athletes both in America and internationally receive a far lesser compensation for their attributes. The only difference of the sports being played is who plays them. There should be no reason why a male athlete receives better pay simply because he had a 50% chance of being born a man. At birth, no one controls the gender, but as they grow and mature, they control their personality and development. Payment should be on personal skills and not gender. As a female STHM student focusing on sport management and a former athlete,
“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.
Coakley (2009) starts off the chapter by introducing how participation in organized sports came about and how gender roles played a major role early on. He describes how most programs were for young boys with the hope that being involved would groom them to become productive in the economy. Girls were usually disregarded and ended up sitting in the stands watching their sibling’s ga...
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.
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.