Every year, many worldwide gather to cheer on their favorite teams. No matter the sport, the love for the game brings fans from all different fan bases together. Fans, usually represented by men in the media, pride themselves on the loyalty they display to their team. When it comes to women, however, the image shifts to a lost girl who knows nothing about the game. The times have changed significantly for fans and those wanting to break barriers and work in sports, however age-old stereotypes still plague some. Loyalty, a feeling driven by undeniable love and support for a team and its players, does not rely on gender, is equal by law, and is supported by a growth in media consumption. While many men might argue women do not have a passion for sports, their fight for the passing of Title 9 would prove otherwise. For many years, women were not …show more content…
but that is hardly the case. While many women will inevitably find at least one athlete they may find attractive, most will not tune into the game just for them, just as a music fan would not only listen to an artist because they think they are attractive. As a woman who watches and works in sports, I find the narrative surrounding women in sports could not be further from the truth. Women watch sports for the same reasons men watch sports. We watch for the drama, the unpredictability, and the passion we have for our teams. As a sportswriter, I have been judged before because of the content I produce, even if it was close to the same content a man has created. At baseball games, people have asked if I can name five players on the team that I center my personality around, and there are times I only feel validated at games when I am with my dad. As women’s sports grow and more women work in sports, hopefully, it will be easier to prove that loyalty is the same for men and
There are many women in today's society that fight for equality in just about everything. They want the same job opportunities, the ability to be given a good deal on a car, and the right to choose to stay home . Another area that women have recently begun fighting for equality in, is the sporting world. From professional sports teams such as the Women's National Basketball Association down through college, high school, and even elementary age teams, women are fighting for equality in a variety of sports activities.
Before I conducted this media analysis about women in sports and sport broadcasting, I hypothesized the obvious - that more male sports would be in the media, and that there would be more male sports broadcasters as well. Through my observations I did find that the sports arena and sports broadcasting sphere are male dominated. However, I also found that although there are not many stories about women, there has been a steady progression and magazines like Sports Illustrated are becoming bold enough to highlight women athletes in a magazine that is targeted towards a male audience. Although women still have a long way to go, they are making some headway into the male-dominated sports arena.
1. Through the readings, films, and discussions, we have looked at the image of women in sport. Discuss the images of women in sport and how they are affected by today's cultural ideal of women.
-It has been previously discovered that through a series of discriminating and normalizing “techniques,” the American media covertly disparage and subordinate sportswomen. To what extent does the media participate in the discrimination of female athletes today, moreover, how does discrimination in sports media translate into and affect the social and athletic lives of female athletes.
Over the years the perception of women in sport has changed considerably. In this course we have viewed several films all dealing with the depiction of female athletes in an attempt to gauge society's current perception of women in sport. I will briefly summarize each film and the main themes of the films before providing a description of the female athlete which I will infer from commonalities between the films.
In almost all the movies we have seen, the women go through a series of changes as they grow older. They might or might not choose to continue with their sport (although movies are usually shy of showing women who actually choose to abandon a blossoming sports career in favour of something more 'socially acceptable'). However, when we first meet the female heroine in almost all the movies, she is a young tomboy. The figures of Jess in 'Bend It Like Beckham' or Monica in 'Love and Basketball' are remarkably similar as children. They both wear boyish clothes, shun typically girly clothing, and prefer to spend their time with boys. Of course, the movies make it amply clear that these girls only want to play sports with the boys – they have no sexual interest in them. In 'Bend It Like Beckham', for example, Jess is clearly contrasted with the other Indian girls who watch the local boys playing football not because they like the game but because they want to see the boys with their shirts off. Even in 'Love and Basketball', Monica loves Quincy, but she never lets him see that until after prom night; before then, they are simply neighbours, friends and ballplayers. Even in a movie like 'Remember the Titans', which has no clear female protagonist, the little girl is shown hanging around boys all the time with her father, but she too has no interest in them except as sportsmen.
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."
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.
Since sports and athletics have been brought into our society it has always been gender specific. For example, it is seen that males should be playing the rough and tough sports or athletics such as rugby and football, whereas the women should be participating in less competitive sports and athletics such as swimming, or running. Can you imagine that the world population of women is around forty-nine percent and they still aren’t given the same opportunities or respect as men? Being a women in the twenty-first century playing one of those “non-traditional” sports is a tough task for these women. The women who choose to do so are usually questioned about their sexuality and
Gender roles and gender stereotypes greatly affect men and women sports. They affect men and women sports so much that men sports are far more popular than women sports. Gender roles are what or society expects of us, and gende2r stereotypes are fixed and oversimplified beliefs. The difference is that gender roles are what we observe in society, and gender stereotypes are what we assume about certain individuals (Rathus, 2010, p.447).
Throughout history, the pursuit for equality has been tough. Individuals, such as Nelson Mandela and Emma Watson, have strived for a society where race, physical appearance and gender do not distinguish a person’s social status. Despite their support, many examples of inequality still exist to this day. One example is women in sport and the belief that ”women’s sport will never be able to compete with men’s sport. Sport isn’t for women, it is for men.” The 2 main issues supporting this statement are the sexploitation of women and the portrayal and coverage of women in the media.
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.
Is there a gender gap in sports? From breaking barriers to shattering stereotypes, women in sports have proven time and time again that they are forces to be reckoned with. It's time to level the playing field and give female athletes the recognition, support, and opportunities they deserve. Yes, a gender gap exists because women in sports do not receive opportunities equal to their male counterparts.
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 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.