Ethnography Paper I never imagined myself as someone who would participate in a contact sport let alone want to be in one. Last year, my best friend made jokes about me joining wrestling, or how much fun it would be if we both wrestled together. I always would laugh and move on, never giving it a second thought, but one day I signed up. I didn’t talk to anyone, I just asked the coach about it and signed up. When I told my best friend she was overwhelmed with joy since she had been wrestling for 4, but on the other hand, my parents were not as excited as my best friend. Girl wrestling has not only helped with my overall confidence but has also given me a new, different type of family. Being someone who has been involved in many sports and has …show more content…
Why sit in self-pity when you can use those emotions to push yourself to the next level? Becoming a wrestler is very easy. One can show up for practice and learn the technique. To truly become a wrestler, one has to dig deep within themselves looking for whatever strength they have to give. Wrestling is not for the weak of the heart. One needs to know that pain is temporary before giving up on the sport. All the work and dedication will be exhibited when stepping off the mat. Girls wrestling will be open to anyone who wants to try the sport but as soon as the person decides that they no longer have the motivation to continue improving, that's when they lose respect. Girls wrestling has never had as much respect because wrestling is a male-dominated sport which plays a substantial role in why respect is crucial to girls wrestling. Girls wrestling is nowhere close to an effortless sport to be in or around, but with the passing years the sport has continued to blossom with more girls participating than each year before. Want to be involved in Girls Wrestling? Take the first step by searching for a club or joining the school's …show more content…
Girls wrestling is a beautiful sport to be a part of, but the stereotypes that come with it can be debilitating. A major stereotype that girls wrestling faces is whether or not we should wear makeup on the mat. Being a girl who wears makeup and wrestles, I have always worn makeup to all my meets and tournaments, but some girls don’t wear any. Many people don’t understand why girls would wear makeup while wrestling, but I think it is a symbol of femininity in a very male-dominated sport and environment. Another stereotype that troubles the girls' wrestling community is that women are not fit for the sport because they are physically not strong enough (Lee). Physical strength is a major part of wrestling, but mental strength is much more of a play than anything. The constant thought that I am not good enough because of my strength is already a thought that crosses my mind, but when others around me tell me this as well, it can be agonizing to hear. Others in the wrestling community contradict this stereotype that women are just as capable as men to wrestle, so why should they choose not
When a woman or man joins a non-traditional sport for their gender or sex, it can have drastic social and cultural costs. These impact not just the individual but also the entire community. When a person challenges the gender roles of society, then they change the perceptions of what men or women are capable of doing, they further androgynize cultural norms, and they open up sports for others.
In the world of sports, it is fairly obvious that people have experienced many costs, including insults, ridicule, and lack of acceptance, but the benefits gained are much more vital to sports and the future of athletics. Competing in sports that are non-traditional to one's gender can only make society stronger, and our culture more unified.
Most girls don’t pay money to roll around on the ground with sweaty guys. Yet that is exactly what I did this last July. No, it’s not what you’re thinking; I went to wrestling camp. Wrestling is a sport that I’ve always wanted to try, but my shyness and insecurity held me back. This year I decided that I will no longer allow other people’s opinions affect my own decisions. Joining wrestling is the first major step I’m taking to change my life.
... women, but especially athletic women, and is socially constructed to dictate women’s appearance, demeanor and values (Krane et al, 2004).” Females, for example, are expected to look and behave in a feminine way in order to satisfy heteronormative practices such as marriage. However, to participate in a sport, a traditionally male dominated realm, female athletes must acquire more traditionally masculine characteristics like strength, aggression, competitiveness, and assertiveness; characteristics that betray hegemonic gender and societal norms. Issues pertaining to feminine behavior and appropriate gender roles continue to be the root cause of discrimination not only in sport, but also in modern society as “sport is a sub culture within a larger society, therefore nothing typically occurs in sport that does not occur in the larger culture (Vodden & Schell, 2010).”
Wrestling is more than just a sport; it is a way of life. And for those who enjoy its opportunities, it is something that takes the mind off of all of life’s troubling times, and puts one man against another to get their hand raised. Competition makes everything evolve, and there is no other sport that epitomizes what competition truly is. Wrestling spans the entire globe, and although it incorporates several different styles and many National and World events, remains overlooked by most.
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
It is rather, a fight. A fight in which each combatant must push their-self to
When a person of a specific gender enters a non-traditional sport for their gender/sex, many social and moral issues will arise challenging that person involved in that particular sport. The intentions of the individual will be questioned as well as their personal interest in the sport. Before any of these questions are asked, there must be a redefinition of gender roles, femininity, and masculinity. In order for a person to enter a non-traditional sport for their gender/sex without being criticize about gender morality, society must set flexible definitions for femininity and masculinity.
5000 girls wrestled in high school in 2015 vs. 112 in 1990. Because the number of female wrestlers is still relatively small, 40 of the 50 states do not have all-female wrestling programs at the high school level. Girls who desire to wrestle must be part of the boys’ teams. Proponents are encouraged by the advancement in women’s sports, while opponents insist that high school girls have no place on a wrestling mat with high school boys.
Krane, V. (2001). We can be athletic and feminine, but do we want to? Challenging hegemonic femininity in women's sport. Quest, 53,115-133.
For my ethnographic research project, I plan on studying high school wrestlers. Wrestling is a world famous sport that has its competitors face off in one on one matchups based on weight. Wrestling involves movement of the whole body in order to put an opponent on their back, and these movements include, but are not limited to; grappling holds, pins, and throws. Wrestling is also one of the oldest sports in human history, with cave drawings and sculptures featuring it around the world. I want to study high school wrestlers because of their lifestyle.
Boys get serious and sometimes cannot control how they act on the field, court, or mat. That is why they should just make all sports a girl and a boy sport, so it can be same gender teams around the US, so that girls can do what they love, and not have to worry about not being able to play a sport, just because it is a boy sport. A girl that wrestled in high school had to lose 20 pounds, just so it would not be so hard to equal with the boys she would be wrestling.(Rippey). She wanted to wrestle a smaller opponent. She should not have to do that just for a sport that she loves. Boys gain upper body strength as they go through high school and that is what she struggled with. If girls played with boys it is a greater chance of an injury. Girls should compete with the same gender and compete close with the same size opponent. ”Giorgio said she never felt the pressure of being out of place as a girl competing in a boys sport”(Rippey). You should not have to do this just to become a female wrestler. She should not have to feel this way just because they put a title on sports, but she should have been aware of the consequences before she started. They should have wrestling for girls in middle and high school not just college. At Least try to make it fair to
This chapter provides background information on the research topic. The first section provides a general overview of the anthropology of sports with sub-headings of anthropologists and their contributions to the study of sport and the body in the anthropology of sport. The second section provides a description of sport studies. The third section of the chapter sheds light on the meaning and application of sport. The fourth heading provides literature on relevant subjects to the anthropology of sports and sport studies. Finally, the fifth heading provides concluding thoughts for the chapter.
When a person walks into a building to see a live wrestling event they do not know what to expect. They wonder who will be wrestling. They wonder where their seats are. All of the suspense gets them ready for the show. The suspense gets them pumped and ready to for the show to start.
Although women have been accepted within the participation in sports and physical activity, there is still constant controversy surrounding the topic of whether or not female sports can be “considered a ‘real’ sport” (Hall, M. Ann, 2007, pg. 56) or if the female participants can be “viewed as ‘real’ women” (Hall, M. Ann, 2007, pg. 56). This is due to the fact that sports and physical activity has invariably been viewed as strictly for males, to aid in validating their masculinity. It is constantly vocalized that sports considered to be ‘feminine’ ones such as