Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Gender in Sport
Recently we watched a few scenes from the movie, Million Dollar Baby. Using examples from the movie and in addition to your own personal examples. How do you believe women are currently being perceived in sport today? Is there a general perception about a female participating in sport or does this perception change based on the type of sport being played. Why? Finally, while significant gains have been made regarding women’s participation in sport, provide some additional ideas on how we can move toward greater equality for women in sport.
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Even though we have come a long way since the start of Title IX, I still do not think that women and men are on level playing fields. Put it this way, there are no sports that I can think of that men do not play. The main sport that comes to mind that women dont play is football. It is supposed to be a "manly" sport and maybe that is why no one has developed any leagues for women. Me being a female athlete, I feel like there is just a stigma that women are not as good as men at sports. In some ways this may be true, but in other ways it is not. I think all has been done to reach equality in college sports for men and women, but I do not believe that there will ever be the day that a cougars womens basketball game will ever be sold out. People just do not like womens sports as much as men and I do not see that changing anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we've had women breaking through barriers and have more opportunities in athletic participation since the Title IX has come to act, I still think women are percieved as weaker competitors than men in sport today. I think it has always been that way. For example, I had a co-ed softball game last night. Whenever a male player comes up to a bat, regardless of knowing if they had any experience playing baseball/softball, the guys in the outfield would back up assuming they can hit farther. I observed a guy literally call out to his teammates, "A girl is up to bat, move in." Suggesting that they are weaker than males. In most sports that girls can participate in with guys in like co-ed sports, I would say you could get the masculine vibe since it is probably more of a male-dominant sport. However, today, more women have gained athletic scholarships and opportunities for higher education. Also, the salaries of coaches for women's teams has increased. I really don't know what can be done to help move toward changing to greater equality...just like A-gro said, I think more people are attracted to men sports than women.
ReplyDeleteEven though there have been mass increases in women’s sporting opportunities and participation since the introduction of title IX, Women are still disadvantaged at opportunities and involvement in sport. Women are still viewed as being physically inferior to men and cannot play at as high a level and so consequently women sports are less attractive, receive less attention and so less promotion are given to women’s sports. Women also don’t see as big a career or opportunity to have a sporting career as men do. Women also worry about the way that they will be viewed by other men as well as women if they dedicate all their time to a sport. They are afraid men find this unattractive and may be judged, especially in games such as football or rugby, contact sports. To change this, there needs to be the education and understanding of women and sport. We as students of sport understand this, but other people don’t who don’t study sport, and so they have these corrupt and incorrect views. More programs still need to be set up. There needs to be more encouragement from parents and more opportunity for a sporting career.
ReplyDeleteIn million dollar baby, the main character was discriminated for one simple reason: she was female. The trainers did not want to train her, and male boxers did not respect her as an athlete. Personally, I have also seen examples of gender stereotyping and discrimination in sports. My female friend was not permitted it play sports by her parents because they felt there was no spot in sports for women. Today, there is a lot of gender equality in sports. Because of Title IX, women get equal opportunity in athletics. However, female sports are not as popular as male sports and they never will be. It is the general perception that female sports are just not as exciting as male sports. Why would someone watch a woman lay the ball up in basketball when they could see a man successfully attempt a wind mill dunk? It is like watching male sports in slow motion. Gender equality in sport is at the furthest point it will ever get. However, women's sports will never be as popular because they are just not as exciting.
ReplyDeleteIn Million Dollar Baby, Hiliary Swank's character is discriminated against because she is female. The coaches do not want to train her because female boxing doesnt really compare to male boxing. Its less exciting and the stakes are nowhere near as high. The crowds are smaller and the venues are less desirable. Why would the trainers want to train a female when they could easily train a male? I think that Trevor hit it on the head, even if he was a little harsh about it. The fact of the matter is: female sports are just not as exciting. This is backed up by the fact that women's athletics have terrible attendance rates and almost never make money. I do not think there will ever be equality in sports between men and women, and quite frankly, there shouldnt be. Sports are a form pleasure and excitement and people should be able to watch the sport they most desire, which is undoubtedly going to be a male sport. Women's sports will never be able to gain enough popularity to be mainstream. Like Trevor, this sounds harsh, but it is the simple and undeniable truth.
ReplyDeleteWe have come along way in gender equality in sports but we still have a ways to go. Title IX has been a big help in getting equal opportunities for girls sport, but what needs to happen is more exposure needs to happen in order to gain some more opportunities. with that said the excitement level of female sports is real low, besides the Woman's world cup (which was pretty fun to watch) a lot of female sports are uneventful and boring to watch which effects their draw. the WNBA is starting to have emergence of new kind of female player which could help elevate the draw of these games, but when the males in the NBA are throwing down monstrous dunks how can they compete with that excitement?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think women are getting the recognition in college athletics but not in professional sports. Women have more to play for and close fans and family can enjoy them easier. Professional sports are less considered but still recieve help from sports media. Overall, there's just a general perception of females participating in sports because of the phsicality of them in sports. We could probably move toward equality by continuing with more opportunities like the WNBA.
ReplyDeleteAs seen in "Million Dollar Baby" and in daily life, woman are simply discriminated against because of their gender. Although woman have plenty of opportunities these days and fair treatment, woman have a hard time gaining recognition. I believe that woman are cut short of their professional opportunities in that there are very few woman leagues. Perhaps more of an effort is needed to provide equal opportunities for professional female athletes. Although I completely support a female's right to compete, I agree with many of the comments on the excitement factor. Professional sports are a big business and teams need to be able to generate income through exposure and fan involvement. I don't believe that female athletics will ever catch its stride and survive among the market for men's sports. The physical aspect of many sports and the traits that are required allow men to have an advantage in sport participation. I think our society is still very far from female athletics entering the mainstream of sport interest.
ReplyDeleteProbably one of the biggest symbols a that a women is perceived as is a sex symbol. Today you have female Olympic athletes posing nude for playboy and other athletes in SI swimsuit issues. Today usually women are still seen as weaker and more emotional than males. People also perceive woman's sports as being boring, less competitive, and not at the same skill levels as male counter parts. Yes, would be the answer if you asked probably the majority of people if they would rather watch a male sport than a female sport. Even though the stereotypes and everything have kind of gone down, there is still a huge gap between mens and womens sports. I am not sure what can be done to change this now, there has been so much done already, maybe just more time is needed.
ReplyDeleteWhen a person of a specific gender enters a non-traditional sport for their gender, many social and moral issues will arise challenging that person involved in that particular sport. Society must begin to accept the variety of sports both men and women can compete in regardless of the traditional gender specific sports notions of the past. Women and men should be allowed to participate in traditional male or female sports. boxing, bodybuilding, wynchronized swimming..etc.. However, they can compete each other because there are many differences between men and women physically and mentally. Howeverk, Society must become understanding when it comes to the sports different types of people play and hinder from stereotyping anyone when they participate and perform well in that sport.
ReplyDeleteI think there is a lot more respect for women participating in sport today than there was prior to Title IX. People are accepting of women in sport whether it is as a participant, coach, or management position. Although women have made their mark with sports and the opportunities in sport begin to increase, there are still stereotypes about women that participate in sport. In photo shoots, women are looked down upon and are photographed in sexual positions. Also, participation in sports can hinder the perceived image of a woman’s sexuality. Many people believe that women who participate in sports are lesbians. Sometimes, women spend more time defending their sexuality than promoting their sport in the media. Yet, the perception of women in sport changes from sport to sport depending on whether it is of feminine or masculine qualities. Basketball, baseball (or softball for women), soccer, and football are a few of the sports that are mainstream and have male athletes. These sports are perceived to require strength, agility, and some aggression. These are traits that suit and define a male’s masculinity. On the other hand, sports such as gymnastics and figure skating are typically suited for females because of the qualities such as grace, perseverance, and diligence. There are sports that are gender suited because of the perceive image of the sport and its participants. In order to promote greater equality for women in sport, people need to have an open mind and to respect that fact that women have the ability to participate in sport. Today’s world is new, exciting, and innovating. People need to respect that women have the ability to participate in sports in similar fashion to men who have the ability to participate in sports.
ReplyDeleteLike the movie "Million Dollar Baby" depicted, women in sport have a difficult time gaining respect and any sort of recognition for their participation. Because so many sports are focused around masculine traits, it is difficult for them to overcome the stigma that they are inferior to men. I believe that the media doesn't portray women very fairly as sufficient athletes. As I learned in one of my advertising classes, it is a fact that womens sports are televised less than mens. In addition, the media seems to encourage the idea that womens sports are less exciting. They often have women announcers who are very boring and don't add entertainment value to the game as some outstanding male broadcasters do. To make more advances, I believe the media should show womens games with Skycam, exciting announcers, and bomb cheerleaders!
ReplyDeleteI feel that our generation and younger are growing up in a world where they see mostly equal opportunity for men and women in sport. There are female sports leagues all over, with many of them receiving media coverage, so even if those organizations are struggling financially they set up the possibility of success in the future. Women's teams are now being described in similar terms as men's, with words like strong and tough. But there is still women's basketball and then just basketball (which is automatically assumed to be played by men). Two suggestions, encourage young girls to be fans of college sports which serve the interests of women very well. Also, allow women to have a more prominent role in the media, because ultimately if women become some of the media powers they can put women's sports higher up on the American agenda.
ReplyDeleteWomen's participation in sport has come a long way in the past few decades with Title IX and everything, but there are still a lot of problems. The media tends to use female athletes as sex objects, photographing them in sexy clothes and positions with their hair blowing in the wind. The media ignores the amazing accomplishments of the female athletes and focuses on developing a 'heterosexy' image of them instead. Aside from the problem of using their sex appeal in the media to keep men interested women are still somewhat mocked in the sporting world. I do not know if there will ever be a day where women are not regarded as fragile and in need of protection. In Million Dollar Baby it was clear that the trainer believed a woman could never truly be tough enough to be a real boxer. "Girly tough ain't enough" was my favorite quote from the movie, because I think a lot of people believe that there really is a difference between "girly tough" and actual tough. Without overcoming these stereotypes women will never be equal in the sporting world. Men and women are different physically and both have different strengths and limits, but this does not mean that women are physically inferior. It is almost as if women playing sports is often treated as a joke and I do not know that women can ever truly be equal because it comes down to how sports are played and what is viewed as athleticism. Most women will never be as big and strong as men and a big part of what makes sport so exciting is men's displays of their brute strength. I think the whole concept of sport would have to change to reach equality and I do not think this is a good idea. Changes will continue to be made and hopefully the media will begin taking female athletes more seriously because that would be a huge step toward equality.
ReplyDeleteIn Million Dollar Baby, CLint Eastwood says that he wont train, which to me sums up how women were perceived at the time. In sports today women have been accepted I think by other athletes as part of sports, but I am not so sure about the fans. The WNBA does not have nearly as many fans that attend and watch games on TV than the NBA. I also think that they are still considered sex symbols, like the whole big thing that got made when that soccer player took her shirt off after winning the World Cup, all the media could talk about was her ripping her shirt off. I think that the media and fans just need to start regarding women as athletes as well, they can be treated like men in that regard, especially the media, dont take different types of picture just because they are women
ReplyDeleteOne of the main components of "Million Dollar Baby" seems to be that women's sports are second rate. This definitely appears to be how the world perceives women in sport. In general women's sports are still far less successful than men's sports. Even female sports fans appear to prefer men's sports. The WNBA provides a clear example of this as it has now existed for ten years and has made every effort to develop its fan base, yet it has still never made a profit and is dependent on the NBA in order to operate. The sports where females are gaining recognition, such as tennis, and even golf are individual sports which allows for more focus on the celebrity aspect of the athletes. It is clear from these sports that women are still viewed as sex symbols as the more attractive female athletes are generally the most popular. With time it is expected that women's sports leagues will continue to grow as more and more young girls participate in sport. This progress is due to many changes that have already been made, such as Title IX, and more changes will probably have to be made in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think that there is still a large ammount of discrpency between male and female athletes in regards to sports. Women have many more opportunities now then they did in the past but from a media standpoint they are still far behind male athletes. Some great examples of this are the WNBA and the new women's professional soccer league. These leagues just do not get enough mainstream attention to be profitable and so they will most certainly always be stuck behind men's sports. Women's golf and tennis are 2 of the very few sports where women are recognized athletes but as said before it is much easier to sell themselves as an image rather than just an athlete. This can be difficult because it is tough to try and legitimize a sport that still treats all of its members as sex symbols.
ReplyDeleteI still believe women are discriminated against in sport. I know personally, while I may watch an occasional NBA game, I will never watch a WNBA game. Women are viewed as lesser talent than men in sport, and whether right or wrong, it will be tough to change. However, stars like Candace Parker who catch national attention for their abilities can do a lot to change this and convince people to give their sport a shot. Furthermore, sports like golf and tennis and swimming (individual sports) often spotlight individual women who are great at what they do and gain publicity.
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