...Women in Sports Women in Sport: How Title IX Changed the Sport World Author Author Affiliation Abstract It has been said over from the beginning of time until today; behind every strong man is an even stronger woman. Throughout history, women have continuously made their imprint on the world. Women fought tirelessly to prove they could be just as good as their male counterparts. To assist in that effort, Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972 was created and implemented. How did Title IX really change the world? More importantly, how did Title IX impact females in the sports world. With that theory mind, the real question should be are women truly equal in the sport world? Is it a possibility to ever be truly equal with all of the obstacles in today’s society? Women in Sports “A strong woman believes that she’s strong enough to face her journey…but a woman of strength has faith that it is in this journey she will become strong!” Maya Angelo. 776 B.C. - The first Olympics are held in ancient Greece. Women are excluded, so they compete every four years in their own Games of Hera, to honor the Greek goddess who ruled over women and the earth. This is the first account of women competing in some type of sports. After many years of discrimination and not being offered the same opportunities, President Nixon signed the Title IX of Education Amendment on June 23th, 1972. Title IX must be explained and explored to how it affected not only women in general but more...
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... the problem of the portrayal of women in sports no longer lies in their fight for equality and opportunity, but in fighting off the competition with men. It is no longer an issue of women not being taken seriously or being looked down upon if they decide to be athletes, but that men want to take part in competition with women in sports. This film thus focuses on the struggles that the male protagonist faces in trying to compete with the popularity of women's sports and his desire to take part in the world of women's sports. Women in this film are portrayed as strong characters who are highly capable of doing what they do -- being professional basketball players. Their struggles lay in their dealing with fame and all the complications that it entails. These include rumors of financial problems, affairs, and infighting among teammates. The female protagonist is a character who can "do it all." She has a family, including two young children and a husband. She was raised in a proper household, but held on to her dreams of playing basketball for a living. The beginning of the film shows her struggles as a child in fighting against stereotypes, being taken less seriously than the boys, and being discouraged from playing sports. However, as she reaches high school and beyond, the sky is the limit. Her opportunities increase as women's sports in the general society are given greater emphasis and professional leagues are established for all sports that had an equivalent male league...
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...The History of Women in Sports Throughout history, women have fought for equality against men, significantly in the last century, as women have taken on greater, and more equal, roles in society. There have been several fronts on which women have fought for equality and one of those cases is in sports. Sports history is filled with men popularizing athletics such as baseball, basketball, boxing, football, track, and many other sports. It is quite surprising to many that women, as well as men, should take credit for their effort in athletic competition. Women have been known since the 19th century to take part in sporting events when, back then, they were supposed to be confined to more prim and proper activities. Historically, a woman’s duties were to take care of the family, do all the domestic work, and basically enslave themselves to their husbands. Because of this stereotype, it was highly frowned upon that women were taking on a masculine role by participating in the sporting world. Throughout the history of human existence, athletic competition has been regarded as an exclusively masculine affair. In ancient times, athletic competitions were held among warriors to prove their fighting prowess or otherwise demonstrate their virility. The exclusively male origins of competitive sport carried over into the Olympics, where women were not allowed even to watch competitions, much less compete. However, a separate women's athletic event, the Heraea...
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...Article: Pregnant women playing sport It was our grand final in netball we had to win this last game to make it to nationals, it was the game we had all been waiting for and most of the team relying on me the ‘goal shooter’. Pumped ready to start the game with an adrenaline rush rushing through my body, I was ready I was ready to win this game. Until that is when the reff does his usual uniform check I was fine no jewellery no long nails hair was tied back and then he asks a question, words that I thought would never come out of a reffs mouth was ‘are you pregnant?’ at that exact moment the only words coming out of my mouth were ‘are you serious?’ Although the umpire was just doing what he had to do I still didn’t believe that it was true so I did some further research myself and found that yes it was true, pregnant women are not allowed to participate in sport, as it says in the rule book page 22 section 5. I believe that this is a form of discrimination. Women should have the choice to participate in sports, whether or not they are pregnant. Written by: Emily Ottelli Letter to the editor: Dear Emily, I am astonished to see what I’m seeing. I’m disgusted by the rules which describe that pregnant women are not to compete in sports. Even though it has been proven by doctors that it does no harm to the woman or her baby to participate in sporting events, it is actually better for health side of things to keep fit during pregnancy. I believe that it is up to the pregnant...
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...Daignault Professor Waters Philosophy Women in Western Ideas May 2nd, 2013 Assignment: Women in Sports Final Paper Notwithstanding WE CAN DO IT Women have always been, and continue to be, discriminated against. This is especially true in the realm of sports. Although this is fact, it does remain to be a particularly controversial topic. Activists have worked hard to supply rights to women, and other divisions of society, in demand to make just as many opportunities obtainable to this faction, as there are available to the ‘common white man.’ Perpetuated thoughts against this argument have branched from days as early as Aristotle and other celebrated philosophers. Times are progressing toward more equality in this area, however; in order to present these basic human rights to women, a specific law had to be put in affect. The passing of this edict also came along with many misinterpretations, which still inhabit stubborn minds today. Apart from this ordinance, many women partook an enormous influence on proving woman can actually compete and challenge men on the playing field, court, etc. From the beginning of time, women have existed right alongside with men. Many questions were conjured up as to why the physical existence is so distinct from each body. Many different philosophers constructed their own unique views on this matter. Aristotle believed that women are absolute subsidiary to men, thus establishing, anything women can do, men can do better, faster and...
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...In today’s society women are not allowed to play baseball with men due to patriarchal myths and misconceptions that have been around since the emergence of baseball in America. All women should be able to play baseball with men and there is no legitimate reason why they shouldn't. Women are physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of playing baseball just as men are. With that being said their biological sex or gender should not and does not affect their ability to play baseball in the company of men. In addition their sex should not deem their athletic ability as inferior in comparison to men. Since the adoption of baseball as an American pastime, the sport of baseball has been cultivated and altered to amputate women exuding the masculinity of baseball. The emergence of baseball as popular and profitable sport has failed to acknowledge and highlight the athletic abilities women. Instead its conception has affirmed women to be fragile and it has also depicted women to not have the skills or talents to play and compete alongside men. There are numerous individuals who are opposed to fusion of women and men on the baseball field. These individuals use demeaning stereotypes and beliefs to support their claims. Often these claims are false and are not supported by factual or scientific data. For example these claims say that women are weaker than men, women are not physically capable of playing sports, or a woman's place is in the home rather than on the playing field. These...
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...Women in Sports Gender roles can be defined as a certain set of behaviors that are considered normal for a person based upon their sex. The male is viewed as independent, strong, and non-emotional, while the female is viewed as dependent, sensitive, and emotional. This concept brings upon the question of whether females can do things that are generally male specific and vise versa. In today’s society the female athletics are becoming very popular. New rules and regulations require colleges to have an equal female sport for every male sport that is offered. For example, if a college has a baseball team, then it is required to have a softball team. We are now seeing female athletes excel in sports like never before. Some females are now dominating their sport, like Serena Williams, a professional tennis player, and Ronda Rousey, a professional UFC fighter. These athletes make many question if they would be able to compete against male athletes of the same sport. Although female athletes are skillful, they cannot compete with male athletes in competitive sports. (Hockenbury & Hockenbury 2014). Today’s society would agree that female athletes cannot compete with male athletes in most circumstances. In major sports like baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and tennis the female athlete has not broken the gender barrier. This is because the male athlete is physically stronger than the female; we can look at tennis statistics to prove this statement. In 2012, Samuel Groth...
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...Sports of old were merely competitive activities rooted in heroism and romanticism. Sports activities today, however, have no such innocence or simplicity. Currently in America, the activities that make up our sports culture is not only the competitive events themselves but the processes and issues that underlie and surround them. Entwined in our sports culture is the giant business of mass broadcasting. Indeed, sports and the media go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly, like Mickey and Minnie, Darth Vader and Luke. They are intertwined and depend on each other to continue to grow. Sports media includes television, radio, magazines, newspapers, books, films, and, now, most importantly, social media devices provided by the Internet. Sports media has had it advantages and its disadvantages and its truths and falsehoods in the world of sports culture. Sports and media have benefited each other in the marketplace. While these benefits have had many positive effects, there have also been some negative or distorted views. A negative connotation is felt when the media shap... .ist 41.1: 40-43. ProQuest. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. Remember the Titans. Dir. Boaz Yakin. 2000. Film. Sharma, Shailendra. "Media's Effect on Perceptions of Athletes' Gender and Race." The Sport Digest. 2002. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. Sharma, Shailendra. "Media's Effect on Perceptions of Athletes' Gender and Race." The Sport Digest 2.9 (2002). Print. "Social Media." Telephone interview. 10 Feb. 2012. Toolen...
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...Sports broadcast journalism is a profession desired by many. It appears to be more competitive than ever before, especially as a profession for women. It looks like a glamorous career for women because they are traveling from one sporting event to another, meeting athletes, and reporting on the sideline during games. So, as we see an increase in women striving to become sports broadcast journalist, as well as the number of women seen and heard reporting sports, it is a challenge today as it was over a decade ago. The issue is whether or not women in sports media are afforded the same opportunities that include prominent positions, reporting male games as well as female games, benefits and salary based on their qualifications and credibility...
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...participation in sports, particularly in Marathons was based on several ideologies that circulated during the second half of the 19th century. These ideologies led women distance runners to join together in an effort that would forever change women’s participation in marathons. By the 1970’s, the Olympic Marathon had come a long way from the dusty roads of Athens. Yet women were still not allowed to compete and the struggle to establish a women’s Olympic Marathon was itself something of a long distance race. Before the 1980s, there were no women’s distance races in the Olympics. In the Moscow Games, the longest race for women was the 1,500 meters, which had been instituted in 1972. Women had been excluded from track and field competition altogether until 1928, when the longest race was the 800 meters. Despite a world record by winner Lina Radke of Germany, many of the competitors had not properly prepared for the race and several collapsed in exhaustion. This let Olympic organizers to consider the race too strenuous for the elimination of all women’s competition from the Games. This drastic move was not taken, but until 1960, when the 800 meters reappeared, no race over 200 meters was contested by women in the Olympics. This is not to say there was no tradition of women’s long-distance running. Women had been forbidden from participating in the ancient Olympics. A women who was caught even as a spectator at the Games could face execution. But women in ancient Greece...
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...towards my dream of obtaining a job in the sports industry, I know that I will be faced with some obstacles, mainly dealing with my appearance, “attractiveness”, and how it attracts customers. As an African-American woman, there has been a positive increase of African-American women in the sports industry. However, those that have made an impact in the industry are not praised for their work ethic and journalistic work, but their appearance as being physically fit with long hair and categorized as “hot”. On the other hand, other African-American women who work in the sports industry who do not...
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...4 African-American Women Pioneer in Sports Over the years, there are a number of black women athletes that have excelled in various types of sports. Breaking the barriers of racial segregation in sports hasn’t always been smooth. You can thank the African-American athletes who help pave wat for the current generation of black athletes in professional sports. Here are some of the most popular and notable figures in women’s sports. 1. Lousie Stokes – In 1932, she competed in the 100 meters category in the US Olympic Trials and won the 3rd place. Her won led her to compete in the 4 x 100-meter relay and became the first African-American women alongside Tidye Pickett to join in the Olympics. However, the team’s coach decided to leave both of...
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...This interview is of Sharon Beverly, Debra DeMeis, and Richard Lapchick. The interview is all about Title IX, while Sharon Beverly was a basketball player, and then a coach during the development of the law. Debra DeMeis talks a lot about how it is not solely about sports, but is also about woman being accepted in jobs, and into school inspite of their gender, as well as other instances. Richard Lapchick talks about whether these laws that are to help woman in sports are affecting men in sports. They use real life experiences, and educated opinions about this to debate on it. This is very useful for my research. This once again gives perspectives of people that were alive during this time and were effected directly due to this. This is another...
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...tremendous strides for women in terms of social change. However, there is a disconnect between what is happening in our culture and what is reflected in mainstream news media. With the influx of more female participation in youth, high school, college, and professional sports, it can rightfully be assumed that coverage would also increase. This, however, is false. Over time, women’s athletics have received less time on screen because of the overwhelming number of men’s sports and the disinterest in women’s sports all together. When broadcasted, the overall attitude and tone toward the female athletes and the program are poor. This differs drastically from those of men’s sports. The media coverage of women’s sports media, the enthusiasm, and overall attitude toward these athletic...
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...Dr. Staurowsky first makes clear her field and her area of study is in professional sports and the governing and administrating of those sports. She defines this to tell us that studies on grass root and “ground level” sports, such as minor league baseball, are slim. The interview continues and Dr. Staurowsky speaks about the “barriers” that are keeping inclusion and diversity out of the sports industry. She discusses three different types of decision-making that often hinder the inclusion of women in sport organizations. The first being overtly and openly against the hiring of women, which has been “largely shut down” do to civil rights and equal opportunity laws. The next level is more covert and under the radar. For example, if you are going to hire someone, but part of the job description requires you to be 6 and ½ ft tall, then there is a chance the hiring manager is looking for male applicants, seeing how more males than females are that height....
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