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Women in Sports

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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 set the record for fastest male serve speed at 163.7 mph. While the female record, set in 2014 by Sebine Lisicki, is over 30 mph slower than the male’s record at 131 mph (Bryszak). This statistic proves that the male is substantially stronger than the female. Tennis matches also prove female athletes are not at the same physical level as males while by looking at endurance. In women’s tennis, the game is decided by the best of three sets, while in men’s tennis it is decided by best of five sets. The length of the matches explains that the male athlete can compete for a longer time than the female athlete.
Although women athletes cannot compete with male athletes, there is one exception. The one exception is Danica Patrick, a professional Nascar driver. Danica is currently the only female Nascar driver. After winning the Indy Japan 300, she became the first female to win in IndyCar history (The Associated Press). Nascar is one of the most popular sports in today’s society. The athletes drive a car around a racetrack hundreds of times at speeds around 200 mph. Nascar is currently considered a sport. However, many question if the drivers should be considered athletes. The answer is no, professional racecar drivers are not athletes. Driving a car at speeds as high as 200 mph is very difficult, but it does not take physical strength or conditioning to do this. Driving has a lot to do with physiological strength; drivers need good reactions, depth perception, and awareness. These skills make the female fully capable of competing with a male in Nascar. We can look at Tony Stewart, a popular Nascar driver, to prove the statement that drivers are not athletes. Tony Stewart is 5’9 and weighs 180 pounds (Yahoo! Sports). This is not the body of an athlete; according to the Body Mass Index scale Tony is overweight. You do not see overweight athletes in today’s sports; they are all in the tiptop shape. Physical aspects not being a factor in Nascar makes Danica Patrick adept to excel in the sport.
In conclusion, gender roles are prevalent in the sports world. The female athlete can only compete against the male athlete when physical aspects are not involved. The male athlete has a substantial physical advantage compared to the female. This statement is statistically proven by tennis; the male’s serve is considerably harder than the female’s. When the sport only requires psychological skills the female is fully capable of competing with the male. This can be seen in the physiological sport of Nascar, where a female, Danica Patrick, competes with males. Women can be amazing athletes against each other, but they cannot compare to the male athlete.

References

Hockenbury, D.H., & Hockenbury, S.E. (2014). Psychology (6th edition) – Custom Version. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Bryszak, M. (2014, July 30). Sabine Lisicki sets record for fastest serve in women’s tennis - but loses. Retrieved February 19, 2016, from http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jul/30/sabine-lisicki-record-fastest-serve-women-tennis-stanford
Press, T. (2008, April 20). Danica Patrick wins Indy Japan 300. Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/danica-patrick-wins-indy-japan-300-article-1.279537
Yahoo Sports
https://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/sprint/drivers/87/

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