Female Athletes

Though there have been some minor improvements of the inequalities of women in sports, there are still many more changes that need to be made. The controversy of the topic allows a wide range of research. From the issues of Title IX to the issues of society and its gender roles, there are still inequalities of women in sports.

Men have fared much better when it comes to professional sports. In almost every sport, there is a professional men's league

Starting with how women are portrayed in media, Trolan (2013) states that in today’s society, individuals are shown magazines, newspapers, and television programs with articles and photographs, “of what it means to be a woman or man” (Trolan, 215). This is remarkably obvious when discussing the world of sport. Although women have achieved a somewhat higher level of respect in the everyday world, within the sporting world, “they are still viewed as women first and athletes second” (Trolan, 215). Krane, Choi, Baird, Aimar, and Kauer (2004) also articulate that women participating in sport live in two extremely separate cultures: the sporting culture and the culture in which they face the continual battle between being an athlete and being a woman. Being viewed as

All women athletes worked extremely hard to get where they are now, but with gender inequality in sports their hard work will go to waste. Gender inequality is unlawful because of Title IX, a law that was passed in 1972, that banned gender discrimination in sports (Buzuvis and Newhall). Even though it is against the law, many colleges and sports associations still give unfair benefits to men’s sports, such as more opportunities, better fields, higher salaries, etc, and are not getting punished for it. There were many cases when the women’s team made many times more money than the men’s team, and received millions of dollars less (Walters). Though it is against the law, the main reason that women are being discriminated against is the

Women have struggled for more than two centuries to be taken serious as professionals. There should not be a double standard in sports especially if it is loved and played by both genders. Over the years, females have competed against the stereotype of being too fragile both mentally and physically to play strenuous sports. The passion and work ethic of the female professional athletes is just as strong as the males and everyone should be treated equal and be able to have a chance at making a better living for themselves as well as their family. One area that still faces a continual struggle in sports is gender equality. Female

Society has largely ignored and discriminated against female athletes. For a long time society portrayed female athletes as masculine, butch, and homosexual which has influenced the amount of women that choose to participate and excel in athletics. After noticing these problems, feminists attempted to reverse these trends and produce better opportunities for female athletes. By advocating for equal rights as well as pushing for legislation, they enabled women to use sports to improve their health, create new identities, and venture into male-dominated areas (Prakash, 1990). Because of this, Title IX was introduced to the world of sport. 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

King was one of the best tennis players ever, male or female. One of the biggest matches King played in was the “Battle of the Sexes” against Bobby Riggs. This match was played on September 20, 1973. “The “Battle of the Sexes” turned King into arguably the first superstar female athlete in the United States’ (“Billie”). She was known around the world after this match, “30,492 fans squeezed into the Houston Astrodome to witness the so-called “Battle of the Sexes,” while an estimated 90 million people worldwide watched on television” (“Billie”). Bobby Riggs was a great tennis player who often made sexist comments about women. He said, “women belong in the bedroom and kitchen, in that order”, and he declared, “women play about 25 percent as good as men, so they should get about 25 percent of the money men get” (“Billie”). Before the “Battle of the Sexes”, “Riggs hyped the contest with a slew of misogynistic comments, including that “the best way to handle women is to keep them pregnant and barefoot,” and said King could not win because women did not have “the emotional stability” to play (Gittings). The first time Riggs asked to play, King declined him. When King agreed to play him, she beat him 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 (Gittings). After winning the “Battle of the Sexes,” King used her platform to fight for “equal rights and opportunities for boys and girls, men and women…That's the way I want the world to look: men and women working together, championing each other, helping each other, promoting each other -- we're all in this world together” (Gittings). She knew that if she was ever #1 in tennis she would use it to fight for equal rights even from a young age. She used her power to help others that lived in her time and the future generations. In the same year Kings defeated Riggs, she

Women in sports, over the past 100 years, has become a topic of intense interest in society. Men have long argued that women have no right to play in the same arena as men do while on the flip side, women argued that they possess the right to the same physical activities that men enjoy. Women participation in sports, up until that time, had been frowned upon universally. Women were eventually granted the right to play sports in the collegiate setting however there was no equality to the treatment within the athlete’s school and no treatment outside of it either (History 1). Until title IX was passed, women’s collegiate athletics were given no scholarships to award to exceptional high school athletes and those programs were given very little budget to fund their programs (Ibid 1). As a result of these shortcomings, in 1972 only 30,000 participated in athletics as opposed to the 170,000 men who participated in athletics (Ibid 1). Title IX was designed to correct those imbalances within athletics. Since then people have formed their own mixed responses about the success of Title IX, both good and bad. While there are both good and bad beliefs concerning Title IX the overall consensus is that Title IX, by and large, was needed and vastly improved the state of women’s athletics.

Be that as it may, the gender pay gap has made many of these achievements seem almost nonexist. Though disputed, the reason for women to be involved in high level sports comes from a law that was passed in 1972 that enforced gender inequality in schools, including sports. The name of this law is Title Ⅸand has clearly made a huge leap of improvement in society for female athletes since their numbers have increased and their recognition has improved compared to the time period before 1972. As the writers Linda Flanagan and Susan Greenberg have acknowledged the progress Title Ⅸhas made by stating , “Title IX has clearly triumphed in its mission to equalize the playing field for young women. Its impact can be felt at every level of competition, the numbers bear out” (qtd.

Through the movies viewed in this course this semester, we saw women who were able to play against men and still keep their femininity. Nothing is lost when playing sports not traditionally meant for a particular race or gender. Society must become more 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.

Women first started taking great strides in professional sports during World War II. When the male professional baseball players went off to war, a group of team owners started a professional league for woman (the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League). This league turned out to be successful. After the men came back from war, however the woman’s league could no longer sustain itself financially and had to shut down. Over the past twenty years, however there have been more and more professional women sports leagues opening and prospering. One such league is the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association), while the league opened being financially backed by the male league (NBA) over its first five years it has become a financial success with high profits and good TV ratings on major and cable networks. Some woman’s leagues even become just as or ever more successful that there male counterparts. An example of such a league in the women’s professional tennis tour which lately has had better television ratings and draws more fans than its male counterpart. In 2001 for the first time, ever the woman’s Final at the US Open Tennis Championship (the tours most prestigious played in the United States) was broadcast on a major television network (NBC) in primetime (8pm). Media coverage of women's sports is considered important because it increases the level of

Since the beginning of this century women like Babe Didrickson and Billy Jean King have brought female athletes into mainstream acceptance. In earlier times women had not only not been encouraged to be physical it was thought to be harmful for

Professional golf is another sport where there are large discrepancies in pay between men and women, who are playing the exact same game. Golf is interesting because at the amateur level, men and women are treated equally (Saffer). At the USGA championships for amateurs there is no prize money since they are regarded as amateurs, but both genders receive a “trophy and the honor of representing the United States as its national champion for the year” (Saffer). The differences in prizes begin at the professional level where prize money is far from equal. The U.S. open seemed to be making progress in closing the gap, but has recently fell short of continuing to narrow this gap. In 1990 the women’s U.S. open awarded the winner $85,000, compared to the male counterpart who was awarded $220,000. The percentage of prize money that went to females was 38.6%. In 2000 the female winner was awarded $500,000, while the male winner was awarded $800,000. The percentage of prize money that was awarded to females was 62.5%. This was a large increase from 10 years ago. Since 2000, the tournament has taken a step back where the percentage of prize money awarded to females had dropped from 62.5% to 45%. The discrepancies in pay would make it seem that the men are twice as good as women, but that is not a fair assumption (Saffer). From the averages of the birdies shot by the best men and women one can see that the scores are equal. “The top 10 players in scoring average on the LPGA

Women have always been the minority in the world even today: that is in the work force or even in sports. Title IX, an act that was made by the United States Congress in 1972, said that no one should be denied to play, receive financial aid, or discriminate to any education program or activity that pertains to only one sex (Senne 1). This act was a step towards improving female participation and lessening discrimination, but the stereotypes that most of society believes in still exist. This is one of the main reasons why women are discriminated when it comes to sports; by limited payroll, limited media coverage, and stereotypes.

Women’s participation in sports has a long history. It is a history marked by division and discrimination but also filled with major accomplishments by female athletes and important advances for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. It is important to know how women impacted sports and opened doors for new possibilities. The principal objective of Title IX is to stop the use of federal money to support sex discrimination in education programs and to provide individual citizens helpful protection against those practices (Casey). Over the past 40 years, women sports have changed based on broken records, superior performance, and equality.