Essay on Men and Women in Nontraditional Sports as Portrayed in Film

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

The negative connotation behind women participating in sports could disappear if people could see what they can do on a more consistent basis and it was more positive. If people are only able to see small and short stints of what is happening in the world of female sports, then they won’t be able to ever really change their minds on what they think about them. If the media even used half of the two percent to speak about things other than a female athlete’s body or facial features when they do speak about them, then women’s sports would be able to gain a few more admirers. If the focus was on their talents they would be respected as athletes instead of dainty ladies who don’t know anything about sports. They’ll gain fans who respect them just as much as they respect male

Over the years there has been several reasons why people argued the point of whether women should be allowed to participate in sports. Society used the excuse that women are weaker than men resulting in the conclusion that women could not handle the competitive atmosphere that playing a sport brings. Another reasoning was that past cultures and religion did not allow women to be involved in activities other than the normal womanly duties. This unjust nature of believing that women are less than men or that men are superior just because is not acceptable and should not be tolerated. As Sandra Coney says in an article, “New Zealand has been called a man’s country. Sporting contest have been a male proving ground and a source of identity and pride” (Coney). This quote proves that it is not just one area or one country where the male species is the higher of the two genders, it is a worldwide issue. Although some may think women should not be involved in sports, many disagree and believe that the involvement of women in sports can benefit society.

Within sport, as throughout society, gender differences exist. The socially constructed phenomenon of gender dictates a dichotomous system whereby females are feminine and males are masculine. Focusing on females specifically, society determines the feminine traits and roles ascribed to this gender. Being domesticated, slender, passive and heterosexual are a part of the desirable appearance that society has formed surrounding femininity (Wolf, 1991). On the other side of the dichotomy is the masculine realm that sport plays into. Sport is fuelled by muscle, power and aggressiveness, which are behaviours and images associated to masculinity. Sport therefore, defies all existing female gender ideals. It would be assumed that females have no place within this institution due to the gender clash. However, female athletes do exist, and many are very successful. For this to work, sport has established and reinforced the social constructions of gender that exist in society. Female athletes are viewed as inferior and are pushed into gender appropriate sports. Furthermore, they are often labeled as masculine until they can prove otherwise, and so great attempts are made to reassert femininity. The stigma associated to being masculine or homosexual for female athletes is so great that many have become irrationally fearful of this label. The sexualisation of the female body and overt displays of heterosexuality are used in

Men and women who chose to engage in sports from which they would traditionally be discouraged because of their gender, particularly as professionals, redefine the sport. The social and cultural "costs" are not the result of the individual's participation, but rather the way in which sports have been socially, politically, and economically constructed. Gender is only one of the few ways in which people are categorized according to their proficiency for some athletic activities. Race and class are also factors which may prevent individuals from engaging in sports that have been traditionally excluded to them. Socially constructed notions of race, class, and sexuality compound the way in

There has always been a stereotype that says that men are faster, stronger, taller, and just better at athletics then females. Where as the other side to that stereotype is that females are flexible, have better balance, and better have better endurance then males. The problem that theses stereotypes fall into is a problem called gender logic which is where people are separated into different categories which are gender categories and sex categories. You are put into these categories based on what type of the stereotype that you fall into. This is the issue because it changes peoples perspective on what sports are made just for males and sports that are made just for females based on these stereotypes that come from this ideas of gender

A high school age boy makes the papers when he joins the girls' varsity field hockey team at his high school. A woman is judged according to femininity rather than muscle mass in a body building competition. An African American is thought inferior to his white counterparts on the sports field. A woman is discouraged from playing contact sports under the pretext of being too delicate. All of these events have one thing in common: they, in their own context, involve individuals entering a non-traditional sport for their gender or race. Over the years, events such as these continually arise causing either

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.

It used to be that women were not allowed to participate in sports-- beyond just being seen as unbecoming and unfeminine, it was actually believed that physical activity would harm a woman's reproductive system. Men did not think that women should or could do the same

When gender equality in sports is denied, it most likely decreases a woman’s interest in breaking the gender roles. This is why most males enjoy P.E in high school and joining a sports team because they are not challenged by society's depiction of what a male can or cannot do. People tend to reject females from joining most male dominated sports such as football, or wrestling. They’ve accepted and confirmed their beliefs into rejecting women who want to join a sport merely because of the fact they are not

The way the media depicts women also categorizes which sports are female friendly and which are not. The more the media portrays women as delicate and skinny the more people will associate them with certain sports. Likewise for men, the more physical contact and tough a sport is then it is more associated with men. The way these sports are covered in the media, the language used when reporting it and the visual aspects of how it is displayed subconsciously causes people to assign genders to the sport.

The involvement of women in sports has a long history. In the 6th century, in ancient Greece, the Heraean Games were founded. They were held every four years in honor of the Greek Goddess Hera. Spartan women were encouraged to train like and often dominant most of their male counterparts (Rostkowska). Men and women were viewed the same and were believed to have the same abilities in terms of sports. So why is it still not completely the same today?

It is a well known fact that boys are built to be stronger and bigger than girls. However, that does not mean girls are too fragile to play sports with guys. Girls and boys are all made the same and i don't understand why they cant play together. They should not discriminate based on gender. If a girl is better than a boy in a sport then she should play, that’s the same as if a boy is better than a girl in a sport. Humans are humans and it doesn't matter what gender. Sports motivate athletes to compete and train together for the benefit of the team. This encourages an athlete to take pride in their accomplishments and show confidence in her ability to successfully compete with players who have similar skill levels. Although some may say that “this sport is not fit to a person due to their gender or race” ITS NOT. That’s just like saying a zebra can’t play with the lions because it has stripes.I believe it’s not because you should

Men Vs. Women in Professional Sports      Ever since the ancient Greece, men have held athletic competitions or sports. It is only in modern times that women have had an opportunity to compete. Most sports still don’t have men and women directly competing against one another. In the past athletic instructors adapted the rules to make sports less physically taxing for women. For instance in basketball, to ensure that girls maintain proper decorum, they were forbidden from snatching the ball and dribbling it more than three times in row. Females would not be considered strong enough to play a full-court basketball game until 1971. Women have struggled to be taken seriously as athletes for more than two centuries.

Doctor Chandler Gilman once said, “In women, inferiority of the locomotive apparatus of physical labour, is apparent in all parts… The brain is both absolutely and relatively smaller than in men. Women have an abundant supply of soft and semi-fluid cellular tissue which creates softness and delicacy of mind, low power, nonresistance, passivity and under favourable circumstances, a habit of self-sacrifice.” This is one of many taken-for-granted beliefs, which was typical in the past and seen quite frequently up to thirty years ago. Throughout history, women actively participated in sports in a patriarchal society and the viewpoint was that women were depicted as weaker and not as capable of physical activity, that