March 30: Dare to Compete: The Struggle of Women in Sports is an historic documentary chronicling women athletes and their struggle for recognition in professional and Olympic sports. Produced by HBO, the documentary combines rare film footage, photos and video interviews of many athletes from the late 1800s to the 21st century, including Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King. Please be on time for class. I'll begin this documentary at 3:00 p.m.
Women’s Pre-Title IX sports history in the U.S.
Title IX and the Growth of Women’s Athletics
Playing Fair: A guide to TITLE IX
Title IX AT 30…Still room for Improvement
GoGirlGo! Curriculum
Keeping Our Daughters Active
Title IX and Race in Intercollegiate Sport
Baseball was her game: First to play professional ball with men on men's teams
Women Athletes Often Debased by Media Images
'Goals for Girls!' campaign launched
Coming out stories: First-person accounts and profiles of gay and lesbian athletes
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Athletes Coming Out to Coaches
OutSports Women
Lesbian Athletes Finally Get Their Own Deals
23 comments:
It was interesting to learn that the U.S. has encouraged women participating in sports and influenced other countries by being a major training center for women athletes from other nations and the Title IX legislation. It is upsetting to me that when the idea of women being in the private sphere came about, that many middle/upper-class urban women were then not included in sports, as many feared it would interfere with duties to bear/raise children and take care of families/houses. It was great to read how many more sports women are now doing and how the Women’s Sports Foundation are encouraging women in other nations to participate.
I also learned a lot from the article that pointed out ways Title IX can be. I never knew that women’s games being held on weekday afternoons while men’s games are later in the week and in the evening was a violation of this.
The article detailing the Title IX report card angered me. I can’t believe that even though women are increasingly participating in sports (shown in the graphs), that there are still discrepancies. While I was aware that there are less female coaches and they are paid less, I wasn’t aware and angered to learn female athletes are awarded far less (millions less) in scholarships and have less opportunities in the sports world as athletes, trainers, etc.
The GoGirlGo! Curriculum seems like a healthy way for female athletes to hear and learn more about real issues they face from other female athletes. The lists of topics for both groups seem really appropriate and like they could be presented in an effective/creative way to encourage good habits in female athletes. I think it’s great that the Women’s Sports Foundation does this free prevention tool for athletes.
It was sad to read that men and women of other ethnicities besides white are underrepresented in some sports through clustering (high rates in some sports, low in others) and that males of other ethnicities are underrepresented in 14 of 25 intercollegiate sports, females in 20 of 25.
The Fatal Femmes Fighting Championship (MMA) seems crazy to me, just as the UFC does. I don’t understand how beating the crap out of someone is cool, and some have even said that the females are ‘almost more brutal’ in this sport. And while I don’t understand the appeal to this sport, I agree that females should have equal opportunities in it.
As someone who is a huge supporter of UNICEF, I think its partnership with FIFA for Goals for Girls is a great idea for very empowering girls globally. It was so interesting to read about the program and its goals. Combining education with sports to bring women into the public sphere, help them take lead of their lives, and empower them is great. As the article says, sports can give them many skills for life. I plan to read up more on this campaign.
From one of my other classes, we discussed the inappropriate way female athletes are depicted compared to male athletes, including sexual objectification of them lessening the focus on their athleticism. And I find it sad that if a female athlete does not retain enough femininity by society’s standards, that they’re automatically and negatively labeled as lesbian, which in turn is disempowering to those athletes who identify as lesbian. It’s angering to think that they’re depicted this way so that they’re seen as non-threatening. It is also sad that athletes with disabilities or of other ethnicities are rarely depicted.
It was great to read that over time more coaches and members of teams are becoming more accepting of GLBT teammates. While there is still room for improvement, this is a great step in the right direction and can help those who identify as GLBT feel safe to participate in sports. I also really loved the recommendations listed at the end of one of the articles. I also loved reading about all the women who have come out in sports more recently and gained endorsements, rather than lost them. It’s great to hear that more companies are accepting individuals for who they are and are willing to support them in a public way.
I am extremely grateful that I was able to grow up during a time when girls playing sports was acceptable. Sports and exercise have always been an important part of my life and well-being. I cannot imagine not having the opportunity to participate in such activities. It is hard for me to believe that Title IX was only passed in 1972. It appears to me as if it made quite an impact very quickly. It has come such a long way. However, like many women’s rights issues, it can move even further.
From reading these articles, there were a few things that I had not realized or often overlook. There is always a very clear definition of sports between the genders. When people are going to a men’s basketball game, it is just titled “basketball.” When it is a women team, it is called “women’s basketball.” It is interesting to me that it has to be defined. It is almost as if women sports are inferior because it was not always socially acceptable. Before title IX, women did not play sports. They were only allowed “domestic exercises,” like sweeping, scrubbing, walking, etc. Women had to be kept within their domestic realm. It was just another way for men to control the lives and bodies of women. We are lucky to have the chance to be on a women’s basketball team now, or even watch women play sports.
Women in sports are still often being portrayed as sexual objects. If a female athlete is really attractive then she will gain more publicity. Sadly, the media’s priorities are mixed up. Anna Kournikova is a prime example of such. She does not play tennis as well as many other famous female tennis players, but she has received a lot of media attention because of her looks. Most of the photos you see of her are bikini shots, which obviously have nothing to do with tennis. The type of media coverage that is given to women’s sports is not empowering or setting a good example to young girls. It is very unfortunate that the talent women have is not always what gets them attention. A woman’s talent may be completely overlooked in sports.
I found the background and history information on women and their role in sports to be very interesting. It brought out a lot of points that I knew about, but never really related to the inequality that occurs in sports. The article “Women’s Pre-Title IX” talked about how women’s sports usually occur before men’s as though they are “saving the best for last.” It also stated that women play “women’s basketball” while men simply play basketball. The history it gave of the changes that have happened through time was also fascinating. It surprised me that women were so involved in sports in the Colonial Era. The article pointed out that sports were basically a part of many women’s everyday life. I had no idea that women were so involved so early, and that society changed enough, that this involvement ended in the Nineteenth century. We are now forced to fight for these rights that we actually once had.
The article “Play Fair” also brought up some interesting points of view. Title IX should create equal opportunities for women in high school and college sports. This is usually not the case, however. The article pointed out that women’s games are often help at 4:00 in the afternoon, while the primetime of 7:00 is held open for the boy’s games. It also brought up the fact that it seems women’s sports seem underfunded, but there is money for other things. Title IX has helped women gain more rights though. According to the article “Keeping Our Daughters Active” 1 in 3 girls are taking part in organized sports, up from 1 in 27 in 1972. This statistic was amazing to me. There are tons of girls participating in sports everyday of their lives. I can see this change and increase as I look around today. It seems almost every girl I talk to has participated in at least one sport in their life. This is dramatically different from life in the nineteenth century when women were encouraged to stay in their houses.
Another article that caught my interest was the “(Dis) Empowering Images?” article. It was interesting to see the different way that women athletes are portrayed. It talked about the way that athletes are often portrayed in a sexual way. It also discussed that minority women are not covered nearly as much as white women are. The more I thought about this, the more I realized that it was true. Whenever you look at women athletes in magazines or in commercials, they always seem to be white and sexy. It is rare to see them tired and drained like they really would be after participating in their different demanding sports. Women have gained access to more rights in the sporting world, but are all of them worth it? I think it is great that women are allowed to play sports and do the things they love. It would be much more of a victory, however, if they were treated more equally to men and if they weren’t always portrayed in a sexual way.
I never realized that recently women were beginning to appear in organized sports but it’s not that hard to believe. The Title IX made such a huge impact on history. It was able to let women of any kind into sports and it was illegal not to let women play. He paved the way for future women athletes not to have such a struggle like those before them. I liked the article about women fighters. One person stated that some of those women are even more brutal then the men who do that, and that it is just like a more extreme version of cat fights. Those types of women can prove that women can do anything men could I know I personally couldn’t do fight like those types of women. The article that talked about women in the Olympics I never new those numbers were so high. Out of the medals won were women the U.S. the majority of them were one by female athletes and now women competing in the Olympics almost half of them are women. There was an article talking about how women are portrayed because they are willing to strip down and post nude in photo shoots. But men don’t do this as much if ever. This is true that women are trying to show sex appeal and be more remembered for that. If women athletes wouldn’t show of their bodies then everyone would have different views of them and wouldn’t doubt what they could do because it’s not taken as serious. Those women athletes who are willing to expose themselves in that way don’t have that desire for others to see them as strong individuals because posing that way does not bring them the respect that they should want to receive. As I was reading the article about a female basketball player coming out and seeing that she gained sponsorship and donations because she did come out it made me think. It seems like now day’s things like this would be the opposite you see angry actions and uproars. Plus this player came out awhile ago when people didn’t have such an open mind, things were less accepted. We are slowly starting to progress in what America was first started on.
I think the Title IX is a great thing for all women and it has come so far through the years. Now day’s women are seen as having more power and that they can achieve more in life, then they good in the 60’s. I’m I bet surprised the Nixon passed this title into effect he didn’t seem to do much good when he was president but I guess I don’t know that much about him.
The “Go Girl Go” curriculum I really liked. It really is a great way for young women to get involved in sports and get the exercise they need. Girls should have the same opportunities that men do no matter what it is. I know when I was in elementary a program like this would have been great there weren’t too many sports girls were allowed to play during P.E and even during recess not to many girls ever joined in the sports the boys played. I think a program like this would have been great when I was growing up to more girls fit and healthy, sadly most of the girls I went to elementary with became drug uses and most wore pregnant in high school. I think if we could have had a program like this I could have helped to prevent some of these girls from making bad choices.
In the “Keeping our daughters Active” article I think he made a really good point the parents need to play a key role in keeping their daughters active. I think some parents discourage sports for girls because they probably just don’t’ want them to get hurt and that they should be doing more homework and housework. I defiantly agree that exercise keeps your self-esteem up, your social skills, and your ability to deal with problems. I think that’s what happened to my friends from elementary; they lost all their self-esteem and resorted to drugs and careless sex to make them feel better.
I thought the extreme fighting article was good. I think women should be able to fight if that’s what they want to do. It shouldn’t just be for men. But I also think that it should be taken seriously most men just think its hot sexy entertainment. I know its entertainment but I don’t think we should be calling them cat fights. We don’t’ have stupid names for men’s fighting so women shouldn’t have to either. I think it’s great that some women can do that, it shows that were just as strong as men.
I love the article about Effa Manley. This is a great story. After going to Women Rock the Runway event and hearing about the women that helped the men in the labor strike and how they were a crucial part and yet they were forgotten in history. This article is another witness that women are being forgotten everywhere in history. This article admits to the fact that she is one of the greatest baseball players you never have heard of. I think that it was very unfortunate that not only was she a women but a women of color. That is two strikes against her when it comes to crossing over the lines of gender. I think that it is great that she stood up for herself when the club owners wanted her to bring sex appeal by wearing a skirt. She was serious about playing baseball and wearing a skirt would have given her a disadvantage as well as making her an object and not a team member. She also had to suffer in her normal everyday life because she was black as well and wasn’t treated with respect. It is very unfortunate that she was born at this time. It is sad that she really couldn’t continue her dream. I love the quote, “ when life offers you an opportunity to do what you love -- even if it's an imperfect chance -- you take it.” I completely agree.
I think that it is awesome that the United States is a world leader in woman's sports. I also found it interesting that women were very physically active before the enlightenment period. I have always viewed the women of this period, as not being allowed to do anything as long as they were not with a man. My faviorite article out of this weeks readings was the article about Effa Manley. I loved how hard she worked in order to desegregate baseball, while also showing that a woman could play just as well as the boys. Stone is also an inspiration to me. She had to go though a lot of trials, just so that she could play baseball. She did not have any of the luxuries that the men on her team had, and even was asked to wear a skirt in order to pump up the sex appeal. I like that she stayed strong and firm and kept playing the game the way she wanted, not the way the men wanted her too. I also like that even her husband could not stop her from playing.
I think it is great that world organizations are trying to encourage girls around the world to get involved in sports and physical activities. The gogirlgo program is also an awesome way to get the girls of our country to become active and physically healthy. It also makes girls more confidant in themselves and is a great program.
This topic is perfect for a conversation I just heard from two men; one was an older man and one horrible to say was a young man who has no excuse for making it sound like men are better than women because in this day and age he should really know better. They were talking about how women aren’t as good at sports as men are and they never would be. They were saying that men and women should never have to play together because then men will always win and they feel bad hitting the ball really hard at them. They were talking about tennis and they said the only women they would be worrying about playing against were women like Venus or Serena stating that that’s because the only women men could lose to are women with just as much testosterone as men. I found this very ridiculous because just like some men are better at things then other men there are certain sports women are better at that leads me to a discussion we had in my social inequalities class about are women weaker at sports then men and is it because of biology how we are all made? A few of us made the point that men are women aren’t that different and women can actually be a lot better than men in some sports such as women being better at distance running then men and the fact that a lot of the time looking at women’s athletics vs. men’s, men are better but this may not be true because women sports haven’t been around as much as men’s sports and so it’s not fair yet to compare the two. So after hearing these two discussions just since Sunday night it was interesting to read on this subject. Me being a huge sports player and fan I never really thought about women playing sports I have just excepted that they could. In all reality thought it isn’t fair some of the things in sports like we read are still not equal to men’s. I have always taken advantage of the fact that I have grown up playing the sports that I have and have been able to watch them just like everyone else but reading about how women around the first great enlightenment were sent home and couldn’t even walk outside much less play in sports or watched them really bugged me because it reminded me of how not that long ago women in European countries and even in the U.S. were treated just as bad as the women in the Middle East that turn my stomach to read about. It’s weird to think about how something so small could make such an impact on the women’s movement to equality but reading about how much the sports programs have helped to give women more and continue to look at what they can change to better the experience for women’s athletics makes me wonder why we can do this in everything! I also never really thought about how women who play sports are portrayed and how the only reason men come to watch is because they see it as comical that women are trying to play or they want to watch the hot girls play! Men don’t really take women serious and women are just there for sex appeal. Also men think that women are still weak and need to be protected so they won’t let them play with the men or won’t set up all women’s teams like the UFC owner stated. I mean why is it ok to watch men beat the hell out of each other but not ok for women to if they want? Also for the way women are portrayed I believe that those women are just as bad as the men in some cases they are hurting women and not letting themselves be taken serious by allowing for their pictures to be taken like this. It’s ok to show your sexuality and women body and beauty but when you’re being photographed because you’re an athlete or for some other reason why does it have to be about the sex why not actually make it look like the reason your taking the picture is what I was thinking.
The topic of the articles this week, were very interesting. It was cool to find out that the U.S. has been very influential in women’s sports around the world and is a major training center for athletes from several nations. Before reading these articles I had never heard of Title IX, which states “institutions getting federal funding must fund athletics for men and women on a proportional basis or risk losing their federal money.” Equality has been an issue for so long with like voting rights for example and I find it interesting it is even in sports today; Especially with so many women involved in sports. I really enjoyed reading the article about first women to play professional baseball with men, Effa Manley. She and Toni Stone went through so much to prove a point and play the sport they truly loved. Both of these women were so brave, they were taunted and victims of discrimination, but endured it and were able to do what they wanted. It is interesting to me how we haven’t really heard of these women before now. It just like Alice Paul and her fight for women’s rights, it is not mentioned in schools. It is like a piece of history is just left out and simply because it involves women; Like they are not worth mentioning in a way. Women athletes are now portrayed in magazines as sex objects, they are rarely shown as strong athletes. Stereotypes are so present I today’s society, and women are often labeled as dykes or lesbians; they cant just be seen as strong, successful women. I find that to be sad and hope that someday it will change and women and men athletes will be seen as equals, although its seems unlikely.
First of all, I would like to emphasize that I am in favor of title IX and that I do not agree with the people I’m about to reference and for their safety I won’t mention my relationship to them. But every time the subject of title IX comes up some guys I know become really upset. They play soccer and feel like title IX has robbed them of having a sponsored team leaving them with only a club team. They even go so far as to put a dollar amount on it saying they could have a scholarship if it were not for title IX robbing them of a team. I pointed out that if the school did have scholarships for men’s soccer they would recruit people and the guys I know probably wouldn’t be on the team also that title IX means that men get just as much money as women do. Then they decided to hate football because they claim it uses a disproportionate amount of the men’s athletic budget. But they also said that it’s not fair because not as many women want to play sports and women’s sports are less entertaining so mandating equal funding isn’t fair. I tried correcting them about the women wanting to play part but they still hate football which I think may or may not be justified. But I mention this to point out how despite how far women have come they still have a long way to go especially when it comes to sports. I think that this is evidence that the disempowering and debasing images mentioned in a couple of the articles really do have a negative effect on people’s attitudes toward women. Especially when those guys started claiming that less women want to play sports and that women’s sports are less entertaining. It makes sense if you consider that the dominant images you see of women’s sports have nothing to do with the sport itself. Like as if the woman’s body is the most important part and her participation is just a hobby or a means to reach her actual goal of being sexually attractive. Then it makes sense that women’s sports would be less entertaining because they aren’t serious athletes they’re just models and they move around too much to really enjoy staring at them. I even noticed the same thing in the article about the women fighters. They emphasized how the losing girl was in the fetal position being beaten, as if she was helpless and just lying there helpless and submissive. You never hear the men described like that. It’s always more emphasis on the winner being such a tough bad-ass. And even when they mention the looser it’s more like he took such a beating, these guys are tough to endure that. And the really bad part was that article was about women so the author should have been paying attention to stuff like that. I’m just glad that we’ve gotten past the point where they thought women could be hurt by physical activity or that appropriate female exercise included sweeping.
I really liked reading about women in sports because myself being a women athlete can relate to a lot of these articles that we had to read.
Im am definitley in favor of Title IX. Thank goodness we have it around or the world of high school and college sports would not be even. We all know if Title IX wasnt around there would be a lot more boy sports teams and the girls would get a few sports teams here and there. While reading in the first article it really made me mad when it said that women play "womens" basketball, and men just play basketball. When thinking about all the professional sports being played around the US, you never hear men's basketball is always refered to as women's, and whatever the sport is. Why is that? Why cant we just simply play basketball.
I found it really interesting when they went back to the colonial era to learn about women's sports back then and that sometimes they had to dance for hours to go from maidenhood to womenhood and it could affect their place in the family and village. I never even thought at there being any kind of sports back in the day, let alone women playing these sports to prove themselves.
Also in the 19th century was a great movemnent to return women to physically active pursiuts because health was declining in the middle and upper class for women. I dont think people understand how good sports can be for them. When playing sports you want to be fit and eat right to be a healthy person.
I thought it was ridiculous in the Age of Modern Sports spection when it said that athletic competition hurt females physically, phsychologically and detracted from a womens feminity. That is one of the most upsurbed things I have ever heard. If anything it makes women stronger both physically and mentaly and not only shopping, doing your makeup being a mom is feminine, femininity is what you make it to be.
Girls need the chance to participate in sports. One article stated that outside of sports, physical activity is declining, and with it declining more and more people are becoming unhealthy and obese. Not only that but girls that are inactive have a harder time with self esteem, social skills, and the ability to make friends and handle conflict. SPORTS can help girls with all of these. If your playing sports, your more healthy and in turn probably leaner then what you normally would be. You gain social skills cause you have teammates and learn to talk to them, and become friends with them. Also there is always conflict whether it be drama within the team or because of a competitive game, but you learn to deal with it either way. Sports are a GREAT thing for girls to be involved in.
Lastly I'd like to comment on women athletes in the media. I think its ridiculous that mens sports recieve more coverage then womens sports. Lets take for example the NCAA tournament, NOT all the girls games were played on TV during their tournament, and does anyone evern know who won this year, i bet not cause no one covered the girls tournament, everyone was too worried about the mens tournament. I also thought it was ridiculous that when having a female athlete being featured in a magazine, newspaper, etc, that they were always portrayed as "sexy" and that they were always the more pretty athletes. Of course no male would want to look at a female athlete that isnt gorgeous, but who cares!! the BEST athletes are the ones who should be featured in the magazine stories. I am also disappointed with those female athletes who are willing to portray themselves and sexy women rather then strong, competitive athlete by the things they wear, or lack of, in the pictures that they use for magazines etc.
I had no idea that women’s sports in the United States has had such a huge influence on women’s sports all over the world. The US has the largest major training center for female athletes anywhere and athletes from all over the world come here to train for the olympics and participate in sports. I had no idea that women’s sports had such a long, strong history in the United States and that it was such a well supported thing. The history of women’s sports goes all the way back to the colonial-era, and even further to the traditional ceremonies of both Native Americans and Africans. In the beginning the “sports” were more like contest or rituals that included a lot of dancing and racing but as time went on more sports progressed and developed. But by the late eighteenth century, or the Enlightenment period, social and ideological changes altered gender roles and forced women into the home and away from public activity. Gender inequalities were present throughout society, including in sports. Not all women were accepting of the roles that women were forced into and by the late nineteenth century a feminist movement had formalized that encouraged women to more socially active and engaged. During the Progressive Era (1890-1920), many women saw improvements in their positions and the quality of their lives. Some industries that employed women organized team sports to promote worker efficiency. By the 1920s these industries had multiple teams in sports such as basketball, bowling, tennis, baseball, and volleyball. As WWII began, women continued to enter nontraditional roles in large numbers due to the lack of men (since they were all off fighting the war). They took jobs that had once belonged to men only and they created sports teams in sports that were traditionally only played by men.
It was really interesting to learn about the Title IX legislation and the fight for athletic equality. The struggle for equality in athletics was vigorously fought during the 1960s and ‘70s. In 1972 Title IX was signed into law by president Nixon. This legislation mandated that “institutions getting federal funding must fund athletics for men and women on a proportional basis.” I don’t really know much about sports but the little that I do hear is always about men’s sports. So I think that even though there has been a lot of progress in athletic equality, there is still a long way to go (just like in every other aspect of society). I think that allowing women to participate in sports is very important because not only does it promote physical health, it also teaches young girls many valuable life lessons (such as teamwork, strategy, confidence, etc.), and it is important for them to have the opportunity to show their skills and progress and grow as people.
Learning about the history of women’s sports was very interesting for me because I don’t really have a clue about anything that has to do with sports. I know that supporting women’s athletics is very important because it give young girls the opportunity to achieve their goals and it also gives them good role models to look up to.
I do not know much about sports. I know the basic rules of most sports, but the more in depth and complicated stuff, I pretty much know nothing. Reading about women in sports and how their role is different from the men, whether it should be or not, was very eye-opening for me. I did not realize that there were so many differences between men and women sports. I definitely learned a lot reading these articles.
I did know in high school, there had to be an even number of men and women’s teams, which is one reason why our hockey team was called a club instead of a team. I did not know that Title IX had something to do with that, but now I understand why there would be something done about it. Now that I think back to high school, the women’s teams did play on weeknights and the men played on weekends, for the most part. There were times that the men did also play on weeknights, but the biggest games were on the weekends, which made it easier for people to attend. I am pretty sure there was even an extra cost to go to the women’s games, which discouraged people from going, unless they had a friend or family member they wanted to go support.
The GoGirlGo! Curriculum sounds like an interesting idea, but also a good idea. I wonder if anyone has really tried it and how it works for them. I know there are some teams that incorporate things like what is taught in the curriculum on their own, but it would be cool to find out how this curriculum really works and if it makes a difference.
I liked the article about the father talking about keeping his daughters physically active because of all the positive benefits. I wish that I would have been more physically active earlier in life because I have since learned of the many benefits that being active offers. I did not have any close friends that participated in sports, so I did not really have a desire to play any sports. I did dance a bit, but that only lasted a couple years. I took PE in school, but only because I had to.
I really never paid attention to the difference between men and women when it comes to sports. I am not really into sports, but what I have read in the articles is quite interesting and noticeable when I really think about it. I am grateful for the women who fought their way to the top in their sports to show other women and girls that it is possible for them to live their dreams. It is unfortunate that women in the sporting world face so many challenges and become degraded in the media. Hopefully something will be done about that soon.
It was interesting to read about the coming out of some well-known athletes. It does not change my opinion of them; they are still people and should be treated the same in the sports area of life. They did not change who they were, they just changed what people know about them. I can see how having someone on the team who is gay or lesbian could disrupt the team unity, but if the team truly trusts each other right from the beginning, it should not matter what they know about that person, as long as they are still trustworthy and are a good team player.
We have learned a lot about women fighting for equality, but I did not realize that sports was another area of life where the women had to fight for their equality again, and are continuing to fight.
I'm so excited about the topic of women in sports!! I could relate to many of the articles and they almost "spoke" to me in a way. "Keeping Our Daughters Active" was one that I could definitely relate to. When I was three I started dance classes and did that until I was seven, but when I was five I also started playing soccer. I played soccer for about nine years until I was in Jr. High. These are always the awkward years for teenagers and I felt that being a "tom-boy" wasn't in my best interest. All of the boys I knew just saw me as one of them, not as a girl they could potentially "like." I quit soccer and started doing more "girly" things, but I missed the competition and the exercise. Instead I rode my bike and hiked. The summer after quitting soccer I learned how to kayak and fell in love! None of the boys I went to school with knew how, so they didn't really feel threatened by me. They actually thought it was pretty cool, so I won!
Women in sports are depicted as sexy icons in the media, some are even ridiculed for dressing up and posing for magazines. Now, I don't agree with women who pose with little to no clothing, but I can relate to the women who pose in maybe fancy or even dressed-up casual clothing. I worked for two summers at a boy scout high adventure base as a kayaking/rafting instructor and guide. I was surrounded by boys all week long. All of the boys loved that I was a "tough chick" and I was proud of that! But on the weekends, it felt nice to shower, put on a little makeup and get dressed in my normal clothes and go into town. The first time the boys I worked with saw me, they didn't even recognize me! But the thing is that I didn't do it for them so they could see that I was a girl, I did it for me. I think that some women pose for pictures wearing normal clothes or even with their children because they want to show other girls that they can play hard with the boys and still be a girl. Some of these sports stars can play hard and win championships and medals while they are a wife and a mother! That is such an accomplishment! Not only are these female athletes happy to be competing, but their families bring them joy as well. To me these women have it all and I find strength in myself by having them as role-models.
It was really interesting to read how women evolved though the century. To even see that even wit Title IV isn’t enough. I played basketball all my life and it stopped when i broke my ankle and all those years we always played in the second gym and it always had water leaking on to the court. We always played first , early so no one would come and we were a good team . I realized that it hasn’t changed it happens in college and even though they have established the WNBA women still get paid a lot less than men players. I thought it was funny to read the quote “men just play basketball and women play women basketball “why can women just play basketball . Women have moved so far but just not enough. I get really angry when it comes to sports because i know women that can play better then a man in a ny sport soccer softball basketball. Still women are being considered 2nd class citizens. Im glad coaches are more acceptable with the gay lesbian bi sexual, I ve have friends that have come out and their coaches have shut them down its good to hear that there are those coaches that are completely cool . people think that they don’t help but it does it gives them some comfort those men and women spend more time with their teammates and coaches then their own families its like a second home they deserve to feel welcomed and comfortable. I had no idea that swoops had come out and was the 2nd one to come out openly. Some people actually thought that Olivia would hurt the players with all their sponsorships , when it didn’t and im glad people are more open to players and coming out. I was really exited to read all these articles because a it educates me and everyone int he class that these things do exist. Some people jsut dont know. and its good to know things like this because wome struggle in every aspect
I liked the movie today in class a lot, I had no idea that it was such a struggle for women to even get to play sports of any kind. I thought it was way crazy how women were told if they excercised they wouldn't be able to reproduce, and how now as a society we encourage everyone to excercise. I thought it was cool how female African Americans found a place in sports and how they did well in them and paved the way for others. I liked the movie because it showed female athletes that I have never even heard of and without them to pave the way we might not have the opportunities to play and compete in sports today. I thought it was interesting how the athletes that showed a more feminem side were more accepted by the public than those who did not. I am glad now that because of the women before us we now have the opportunity to participate in sports.
Growing up sports have always been a huge part of my life. I was always encouraged to participate in whatever sport came my way. To this day I am a competitive horse back rider. I found it interesting to hear at the beginning of the movie that things such as bike riding, running, and horseback riding were believed to be dangerous to womens reproductive systems. The running and bike riding were what really suprised me in this statement because even now I occasionally hear people talk about how bad it can be for a women to ride horses. However I know plently of horseback riders who also have had familys and conitinue to ride. Women have always been looked down on when it comes to sports. We're supposed to be polite, "girly", and weak and in sports this is not the case. Many of the women in the movie were fantastic athletes, better than many of the men of their time, however I had never heard of their names because they weren't recognized as much as the male athletes. I found it interesting that colleges would have "play days" for their womens so called teams. To avoid being competetive they would just get together and have fun and have no winners. This is something that we do for the preschoolers now. Hearing that women athletes were treated like children was really upsetting to me.
I was really suprised to learn that women were still not allowed to run in the 800 meter run in the olympics untill 1984! That was only four years before I was born into what is supposed to be a "equal opportunity country".
Women have been proving that they are just as capable as men are to compete for years but they have struggled the entire time. Women not being allowed to recieve scholarships just insane. There are so many women today that would not be able to be in this school were it not for their scholarship money. Title IX is a great thing that came along but I don't understand why people would ever have to make a law giving women equal rights. It seems to me like it should have been common sense to let the women receive the same rights as the men.
Im sad to say that most people I talk to now days do not share the belief that men and women can be equal in sports. For example I take an aikido class. In this class we get paired up with different people and have to fight and defend ourselves against them. I am usually paired with one boy that I know who knows that I can take a hit just as hard as any of the guys in that class. Today after I had been throwing him around for a while he took a turn and threw me to the ground, just as hard as I had been throwing him. The instructor came by and gave him a lecture on how he shouldn't be being so rough with a "lady" even though I had been throwing him down equally as hard and was not interested in having him hold back. I thought it was sad that in a class teaching us about self defense the instructors still didn't want the girls to have to go "all out". In my opinion if a girl wants to participate in a sport why not let her play it to the fullest? But many people today still want us to take it easy. Nobody in history ever got anywhere by taking it easy so why should we now?
I really enjoyed the movie that we watched in class yesterday. It was very interesting and brought up a lot of things that I didn't know. I thought it was crazy that the first women who played basketball weren't allowed to dribble, touch each other, or even talk. How would you even be able to play a fun and competitive game if these things weren't allowed. This "game" women were able to play wasn't much of a game at all.
I also found the idea of the "Play Day" to be very interesting. The whole idea of this was kind of absurd. Women just came together to play with eachother. There was no winning, no losing, and in all reality no competition. The women didn't play for any specific team or school, they did just what the name suggested, they played for a day and that was the end of it. Now, competition is not always the best thing, but none at all leads to a very boring life. With no winning or losing, there is really no need to practice or get better at anything. There would be no progress.
I also found it extremely interesting that African American women were encouraged to play sports much earlier than white women were. It was said that it helped them to stay in shape and be able to perform their day to day tasks easier. While black women were realizing this and succeeding at what they did, white women were stuck thinking that they wouldn't be able to have kids if they participated in sports.
All of the historical information relating the different time periods. I really enjoy playing sports, so it was very interesting to see the progress that women have made. Progress has been slow, and still isn't complete, but it was fun to see how many rights women have truly gained in the world of sports.
I really enjoyed watching the movie in class on tuesday. It was a shock to me all of the crazy ideas of people and also how long it took for women to be able to participate in certain sports. Like for instance running in the Boston Marathon! Hello people do you really thing running is going to make us unfertal. what about the risk for men you never hear people talk about that. The one thing i found interesting in the film was the part about the women and playing sports for school how alot of them did not even have high school teams they had to play for the city or once they got to college they were not give scholorships like the men. Only 1% of funidng was given to women. i even look at today here at Utah State for example our mens basketball team always has night games and everyone knows when they are. The womens basketball team how often do you hear about there games and to get everyone excited about it also most of the time there games are in the afternoon when people are in class. So really how are there going to be fans to support? Asi read some of the articles it really made me think about this we will in an age today when we hope things are changing or have become better but we see it ourselves on our own university campus.
But enough about that i wanted to make a comment on an article that i read the go girl go. I like how they had an organization set up to support young girls and teaching them leadership skills along with good sporting skills giving them an opportuinty to shine and develop new talents. The readings were good and they all really opened my eyes to whats really going on in the world out there adn how women are still not treated as well as men even in sports!
The documentary "Dare To Compete: Struggle of Women in Sports" taught me so many things i never knew. It is so weird to think that at some point baby carriages were considered "evil" because they gave women mobility. Bike seats were seen as too hard, and supposedly women's ovaries would drop if they strained themselves. Women have come such a long way since then, and it was inspiring hearing the stories of those women that made these changes. My favorite probably had to be Babe Didrikson. Most men at the time couldn't play that many sports, so for a woman to do that was amazing. She earned three medals in the olympics, won 17 golf tournaments and one of them being only 15 months after she battled cancer. I did think it was disappointing though that when her sexuality was questioned she was expected to change her image and start acting more feminine.
I found it really cool how as the white women took a long time to be more accepted in sports, African American women were encouraged to be athletic and run. The story of the Tiger Bells, with their coach Ed Temple was also another one of my favorite parts. I ran track in high school and know how hard it is, and those women especially Wilma Rudolph definitely have talent
Billie Jean King's tennis match verse Bobby Riggs in the Astrodome in Houston Texas was a really cool idea. She knew that it was much more than a match and that what she was doing was promoting change in the way women were viewed in sports. It was just a perfect example of the fact that girls are not fragile and can compete with the boys.
The movie that we watched in class on Tuesday was amazing I really enjoyed it. I was able to see how women have struggled to become equal for so long, and even in sports they had to fight for their rights- which is really sad to see that back in the days they were looked down upon if they played sports. Women were expected to stay at home with the children, cook, clean, look pretty and well kept- they had to keep up with the sterotype that people had of women and what their roles should be. It was amazing to see some of the measures that women took so they would be able to participate in sports. All the different stories about Babe, Susan, Gertrude, and Jackie Mitchell were so astonishing, they broke out of the norm and set the way for women today to play sports. It was crazy to hear women say that if they did sports or ran they would not be able to have children. To me this is just weird, they would go to the extreme to tell women this and hopefully they would fall for it and not participate at all. This movie brought a lot of insight into my life of how women were not treated fairly in any situation, they were looked down upon if they played sports and did not hold up to the sterotypes, but because of them they set the way for us women today to play sports and not have to be the sterotype women. I really enjoyed this movie, it made me realize what women went through during the 1920's. I would recommend this movie to everyone to watch- it was so good and very educational.
The idea of women in sports has been a long-time evolution from the early 19th century ultra conservative ideals that conformed women from delicate, submissive porcelain dolls, instructed by society not to “over exert” themselves – to today’s image and portrayal of women athletes. To think that early concepts of reproductive failures and problems conceiving were prevalent in society and the social norm is outlandish. Knowing what we know now, those foolish ideas sound ludicrous, but back then during a time where women were still very much so the fragile homemaker- - they couldn’t help but believe the hype. The “Dare to Compete” documentary very motivating for me as I’m sure was for the rest of the female classmates. Watching decades of women athletes slowly make social change in sports was inspiring. Such women as Babe Didrickson, Jackie Mitchell, Gertrude (woman swimmer), and Wilma Rudolph proved that women in sports was a force to be reckoned with. In the New York Times article “Keeping Our Daughters Active” - - I found it comforting to know that parents want to encourage their daughters to stay active, to play sports, to do whatever a man can do on the field. I like sports and I personally think that keeping a child involved in some type of physical activity or support is good for them. Thanks to Title IX, I was able to play volleyball and basketball in middle school and high school. I loved it and being on a team helped me learn and grow as an individual. I was active in school so I think that I was able to stay out of trouble because I engaged in an interactive sport. However, reading on in the article they wrote about how “girls’ participation in organized sports is on the rise, the number of girls staying physically active outside the arena is declining, especially after they become teenagers.” Reading that was a little alarming to me- - keeping girls involved in some type of physical sport or activity allows girls to have better heart health, lower incidence of Type 2 diabetes and can even prevent osteoporosis. Other interesting facts I read was that girls in sports rank lower in self-esteem, social skills and ability to make friends and to handle conflicts. Personally I think that is a great self motivator for parents to get their daughters involved in sports. When we see MTV shows such as “Teen Mom” and “16 & pregnant” that show everyday teens having sex, becoming a teen mom and having babies, we have to take control of our daughters, our nieces - - compel them to excel in sports or extracurricular actives so that they don’t go off with the wrong crowd and get into trouble. After Title IX, we say a rise in women athletes who excelled in their particular sports. These women are amazing and little girls should look up to them and see that they can strive to maintain the same excellence that these women athletes have achieved, given they work hard and put their full efforts into something they like to do. Even now watching the Olympics and seeing women athletes run track, play sand volleyball , swim , play basketball- - is inspiring for young girls.
Tennis, football, soccer, baseball, basketball, golf, and track and field. All of these, and more, are sports that people can participate in if they so wish, but as I learned in the movie "Dare to Compete" it wasn't always that way. As I have learned in this class women were taught that they were to stay in the home and do nothing, but housewife things. That baby carriages were thought of to be of the devil because they gave women more mobility just baffles me. That it was taught that too much strenuous activity would cause a woman's ovaries to fall out or cause her to become infertile just seems retarded. There was no scientific proof of this, but it was a readily accepted fact.
I'm not a person that likes sports or likes any kind of physically straining activity, but in my opinion if that's what you want to do with your life it doesn't make sense that you shouldn't be able to do so. Watching the struggle for women to have the right to compete was saddening and yet inspiring. It made me wish that I could actually do sports and stuff. Trudy Gertrude who was the first woman to swim the English Channel(1926). She not only beat the men's record by two hours while swimming against a strong current she did so using the free style technique which had never been done before, because it was considered a too strenuous style to swim such a length. She showed us all that women can be just as good if not better than a man.
What was really interesting was when we had our first post war Olympics in 1952 and while society looked down on white women that were athletes and thus made most of them shy away from such activities, the black culture weren't against it at all. In fact the racism against colored people actually worked in their favor just this once. The 1952 Olympics moved black women to the forefront of women's sports with nine out of eleven of the track and field team from America being black.
I think my favorite part was when in 1973 sports had a battle of the sexes. Now maybe I'm a little biased, my favorite sport is tennis, but that was just awesome. Bobby Riggs was the five to two favorite to win even girls thought that he would, but Billy Jean King came out and beat him with three straight wins 6-4,6-3,and 6-3. This was when it was show that not only could women do sports and excel at them, but they could be better than the guys.
After watching the movie I find myself gaining more and more respect for women athletes. The struggle that they have gone through and continue to go through, although seemingly masochistic, is a model that few can live up to. Their courage and tenacity is amazing and leave me feeling like I should strive to better myself so that I too can be a model for future generations of women, not in sports, but in the towers of business leaders of America where I'll make my home as an owner and CEO of a fortune five hundred company.
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