One area of sports that is worth concern is the influences of men and masculinities on women in sports. Many women may look up to male sports celebrities and want to be like them. However, male players may have at least some influences and tendencies that are not so socially acceptable. Another author has studied male sports and the link between aggression and some types of assertive sports, such as football. Her findings suggest than these aggressive sports can be dangerous to women. The researcher writes, "In an observational study of male athletes in college bars, Curry found that the masculine ideology enforced in the locker room often carried over into aggressive and risky behavior in social settings" (Gage, 2008, p. 1016). These athletes may become violent or aggressive toward women, especially their dates, and they may carry this violence into their relationships later in life, with their families and children, as well. Since most sportscasters are also male, they dominate how the viewing public sees female (and male) athletes. They may allow their biases to come out, intentionally or not, giving bias to the way the public views and thinks about female athletes, especially in alternative sports such as weight lifting, some track events, and other more assertive sports that require larger, more muscular bodies.
In conclusion, while women have made great strides in sports, they still have a long way to go. Women do not play in professional sports nearly as much as men do, and they do not receive the outrageous salaries that have become the norm in professional sports. Because of this, women athletes rarely gain the same attention and notoriety...
Some women do become well-known, such as the Williams sisters, but often that is because they are exceptional sisters and athletes, which makes them noteworthy. An excellent example of this is Natalie Coughlin, an Olympic swimmer who won five medals at the 2004 Olympics and six at the recent Beijing Olympics, and yet, her accomplishments were totally overshadowed by Michael Phelps and his string of Gold Medals. Phelps accomplishment was huge, but Coughlin's was extremely impressive as well, and she did not receive nearly the media attention and subsequent product endorsements and fame that Phelps has enjoyed after the games. This indicates the gap between men and women in athletics today, and how far women still have to go to gain true equality with male athletes.
References
Author not Available. (2006). Five game-changers women's sports. Coach & Athletic Director; Vol. 75 Issue 8, 83-84.
Carty, V. (2005). Textual portrayals of female athletes. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies. Vol. 26 Issue 2, 132-155.
Editors. (2008). History of women in sports timeline. Retrieved 15 Sept. 2008 from the St. Lawrence County Branch American Association of University Women Web site: http://www.northnet.org/stlawrenceaauw/timeline.htm
Gage, E.A. (2008). Gender attitudes and sexual behaviors: Comparing center and marginal athletes and nonathletes in a collegiate setting. Violence Against Women. Vol. 14: pp. 1014-1032.
Joyner-Kersee, J. (2008). Turning point. Good Housekeeping, 0017209X, Jul 2008, Vol. 247, Issue 1. 54.
Woods, J.T. (2009). Gendered lives:…
