“Within the frame of the media, the bodies of female athletes are understood and legitimated first and foremost as being about femininity rather than athleticism.” (Handbook, 487) Female athletes are held to a different standard than that of male athletes and not just in the media. Granted the media prefers to present female athletes as graceful beauties rather than aggressive powerhouses. Women athletes are most recognizable for playing individual sports and are hardly ever recognized for their team efforts. The media also tends to focus in on the fragile and emotional states of female athletes in comparison to male athletes and how that changes the game.
In Chapter 29 of the Handbook, there is a discussion about the problem of female team sports and the differences from male team sports. Although women tend to be viewed more for their femininity than their athletic ability, it is not to say that they are not valued as athletes. Women are hardly recognized for their team efforts but more for individual sports. The book gives an example from the WNBA that all female professional basketball players are required to complete their college eligibility or be twenty-one years old. These athletes are truly women so they can acquire their status as role models for little girls. But I ask you, should the NBA require their players to meet these same standards, or should the WNBA allow their players to join right out of high school? One of the main differences between men’s and women’s sports are the maturity levels of the players. This maturity aspect establishes the WNBA players as different from the NBA players because the maturity of the WNBA is a direct contrast to the “immaturity” of the NBA.
This is an article from a football (soccer) referee that has called games both for men and women at the professional level. http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/developing/refereeing/news/newsid=81770.html
This article touches upon the emotions and team spirit of women’s soccer in comparison to men’s. It discusses how women tend to create a bond between their teammates and have a genuine concern for their wellbeing. They create a second family among these players and most often have relationships both on and off the field. In contrast to the men’s games, some men play alongside players they dislike and are extremely successful whereas women who do not have established relationships off the field, may not be as successful. Chapter 14 in the Handbook, the differences between women’s emotions and attitude compared to men’s help to illustrate these teammate relationships. “Women’s emotions turn them into serious, moral people and make them more cooperative and team- or community-minded. While women’s emotions unite the team, men’s emotions individuate them.” Men are most concerned about their personal performance than that of the team, as a whole.
So now I ask you, do you think there is a difference in men’s and women’s team sports? Do you see more similarities with men’s and women’s individual sports, such as tennis and golf? Are hormones to blame for the team unity or is the male ego to blame for individuality? Are women’s sports the only sports that show team effort or is this just stereotyping?
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Yes, there is a difference between Men's and Women's team sports. I believe a lot of that has to do with hormones, and how men and women are mentally different. a team will have a comraderie over different things. the article made a lot of sense by saying female athetes hold grudges longer than male athletes, and the retaliation peroid can last a lot longer. there is probably even truth to the point that male athletes may not get along outside of the game, but could still produce in-game, whereas it would be more difficult for a women's team to be successful with teammates that do not like each other. all of this just has to do with the genetic dfferences in men and women.
individual sports are more similar across the sex/gender front, and i think that is because in a sport such as golf, tennis, figure skating each athlete, male or female, is going up against the same challenges. the only aspect i can think of that differentiates the too, is the level of competition. it is almost expected that individual sport is harder for men because the competition of competing against other men is harder, but the only reason people feel that way is because of the macho, ultra-competitive stereotypes.
in mediasport a lot of the frame of their argument with selling women's sports is that they are about femininity ans sexuality. this is because these steroetypes of women have been around for decades and centuries. things are slowly starting to change, and it is going to take a while because it is a slow process. one challege all sports face is the gay/lesbian image. this effects women's sports because it "takes away" from the femininity, but as our society matures everything will be viewed as athletes and athletes. that is just going to take a while
In reference to Lindsay's post, I most definitely think there is a difference in men's and women's team sports. I personally feel as though society looks at men's sports as being more entertaining. I have heard numerous men in my lifetime state that women should not play sports or that women's sports are far too boring to watch. It almost seems as though many people, both men and women, feel that sitting through a women's sporting event is more of a chore than an entertaining event.
Both men and women have sex appeal, so I often wonder why female athletes are known for their looks and not for their athletic ability. Chapter 29 of the handbook states, "Yet, the politics surrounding female athletes- as well as the coverage of female athletes in the media- are framed within conventional discourses of the sexualized body" (Handbook, 484). Women can be both sexy and great athletes just like men can be both sexy and great athletes. When it comes to being a professional athlete, either male or female, the media coverage should surround the the person's athletic ability and not sex appeal.
In terms of seeing similarities between men's and women's sports I really do not see many. As we discussed in class, even during a golf match a female participating with males has a handicap. In sports such as hockey and lacrosse women are not even allowed to make contact. Football is not even an option for women to play unless they fight for their rights and win. If the woman does win a a get the chance to play football, the chances of her sitting on the sideline is extremely high. In track, women's qualifying times are drastically higher than men's qualifying times. Not nearly as many people watch professional women's sports on television. I do however know quite a few men who enjoy watching tennis beauties play on television, but often times the men I know are watching to see how good the professional female tennis players look and could care less about their performance level.
Are hormones to blame? That is a very good question Lindsay. I personally feel that MOST, and I do not mean ALL, but most men are built stronger than females. I do not believe that hormones should stop people from watching female sports. Females are playing females in female sporting events, therefore all the participants have female hormones. So if everyone is hormonally equal on the playing field, why isn't it as entertaining as men's sports? As we also discussed in class, I think many people do not think women should be strong and aggressive powerhouses due to their "beauty" image.
In terms of women's sports being the only sports that show team effort, I do believe this is stereotyping. I have watched many men's sporting events and witnessed a great deal of team effort and emotions being expressed throughout the team. All in all I hope that someday people will be more entertained by women's sports than they are today. However, I think that men's sports will always be favored over women's.
I do think that there is a difference between men and women’s sports. For the most part, male athletes have more upper body strength and stamina, both which are required for almost all professional sports. For the public, it’s just a matter of who can put on a better show. Sports are a form of entertainment, and men are physically able to perform at a higher level of entertainment than women are.
I do think that because of this aspect, most professional male players try to outplay his teammates to become the star of the team. It’s most athletes’ dream to become the star that carries the team. When they aspire to this goal, their egos grow and they separate to grow above their team. I agree with the Handbook when it states “while women’s emotions unite the team, men’s emotions individuate them.” Even though they may feel like the star, no team can compete on a high level without complete teamwork, which is a quality that both men and women’s sports possess.
Individual sports are where females have the ability to shine as individuals. I do not feel that there is that much of a difference between men and women’s individual sports, only that women have the ability to be recognized for their achievements more so than team sports.
Posted on behalf of Sharon Schwartz:
Yes I do think there is a difference in men’s and women’s team sports. According to the handbook, femininity and athleticism are considered “incompatible.” I disagree with this statement because there are many great female athletes out there in the world today. The Venus sisters, Brandy Chastain, Tara Lipinski and many others.
There are similarities between men’s and women’s individual sports. The individuality of a person shines more than group team work participation. There is no equality in the sports world. “American public’s fascination with female athletes has almost always centered on individual athletes—tennis players, professional golfers, figure skaters and gymnasts.” They demonstrate the “natural” ability to go far on your own.
Female athletes are held to a different standard than that of male athletes. Women athletes are most recognizable for playing individual sports and men are recognized playing in a competitive environment.
I think it’s more on the lines of hormone differences rather than the male ego to blame for team unity versus individuality. I think women’s sports show more individuality than team work. Well, shows more of themselves then being competitive like men.
There are differences in men's and women's sports just as there are differences between women and men. Many of the sports are officiated differently and this accounts for much of the difference. It's a touchy subject because men are genetically bigger, faster, stronger than women so it's difficult for fans not to enjoy a better quality of sports and choose to watch men's over women's.
I've been to field hockey games, girls soccer games, girls hockey games and it's just a lot different. The games aren't as fast or physical but often times this is due to the different officiating, not that the girls are playing poorly. I think these physical differences are the issue with the sports. Many people can't look at the sports the same because there are truly different talent levels. I'm a smaller guy myself and although I did well in sports I can't imagine how much better I could've been with more size.
In Chapter 14, it seems that Margaret Carlisle Duncan has taken all this personally as she wrote, "The media, like sport and all our social institutions, are bearers of masculine hegemony, an ideology or set of beliefs about the world that priveleges men and disadvantages women. (231)" This sounds like a bitter feminist to be honest. I highly doubt that the popularity of men's sports is every fan feels that women are inferior; they watch the men's sports because that's what entertains them.
In response to Lindsay's post, I feel that women's and men's sports are indeed different. The reason being is because we in society label it as different. Realistically how different are the two genders playing same sport? Are men more competitive than women? Who is to say that male athletes have more tenacity and ambition that that of female athletes.
Sports like golf, soccer, basketball, and tennis, where the rules are basically all the same, help to prove that there is no difference between male and females. Sure the female athletes need more of an advantage in golf, but is it not the same game? Are the players still competeting for the lowest score? The problem I have with gender in sports, is when they change the actual sport. For instance Baseball/Softball, Men's Lacrosse/Women's Lacrosse. Why change the rules, if females want to be considered as equals. By changing the sport it only says that women cannot compete the game the way it was intent to be played so let make it less aggressive and more sexy.
This is where society goes wrong, we are brought up believing the impression that women are to be sexy and shaped, as opposed to built and tone. Female athletes who are built and masculine are frequently labelled as "gay/lesbian". Society labels them with these stereotype because they fail to follow what we consider normal attributes of a female.
In all honesty, there is no difference just the truthful idea that men do have more strength and power. But that does not mean that women cannot compete or play the same sports as men, it just means they may not be able to do it as well.
There is obviously a difference between men's standards when it comes to sports and women's standards. Generally we've seen individuals jump from high school to college or leave college early with little or no repercussion. Is this a positive role model for children?
In the article, Lindsay states: "The book gives an example from the WNBA that all female professional basketball players are required to complete their college eligibility or be twenty-one years old. These athletes are truly women so they can acquire their status as role models for little girls."
This idea got challenged this past year with Candice Parker. She is forgoing her senior year at Tennessee to go pro. This is a new standard set with an individual leaving her team to go on to further her own career. Is this an example of women's sports becoming more like men?
It is a bit of a stretch but it does show that the "team" concept isn't dominated in just women's athletics. Its usually great teams that win championships, not great players. I think women have the same level of individual stars, whether it be Mia Hamm or Lisa Leslie. Therefore it is unfair to just say that men are individual stars and women are teams.
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