Gender and Sports

         

   In class on April 14, 2015, we discussed gender and sports. The question that we were asked was how equitable are sport opportunities for girls and women. We discussed the agencies of sex role stereotyping. These agencies include family, school, and the media. We also learned about the history of women in sport. One of the most important dates was 1900 when the first Olympic Games were held. The two sports that women could participate in at the time were golf and tennis. During the 1920s, women’s participation in collegiate sport emerged. Also, Title IX was introduced in the 1970s and it allowed girls and women to participate in sport. These were some of the key topics that we discussed in this section.

            In his article, Terrance F. Ross discussed gender inequality within collegiate athletics. One of the things that he pointed out is that many people in the United States were going crazy about the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and they would not pay attention to the women’s tournament until the Final Four. He also pointed out that other than tennis, many people do not pay attention to women’s sports because they are said to be inferior compared to major sports like baseball, basketball, and football. He also discussed the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act. This act was passed in 1994 and made a rule that all colleges had to make all gender-equality information in terms of their athletic programs available for public access. Expanding on his point, he mentioned that the men’s basketball coach for one school made approximately nine times the amount the women’s basketball coach for the same school makes. This article makes a lot of sense for this topic because it shows that women are viewed as inferior to the public. In terms of sport, women’s events are disregarded by many in this country, especially due to the media. Out of all topics, I feel that this was the most important topic discussed in this class.

Link: http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/03/what-gender-inequality-looks-like-in-collegiate-sports/387985/