Men and Women in Sports - Essay Example

1.0 Introduction Men and Women in American Sports face entirely different challenges. Sportsmanship encompasses types of role models and behavior witnessed in the past, in the present and also in the future. These two aspects have changed dramatically in the three dimensions of time and for both genders. There are different privileges given to both men and women when they need to access sports facilities. Some of these facilities may be recreational in nature, or they may be facilities found in high schools and colleges. The number and types pf stereotypes that both groups have to face are quite distinct. On top of that, women and men have a different fan base in whichever type of sports one is considering. Doping issues differ slightly in both genders. The trends in challenges and rewards faced by men and women throughout history in the past and what ought to be expected in the future shall be examined in full detail in the essay below. 2.0 Access to facilities 2.1 Access to facilities in the past During the early 1960s, women were quite limited during access to sporting facilities. But in the late sixties, there was the introduction of the women's liberation movement. This served as a stage in which women realized that there was inequality in this area and it also acted as a platform where they could raise their concerns about the lack of opportunity. Therefore in the seventies, most colleges and high schools began opening up their fields to allow training and practice even for women. (Fasting and Knorre, 2005) At the same time, men had been the sole dominators in the 60s and 70s. This was mostly seen by the fact that there were sports like; football, baseball and basketball were played by men. The main challenge that they faced at this time was proving their worth in their sporting activity of choice. Facilities were not a hindrance to their progress 2.2 Access to facilities in the present Currently, things have improved for women in comparison to what happened three decades ago. Most high schools and colleges have formed women's teams in games like tennis, swimming, volleyball and basketball. Such institutions now recognize that female teams are almost if not as important as men's team. They have now designated time for women to access facilities like swimming pools, basketball fields and others. But this does not mean that women have full access to these facilities. There are some sporting facilities that are still considered predominantly male like rugby and baseball fields. Women engaging in such sports face a lot of difficulties when trying to practice or when training. It is even worse when trying to access facilities for the purpose of competition as precedence is given to males. Men in sports have to adjust to the fact that sporting facilities are not simply for them. They are now realizing that women's sports need to be accommodated; this means that they now have to get used to the idea of sharing. Things are not being handed down to them without any struggles. 2.3 Access to facilities in the future The future looks more promising to women because there are plenty of activities voicing the inequalities that women in sports have had to bear. This means that sports will now be less restricted and it is very likely that women will have fair practice and competing times in sporting facilities in high schools, colleges and even recreational facilities. (Fasting and Sundgot-Borgen, 2000) Men will continue facing more need to adjust to the fact the facilities are not simply meant for them. It is very likely that their domination of sporting facilities will come to a slow end. 3.0 Sportsmanship 3.1 Sportsmanship in the past During the 1960s and 1970s, there was blatant discrimination of women in sports. This was the reason why there was the women's movement in 1968. Women had to deal with the fact that they were denied representation in most games and most men simply thought that their form of sport was an intriguing issue to be seen but not to betaken seriously.(Leah et al 2002) At the same time, behavior in sports towards men was quite different. Most of them had to deal with issues that were directly linked to their sport. It was not very hard for them to succeed as opposition was minimal. Role models for women at that time were negligible. But it was common to find that those who had the courage to stand up and be counted went around schools and colleges mentoring and motivating other young athletes and sportswomen about the need to engage in sport. Role models would take their messages to large audiences. This was in response to the fact that there were few women in sports at that time and they had to act as pioneers. Mentors were therefore an important force in pushing these women to the centre stage. There were numerous male role modes at that time. They were present in almost all types of sports from athletics, football and may others. 3.2 Sportsmanship in the present Role models in the present have increased among women. Women like Serena and Venus Williams are sources of admiration for many young and upcoming athletes. Behavior has changed dramatically since the seventies. More women's sports are now being taken seriously and it is now possible for them to achieve recognition in formally male dominated fields. Male role models are on the increase presently. This can be attributed to the fact that television and other forms of media give detailed information about the history of these players. 3.3 Sportsmanship in the future It is very likely to see more and more female role models in the future and not just in female related sports like tennis and volleyball. In the future, we might start seeing more women soccer role models. Men will also have to be more accommodating as they will share the spotlight with women too. 4.0 Health 4.1 Health in the past Men had to tackle the issue of doping in the 1960s and 1970s. This was especially common in muscle intensive sports like weight lifting. In 1970, an American Football Team called San Diego Chargers admitted to taking steroids at lunchtime or they would be forced to pay a fine by their boss. There were also many male sportsmen caught doping in that time like Sergio Oliva and Tom Simpson in 1967. (Toftegaard Nielsen, 2001) There were relatively few female athletes who had been involved in doping cases as they were the exception rather than the rule. An example of a woman who admitted to taking performance enhancement pills was Renate Neufeld. 4.2 Health in the present Women in the present have started registering increased cases of doping. One example was in 2003 when Kelly White lost two gold medals after being found guilty of doping. Marion Jones was also stripped off her medals in 2007 after she confessed to the use of steroids before The Olympic Championship Men are still predominantly the most common users of drugs these days. For example Hermes France and Sean Sherk who were light weight fighters were found guilty of using banned substances. 4.3 Health in the future Because sports is getting more and more competitive, it is very likely that both men and women will have to deal wit the issue of doping. However, there will be more technological advances to capture these same drug users. (Williams, 1926) 5.0 Stereotypes 5.1 Stereotypes in the past During the 1960s and 1070s, men dealt with the fact that a sport in general was considered as a luxury and an indulgence. This meant that there were very few organizations that were interested in the sponsorship of sport. Most people did not invest their time and money into sport because of that stereotype. At the same time, women had to deal with the fact that were considered too frail to participate in some 'tough masculine' games. Yet these same stereotypes were ignoring the fact that there were plenty of women who worked in industries and other physical related careers. There was also another stereotype placed upon women; the fact that they were perceived as sexual objects. This led to increased cases of sexual abuse. Most of the women in sports at that time were subjected to forced relationships by people in higher authority. Most of the people found guilty of this form of stereotype were their coaches. It was very common to find that women in sports were having affairs with then just to get ahead. 5.2 Stereotypes in the present Currently, women are tackling the issue of body image. There is an increased level of body consciousness among members of the American population. Most people associate female athletes with masculine behavioral traits, therefore any woman who may want to engage in sports must deal with the issue of being branded 'masculine'. This psychological issue may act as an impediment to the development of particular sports like body building and other muscle intensive games. Generally, women who would like to participate in these activities are not simply doing it for themselves. They are representing their whole gender. This is a very heavy burden to bear for any sportsperson. Men are still dealing with the stereotype that sports is a luxury. The government will be tackling deeper and more immediate issues like disease and war. A sport to them comes down low in their list of priorities. 5.3 Stereotypes in the future Women will still have to deal with the fact that some people regard them as frail. Therefore some sporting activities will be limited to them. Games like rugby and soccer will be restricted to them because there will still be that stereotype. There is also the likelihood that they will have to deal with issues of their femininity. This is because Hollywood and images displayed on mass media portray women as curvy but slim. Sports enhance muscles and increase the level of body insecurities that these women have to bear. (Williams, 1926) 6.0 Spectatorship 6.1 Spectatorship in the past During the 1960s and 1970s, there were very few audiences during women's events. Those who went to those events simple regarded them as objects of entertainment. At the same time, men had managed to pull a lot of crowds for themselves. It was therefore easier for them since their morale was boosted by the large numbers that turned up. 6.2 Spectatorship in the present Women are getting more attention and coverage these days. Games like tennis have managed to pull large audiences and very many people are interested in their sports. However, other sports like cricket still have few representations from audiences. Men continue to dominate in terms of spectatorship. There are more and more people watching their games. 6.3 Spectatorship in the future It is very likely that there will be more spectatorship for women in the future judging from the fact the numbers have increased presently. 7.0 Professionalism 7.1 Professionalism in the past During the 1960s, men had to focus on issues directly related to sport. Most of them had only one thing in mind; to win. Rewards at that time were high for common types of sport like baseball and football. Great players received recognition through the salaries paid to them and through the publicity they received. Their careers were also revolving around sports as they did not have to look for other alternatives to earn a living. (Kirby and Greaves, 1996) Women in the 60 and 70s were greatly misused. Most of them were great in their field but were not receiving pay packages that even came close to the ones that men did. In addition, their achievements did not receive as much recognition as men's accomplishments. This eventually caused many women to drop from their fields of interests. It was very common to find that a woman who was once a sports lady took a different career path from the one that she had started with. Most sportswomen ended up taking the role of socialists fighting for better pay and more equality in sports. 7.2 Professionalism in the present Men have played a great role in the commercialization of sports today. Men's Sports is now treated as a commodity. There are many clubs that have been formed like the National Football League, National Basketball Association and many others that regulate sports in football and basketball respectively. However, these clubs are predominantly male. It is very common to hear of player purchases; where a great player is bought by another club if the latter raises their salary or reward to the player's liking. Men are also facing the challenge of morality in sports. Cases of cheating, misconduct and violence like the notorious basketball brawl of 2001 were all conducted by males. Sadly, the sprit of sport is deteriorating as a result of men's contribution. Women have started receiving substantial salaries especially in sports like tennis and volleyball; there are women who have made a career off sports. Salaries in sports that are getting paid to women have increased and we now have cases of millionaires who have gained those millions from sport. But there is still a lot of room for improvement because sports that were predominantly male are not as rewarding as the former mentioned types; therefore salaries offered to participating women are not as high as they should be. Examples of such sports include soccer. The American women's soccer team has been doing quite well internationally as they qualified for the finals in the last world cup. But one cannot equate these women's salary brackets with what equally successful soccer players are getting. (Brackenridge, 2001) 7.3 Professionalism in the future There is a positive trend for women in sports. Judging from what has been happening in the past four decades, women are slowly gaining recognition. With the continual rise in coverage and spectatorship, women are most likely going to achieve a level playing field as men. It may also be possible for them to receive equal salaries to men probably two to three decades from the present. Men will have to improve their level of professionalism. This is because there will be more and more bodies set up to address issues of misconduct and cheating. Besides this, there are a lot of technological advances that may be incorporated into sports to tackle misconduct. This will eventually lead to improvements in their game. 8.0 Conclusion A sport presents its challenges to any sportsman regardless of their gender. But as it has been seen from the report, women have had to take on more than they bargained for. Sports for womn do not just involve competing; it also covers a number of political, economic and gender issues that weigh heavily on these women. Men have been getting more rewards for their efforts than women but this trend is slowly changing and will most likely be eliminated in the future. Reference: Brackenridge, C. (2001): Spoilsports: Understanding and Preventing Sexual Exploitation in Sport. London; Routledge Fasting, K. and Knorre, N. (2005); Women in Sport in the Czech Republic: The Experiences of Female Athletes, a journal for the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and Czech Olympic Committee Fasting, K., Brackenridge, H., and Sundgot-Borgen, J. (2000): The Norwegian Women Project: Females, Elite Sports and Sexual Harassment. Oslo, a journal by The Norwegian Olympic Committee and Confederation of Sports Leahy, T., Pretty, G., and Tenenbaum, G. (2002): Prevalence of sexual abuse in organized competitive sport in the US, Journal of Sexual Aggression 8(2): 16-36. Kirby, S. and Greaves, L. (1996): Foul play: Sexual abuse and harassment in sport, paper presented to the Pre-Olympic Scientific Congress, Toftegaard Nielsen, J. (2001): The forbidden zone: Intimacy, sexual relations and misconduct in the relationship between coaches and athletes, a journal for International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 36(2), 165-183. Williams, J.F. (1926): Physical education in the school, School Review April Read More