The Way Men and Women are Portrayed Because of Sports
Michaela Hutchison made history in 2006 by becoming the first female wrestler to win a state championship where males also competed (Asis par. 8). Women are changing the face of sports but have to continuously fight against society. Women in sports are highly criticized; they are considered not as hardworking as men, compete in activities not classified as real sports, and are criticized for their appearance while participating in sports. Women’s sports are seen as play, while men’s sports are seen as work. The sport football requires physical strength, self determination, and mental toughness. Is this true for all sports or just football? In the article “Why Sports Matter,” by Wilfrid Sheed, he states, “A football equals work, a volleyball is only play” (497). He argues that female athletes have fun while the male athletes put effort into their sports. This statement is false. Whether the sport is football or tennis, baseball or gymnastics, both male and female athletes work to achieve their successes. Gymnastics requires physical strength, self determination, and mental toughness just as football does. Athletes should not be discriminated against based on gender. In fact, Amby Burfoot, a former Boston Marathon winner and a member of the Road Runners Club of America Hall of Fame, recently conducted a study comparing female runners and male runners. He concluded that “Women don't need to chase men. All they need is the chance to chase their own potential” (Burfoot par. 19). When comparing distances, women are breaking records just as men are. Burfoot proves the point that women work just as hard as men and should not have to prove their worth in the sports world. Women advocate for cheerleading to be considered a real sport. However, Title IX does not classify cheerleading a sport (“Is Cheerleading a Sport?” par. 3). The committee believes that all cheerleaders do is stand on the sidelines and cheer for the real athletes. There is no competition involved; therefore, it is not considered a sport. Mariah Burton Nelson, author of “The Stronger Women Get,” insists, “Cheerleaders should not be called athletes” (qtd. in “Is Cheerleading a Sport?”). In other words, Nelson is saying that because cheerleaders stand around in skirts and chant they are not considered athletes. I disagree with Nelson’s view that cheerleaders should not be called athletes because, as recent research has shown, they now compete in competitions such as the World Cheerleading Championship. Cheerleaders not only argue for the title as an athlete but also face the discrimination under the stereotype cheerleader. Kate Torgovnick, author of “Cheer,” states, “The image of the cheerleader straddles the virgin/whore line” (qtd. in Yabroff 526-527). Torgovnick is stating that cheerleaders are not looked upon as athletes but instead are automatically considered to be sluts. This is also a false stereotyping of women, which is displayed through media coverage as well. Society has an influence on female athletes and how they should be perceived while competing in sports. As cheerleaders are stereotyped as prissy girls who are more concerned with being in the spotlight than the actual sport, the same concepts apply to other female athletes. In the article “Move Over Boys, Make Room in the Crease,” author Sara Maratta argues, “. . . Female players struggle with the pressure to look feminine while lobbing a shot over the net or crushing an ace right down the center of the court” (539). According to Maratta, women need to look pretty while playing a competitive sport. Maratta’s point is invalid; here, women who are being scrutinized by being concerned with their looks, and then there is a group of women who are being scrutinized by the way they should look while playing sports. In short, the scrutinization that these women face is unfair and it can’t be both ways. Women should be able to dress in whatever makes them comfortable when it comes to competing in their sport and should not be worried about being paid to be pretty (Maratta 541). Men do not have to worry about if they look attractive while making a tackle, so women should not be worried about whether or not their hair is in a perfect ponytail when hitting a spike. Kate Parker, author of "Strong is the New Pretty," writes about her way of thinking women and girls should think of themselves. She photographed her daughter over a two-year time period and did not edit the images or make her dress up and have bows in her hair. Parker states, "I didn't want to shoot pictures like that. I didn't want girls to think they had to look like that (“Showing Girls That ‘Strong Is the New Pretty’”). Parker is stating that she wanted to capture her daughter while she was running and playing with her friends to prove that women do not have to be in full makeup to feel pretty. This is important for women to remember, especially while playing a sport. Michaela Hutchinson is a woman who has proved men wrong. Regardless, women athletes are still getting treated as players merely only having fun, to some of women’s sports not being classified as sports, women are highly criticized when it comes to the sports industry. They are considered to not work as hard as men. Furthermore, women are wrongly criticized for the way they look while participating in sports.
Works Cited Asis, Adrian. “10 Memorable Times Women Beat Men in Sports.” TheRichest, 20 Oct. 2014, www.therichest.com/sports/10- memorable-times-women-beat-men-in-sports/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017. Burfoot, Amby. “Women Cannot Compete Against Men in Sports.” Runner's World, edited by Karen Miller, vol. 40, 2005, p. 49. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010151266/OVIC?u=chil38234&xid=d5bfc76c. Accessed 2017. "Is Cheerleading a Sport?" Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 14 Apr. 2006. Web. 21 Feb. 2017. <http://icof.infobaselearning.com.library.ncmissouri.edu:8080/recordurl.aspx?ID=9160>. Maratta, Sara. “Move Over Boys,Make Room in the Crease.” They Say I Say, 2nd ed., W.W. Norton & Company, New York, NY, 2012, pp. 1–701. Sheed, Wilfrid. “Why Sports Matter.” They Say I Say, 2nd ed., W.W. Norton & Company, New York, NY, 2012, pp. 1–701. “Showing Girls That ‘Strong Is the New Pretty'.” CNN Wire, Mar. 2015. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A408081855/OVIC?u=ncmoc11357&xid=46a71dfb. Accessed 2017. Yabroff, Jennie. “In Defense of Cheering.” They Say I Say, 2nd ed., W.W. Norton & Company, New York, NY, 2012, pp. 1–701.