Prejudice In Sports

Gender Prejudice in Sports
Sports; it is a pass time, hobby, career, and a huge part of American culture. Professional sports, like baseball, football, and basketball are watched by millions every game. The athletes are also some of the highest paid people in America. Colleges and high schools offer many different sports programs to students. However, most people only think of men when they think of athletes. This idea does not allow for women to have as good of an experience in athletics as men. Female athletes at Blue Valley West and throughout the nation are discriminated against and action needs to be taken to stop it.
Throughout history, women have seen a wide variety of discrimination including something as simple as sports. Starting
This example highlights how limited women are in opportunities to compete in sports. Furthermore, until 1984, when the women’s marathon was introduced, “it was commonly believed that women were not physically capable of running long distances,” which explains the sexist mentality of athletics of that time (Sage 45). However, treatment of women did improve. The United States passed Title IX which stated that equal opportunities must be provided for men and women in educational programs and activities (Sautman 1421). This did improve the previous situation. However, sexist ideals still carried over from the pre-Title IX period. Gender inequality in sports still exists in 2016 in both Blue Valley West, and the professional levels. This is important because gender inequality in sports is a microcosm of everyday life. For instance, women get paid much less for performing the same jobs as men which is also the case in sports. Also, sports and physical activity play a vital role in people’s health. The health benefits of physical activity that comes with sports are, better
Sexism dating back to America’s founding is still present now and it is unacceptable that it is still tolerable today. Sexism is present from young kids up to adults and in professional organizations. It is not uncommon to hear “You throw like a girl!” from young kids (Sage 46). Throwing like a girl should not have a negative connotation and this phrase needs to be eliminated from society. Due to young kids saying this, it is apparent that they are raised in sexist environments which needs to end in order for America to truly be equal. As well as young kids being sexist, many fully grown adults are as well. One example of this is a radio show announcer calling the Rutgers University women’s basketball team “nappy-headed hoes” (Sage 46). Something like this is inexcusable and damages the pride of women and it happens way too much in society due to sexist attitudes. Besides inappropriate words from individuals, sports organizations like the NFL have biased attitudes. Since the year 2000, “there were 84 arrests for domestic violence and no player received more than a one-game suspension” (Sage 47). In society, women lose if violence against them is tolerated publicly by an influential organization like the NFL. Finally, in order to get the attention women deserve in athletics, they have to turn to magazines like Sports