Sexism in Sports

Sexism in Sports Do you believe that sexism in sports is a big issue in the sports industry? Sexism in sports has become a social problem throughout the years. Throughout the history of sports, female athletes have struggled to gain equality with the male athletes. Female sports have faced a derogatory attitude toward their sports. According to Macionis, sexism is defined as “the belief that one sex is innately superior to the other” (Macionis 2010: 332). Another definition of sexism is defined by Mooney, Knox, and Schacht, “sexism is the belief that there are innate psychological, behavioral, and/or intellectual differences between women and men and that these differences connote the superiority of one group and the inferiority of the other” (Mooney et. al 2000: 169). Throughout history, sports have been oriented mostly towards males. For example, the first modern Olympic Games, held in 1896, which barred women from competition. According to Macionis, in the United States, Little League teams in most parts of the country have only recently let girls play (Macionis 2010: 19). Historically, the ideas have stated that girls and women lack the strength to play sports. Also, women’s growing interest in sport posed a further threat to traditional ideologies. Throughout the paper it will discuss the gender roles of female and male athletes, the image and perception of female athletes, athletes defending their identities, who benefits from the inequality, and how sexism has continued through time. Henslin and Fowler define gender roles as, “the attitudes and behaviors expected of boys and girls. We accomplish our gender when our physical appearance matches the expectations of others” (Henslin & Fowler 2010: 282). Macionis discusses the different gender roles more in-depth by stating, “A culture defines males as ambitious and competitive encourages them to seek out positions of leadership and play team sports. To the extent that females are defined

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