Gender Discrimination in the Stadium

I. Introduction

Sports, the strength of American entertainment and a pastime played by both men and women, are often disregarded when the separation of male and females in American society is discussed. Yet, a projecting divide between men and women in American sports is a reality. By observing the parallel and diverse attitudes and behaviors of male and female athletes, coaches, fans, and the sports media in the 2013 NCAA Women’s Final Basketball Championship and the Louisville vs Michigan 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, an overall cultural and social tension on female athletes is revealed.

II. Observations

The attitudes, ideas, and personalities of the male and female Basketball athletes are unalike– female athletes hold an earnest attitude in their profession while male athletes hold a condensing attitude in their profession. When introducing the teams of the Louisville vs. Michigan 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, the video for the introduction of the Michigan Wolverines team was shown. In the video, the male athletes expressed a sense of confidence and poise through valiant and heroic postures. The male athletes’ body language articulated an overall sense of superiority and sureness of winning the game (2). On the other hand, female athletes communicated a sense of perseverance and determination to do their very best in the game. Baylor University’s leading athlete, Britney Grimer was introduced before the games began. Britney Grimer expressed a sincerity and motivation to win not only for her team, but for young girls who aspire to play in sports. Grimer voiced her desire to join the NBA and play with the “big boys.” She also acknowledged the fact that girls are criticized when playing sports. Universit...

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...ssion into a particular sport achieves status as an athlete. Thus, women who have achieved status of being an athlete should be acknowledged for their devotion as well. Rather than discussing about money and emotions, sports media should direct their primary focus upon the strengths and fortes of female athletes as they do with male athletes.

V. Conclusion

When observing a cultural phenomenon as an ethnographer rather than as a fan, the results are eye-opening. The Western culture prioritizes equality as a core value in societies; however, there are still some boundaries that continue to avoid complete gender equality in the USA despite laws and amendments. If women and men continue to stand up against the unfair discrimination, the perceptions in sports media will slowly change and female athletes will be regarded for their well-deserved and achieved statuses.