History of Women in Sports

History of Women in Sports

For most of human history, athletic competition has been regarded as an exclusively masculine affair. Women weren't aloud to watch most sporting events let alone participate in them. Not till late 19th century did women really begin participating in sporting events. Although women were permitted to participate in many sports, relatively few showed interest, for a variety of social and psychological reasons that are still poorly understood. Title IX declares: "No person in the U.S. shall, on the basis of sex be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal aid." Therefore sex should not deem females athletic ability as inferior in comparison to men. Women are physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of playing any sport just as men are.

There has been claims saying that women are not as strong as men, women do not have the physical capability to play sports, and that a woman's place is in the home rather than on the playing field. These claims have been in existence since the beginning of time. Until pretty much the 19th century these claims kept woman from participating in any physical activities. Before this time men were the only ones allowed to be apart of the Olympics, participate in sports, and even attend these events. Women were basically only allowed to work around the house, cooking and cleaning. People would try to keep women from playing sports because they believed women are fragile and it has also been said that women do not have the skills or talents to play and compete alongside men.

"Brenna Rushing said it best when she wrote “The SMU women’s basketball team wins games; th...

... middle of paper ...

...ing on strong: Gender and sexuality in twentieth-century women's sport. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Hult, J. S. (1994). The story of women's athletics: Manipulating a dream 1890-1985. In D. M. Costa & S. R. Gurthrie (Eds.), Women and sport: Interdisciplinary perspectives (pp. 83-106). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Krane, V. (2001). We can be athletic and feminine, but do we want to? Challenging hegemonic femininity in women's sport. Quest, 53,115-133.

National Association for Girls and Women in Sport. (2006, December). NAGWS announces new scholarship fund for female athletes. Retrieved January 15, 2007, from http://www.aahperd.org/nagws/template.cfm?template=pr_120406.htm.

Park, R. J., & Hult, J. S. (1993). Women as leaders in physical education and school-based sports, 1865 to the 1930s. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 64(3), 33-39.