Sexism In Sport Essay

SEXISM IN SPORT

While sport has the potential to operate as a unifier, life guide and aid to a healthy lifestyle, in its prominent capacity, it also bears significant potential to be a discrimination facilitator, hooligan encourager and ethical perspective repressor. I believe that Humphreys’ view, although unconventional, deserves careful consideration as a reality due to sport’s generally innate impartiality towards gender discrimination which, considering our being in the 21st century, seems antiquated thus unjustifiable.

The London Olympics in 2012 were the first Olympic Games in history in which women were allowed to compete in every Olympic Sport. There are 164 different Olympic sports and prior to the IOC’s decision in 2009, women were only participating in 124 of them. The first Olympic Games were held in 14 B.C so this means that it has taken the sporting world over 2000 years only to begin to recognise women as equals. Furthermore, Fifa’s first woman executive was only elected in 2013 AND the word ‘sportswoman’ was used for the first time in the 21st century! This introduces the question: is imposing quotas the only way to combat under-representation?

Although my main focus within sexism in sport is on women, I believe that the unrestrainable issue caused essentially by stereotypes effects men as well, for example, male cheerleaders, dancers and gymnasts are often assumed to be gay and are homophobically discriminated against accordingly just because of the sport they do. (Likewise, while the world is prepared to take advantage of the elegance shown by women in sports like ice-skating, ‘tomboyish lesbianism’ is connoted by women hockey, football or cricket players.)

In an ideal world, all opportunities, including sporti...

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...f sports media coverage is devoted to women’s sports and without this increasing so to increase public awareness of women’s talent we cannot expect the situation to improve.

Sport is a most powerful tool in swaying a country to believe in its people and unify its nation. This way sport certainly has the potential to improve women’s recognition as equals in the world however I believe it is currently not doing that. We cannot let something that has the potential to be so beneficial to our lives become dangerously, morally blinding. William Arthur Ward said: “Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records”, with this in mind, the hope is to keep women motivated so they continue to triumph, surprising the world until eventually, men realise that we are as capable as they are and deserve the same benefits of the sporting industry as they do.

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