The Role of Women in Sports

Sports have long been an important part of society. It was, “at some point lost in the smog of the 19th century, sports went from being officially a bad thing to being a very good thing indeed, virtually a pillar of state.” (Sheed) The world has since become sports obsessed, and for good reason. The triumphs and defeats of a favorite athlete or team can unite families, cities, even whole countries on a level that few other events can.

Felisa Rogers claims that a love for football is what brought her and her husband closer together. “I started listening to Rich when he talked about football, because it was a lifeline between who he had become and who he used to be. And the more I actually listened, the more I actually understood… Simply watching the game gives you the right to believe, wholeheartedly and without reservation, that your team deserves to win.” (Rogers) It was football the ultimately helped their marriage through hard times, helped them grow closer and find a sense of happiness.

It is through sports that we break boundaries. They are so often symbolic of overcoming oppression, be it political or racial. For example, Maya Angelou wrote of the experience she had listening to the radio with much of the African American community in town to a boxing match in which Joe Louis, known as the Brown Bomber, defeated his white opponent. Looking back she wrote, “Champion of the world. A Black boy. Some Black mother’s son. He was the strongest man in the world. People drank Coca-Colas like ambrosia and ate candy bars like Christmas.” (Angelou) The celebration broke out because of what was symbolized for the Black community through this sporting event.

But while sports are very important to society, and while they have helped...

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Moller, William. "We, the Public, Place the Best Athletes on Pedestals." They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing." Ed. Gerald Graff. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. 545-557. Print.

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