In pro sports the thing thats been talked about the most here lately is homosexuality. Homosxuality isn’t just in the pro leagues anymore it has spread to colleges and even in high schools. The people that tend to have an issue with people being gay and playing sports is the older generations. The older generations grew up in a time where homosexuality was seen as wrong. Recent trends suggest that society is becoming more accepting of homosexuality in a variety of settings, especially in sports.
In Edmuson article he talks about how playing sports helps people build their character or damage it, how being gay and playing sports is hard. Another thing Edmuson article talks about is how most athletes are taught that homosexuality is wrong so they think they have to play the role in being anti-homosexual. WNBA star and former Baylor player Brittney Griner is a good example of having a hard time with building character and being able to express herself in college. While playing for Baylor she wasn’t allowed to come out to the public and say that she is gay. Griner’s college coach told her that for recruiting purposes she should not express her sexuality to the public. Another reason why Griner wasn’t allowed to come out was because Baylor was afraid that if she did people wouldn’t let their kids come and play at Baylor.
Griner being as tall as she is has changed the game of basketball a lot but if she was allowed to express herself for who she really is she just might have changed the game a whole lot more. In Baylor Student Policies handbook there is a statement about human sexuallity.
It basically says that being homosexual is wrong and if you have any doubts about your sexuality you should go see the Baylors concealer.
With th...
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...t play in the pro league keep supporting it maybe and coming out about their sexualiy will help change the worlds view on gays. With Griner, Sam, and Collins openly gay soon enough you will see more and more people come out and say they are gay or they support their teammates sexuality.
Works Cited
brittney griner bullied (2013, july 18). cyd zeigler, C. Z. (n.d.). The eagle has landed Retrieved from http://www.outsports.com/2014/2/9/5396036/michael-sam-gay-football-player-missouri-nfl-draft Edmundson, M. (2012). DO SPORTS Build Character or Damage It?. ChronicleOf Higher Education, 58(20), B6-B9. http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/20/why-brittney-griner-kept-her-sexuality-quiet/ Kwaku alston , K. A. (n.d.). Nba player jason collins is coming out now. Retrieved
fromhttp://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/news/20130429/jason-collins-gay-nba-player/
As the century progressed, the physicality of women in sports became more acceptable. Women who were not as feminine still had to deal with prejudice, and were sometimes labeled "homosexual" as a derogatory statement. Although there are still stereotypes that many women feel bound to, we see at the end of the film that images of women as athletes, rather than athletes as women are now acceptable. The Nike commercials are a good example of this. These commercials extol the physical prowess of wo...
Sports have served as a platform on which the subject of race has been highlighted. Sports have unfailingly been considered the microcosm of society. This is because the playing fields have revealed the dominant culture’s attitudes and beliefs that people held about race relations throughout history in the United States. Many racial barriers were broken in the world of sports long before they were crossed in the realm of mainstream society as a whole. From Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball during the year of 1947 to Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists clad in black gloves during the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics, sports have started conversations about race in the United States that have undeniably changed the course of race relations in the United States.
But according to Dilley-Knoles in “Making the Grade: Academic Success in Today’s Athlete,” he seems to believe the total opposite. He points out “attention has not always been solely about games and competitions” apparently the “spotlight” has recently been “redirected to academics (Dilley-Knoles). Today, athletes wanting to participate in athletics have to meet specific criteria before being on a team of some sort in high-school (Dilley-Knoles). Knoles explains how over the last few years, the National Collegiate Athletic (NCAA) has created certain standards for academic performance for those students who are in sports (Dilley-Knoles). Certain programs have been created to reward sport teams that do well academically, and penalizing those that don’t (Dilley-Knoles). Although Gabby Douglass was the first women of color “of any nationality and the first African-American gymnast in Olympic history” to become the “Individual All-Around Champion,” I believe the photo shows that athletics was more important than academics (Mike). The young girl below her suggests that she’s more focused on school because she might have not had the same opportunity as Gabby did. Athletes, similar to Gabby, find the pursuit of athletics to be “lucrative” which is something that society values through money (Kannan). In “Which is more important, sports or academics, and how can the choice are
In 1970 only 1 in 27 girls participated in high school sports, today that ratio is 1 in 3. Sports are a very important part of the American society. Within sports heroes are made, goals are set and dreams are lived. The media makes all these things possible by creating publicity for the rising stars of today. Within society today, the media has downplayed the role of the woman within sports. When the American people think of women in sports, they think of ice skating, field hockey and diving. People don’t recognize that women have the potential to play any sport that a Man can play, with equal skill, if not better.
...ennis, basketball, soccer, and martial arts—have come from the days of cheerleading and synchronized swimming when she was growing up in the ’70s.” Disparities in media coverage and over-sexualized female athletes on magazine covers is something that needs to come to an end because of its effects on both male and female viewers, young and old, athletes and non-athletes. Both female and male athletics influence young people and shape their personality and morals as they mature. Retired WNBA player, Lisa Leslie credits her participation in basketball with shaping her character, as well as her career. “Sports can also help teenagers during an awkward time in their development.” (“Women’s Athletics: A Battle For Respect”). The solution is to come together as a society and identify how to balance the respect for female and male athletes in the media.
"The Relationship between Athletics and Academic Achievement (Bowdoin, Gender and Women's Studies)." Bowdoin College. Mar. 2009. Web. 27 July 2011.
It has taken many years for women to gain a semblance of equality in sports. Throughout history, women have been both excluded from playing sports and discriminated against in sports. Men’s sports have always dominated the college athletic field, but women were finally given a fighting chance after Title IX was passed. Title IX, among other things, requires scholarships to be equally proportioned between men and women’s sports. Although this was a huge gain for women, gender inequality still exists in sports today. An example of this persisting inequality can be seen when looking at men’s baseball and women’s softball. In college, baseball and softball are both major NCAA sports. It is widely accepted throughout today’s society that baseball is a man’s sport, and softball is a woman’s sport. Very few people question why the two sexes are separated into two different sports, or wonder why women play softball instead of baseball. Fewer people know that women have been essentially excluded from playing baseball for a long time. This paper will focus on why softball has not changed the way women’s basketball has, why women continue to play softball, the possibilities and dynamics of women playing baseball with and without men, and the most discriminating aspect of women being banned from playing professional baseball.
Since sports and athletics have been brought into our society it has always been gender specific. For example, it is seen that males should be playing the rough and tough sports or athletics such as rugby and football, whereas the women should be participating in less competitive sports and athletics such as swimming, or running. Can you imagine that the world population of women is around forty-nine percent and they still aren’t given the same opportunities or respect as men? Being a women in the twenty-first century playing one of those “non-traditional” sports is a tough task for these women. The women who choose to do so are usually questioned about their sexuality and
People do not seem to raise as much attention to transgender males playing sports because the transgender males are the ones with the disadvantage. They might have lower testosterone levels than the other males competing. Transgender women competing in sports is a completely different story. Transgender women might have higher testosterone levels than the other women competing. There is medication for transgenders to take which makes their testosterone levels match the average level for the
Participation in sports has proven to increase self-discipline and self-esteem, and can teach athletes to learn from their mistakes and move on (Issitt). Athletes playing team sports also develop the ability to work well with others and use teamwork in their everyday lives. Teammates form relationships that are strengthened over a common passion and goal. These relationships can last long after high school is over (Chen). These social skills translate into better communication used with an athlete’s family, peers, and in the community. Likewise, “A 2006 study in Maryland found that student athletes are 15 percent more likely than non athletes to be involved in their communities and to take the time for civic engagements, including participating in voting and volunteer activities” (Issitt). The same study also concluded that athletes are far more likely to be comfortable with public speaking than non-athletes. This study provides concrete evidence that high school sports can help to gain mental and social skills that will be used later in life
Gender in sports has been a controversial issue ever since sports were invented. In the early years, sports were played only by the men, and the women were to sit on the sidelines and watch. This was another area of life exemplifying the sexism of people in which women were not allowed to do something that men could. However, over the last century in particular, things have begun to change.
One of the theories behind this gender inequality in athletics is due to the strict traditionalism of society. “Society does not like to see women in roles that go against the norm of what a woman ‘should be” (Rodriguez). A woman is expected to carry on traditional feministic traits that include being sexy, delicate, passive, graceful and essentially powerless. “Nowhere does the word ‘athletic’ appear on that list” (Rodriguez). These female athletes are not just exceeding in a sport that they play, they are tearing down the barriers that have always left women on the outside of the world of professional sports. The idea of a strong, athletic woman gives many people an uncomfortable feeling because it is not seen as an attractive trait or loyal to traditional characteristics. This unaccepted view of athletic women has led to unjust stereotyping. If they participate in a sport that is not perceived as feminine, women are often stereotyped as being lesbian. Women who do not fit the cultural definitions of femininity run the risk of being labeled a homosexual. Societal expectations are restrictive and seem to refuse to view the athletic talents of women as acceptable behavior.
It has been known a proven fact that participation in high school sports encourages better moods, self-esteem, and a higher level of academic achievement. This has been proven through various studies, one of them being a study done in New York. In 2006, the Carnegie Corporation of New York discovered that students benefited from participating in high school sports. An improvement in grades, confidence, and personal health and welfare were appreciably noted in ...
The scholars expounds that Black athletes were commodities on the playing field to help win games and bring in revenue to their respected schools. However, the schools were just as eager and willing to leave their Black players behind and dishonoring the player as a part of the team. Therefore, not compromising the team’s winning and bring in profits for the school. Sadly, Black athletes at predominately White institutions (PWIs) who believed that they were bettering the live of themselves and their families members by going to college and playing collegiate sports to increase their post secondary careers. However, these athletes were only “show ponies” for their schools. Unfortunately, Black athletes had allegiance to their school; however, the school turned their backs on the athletes to protect the profit and notoriety of the school and the programs. Money and respect from White fans and spectators were more important to the PWIs than standing up for the respect of their Black players. Racial bigotry in sports was rampant and it was only going to get worse.
That happens when a female is not permitted to join a team mainly because of her sex. In addition, there is general understanding among athletes that being men will help to get more success in sports, especially in Olympics, than being women. However, for female athletes, the problem is when their womanhood or femininity do not fit the games they are playing. In the sport of American football, it is a violent sport for men, so how can the women play a game like this? For that reason, the women cannot play with the men, but they can play with others who have the same gender. Currently, male sports have many leagues to support and give men opportunities to become famous and successful. There have been many positive changes when women involvement in sport has increased over the years. According to Dworkin and Messner, “Two new professional women’s basketball leagues began in 1996 and 1997. And one of them, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), began with a substantial television contract a factor that today is the best predictor of financial success in pro sport” (741). The author shows that women typically should equal opportunities to play sports as men. The author also showed that female sports should be developed and successful in the