http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoAs-dhXdqU
Even after the passing of Title IX in 1972, many people were still hesitant to let females play sports with males: “In 1974, two years after the passage of Title IX…Little League Baseball was forced to open its game to girl participants…The creation of Littlle league softball is consequential in terms of the gender regime of the organization” (Messner, 15). Instead of “opening the game” up to girls, they created a whole new game for females—softball. Even today, female and male sports are thought of as categorically different and perceived in different ways. Male sports and athletes get the majority of the coverage in the media, whereas when female athletes are shown, there is less focus on their sport and more on their sexuality. Moreover, it is almost expected—and widely accepted—for males to be violent while playing their sport, whereas violence in female sports is looked down upon and down played in the media.
Scholars have argued that female youth sports produce only positive effects in girls’ behaviors. However, the media clip provided above is contradictory to this assumption because sports—regardless if it’s played by females or males—are usually very intense and elicit high levels of aggression from males and females alike, which ultimately leads to some violence in sports. However, one thing to notice about the violent behavior of the female soccer player in the clip is that her aggression and violence is much more subtle than the violent behaviors seen in male sports.
How females and males express aggression and violence differently in sports is important to think about because it reflects societal gender expectations. In lecture, Professor Messner discussed a variety of reasons as to why males are violent: homophobia & misogyny, competitive career hierarchies, suppression of self-empathy, etc. Thus, due to the fact that society expects males to be strong and dominant, openly violent behavior seen in male sports are more acceptable than they are in female sports. Since females are not expected to behave in the same ways as males, the violent behaviors in female sports are much subtle and hidden. However, although violence in all youth sports is important to consider, this one negative aspect is outweighed by all of the positive aspects of youth sports, such as getting exercise, making friends, and keeping kids off the streets.
Kelsea made an interesting point about the difference in level of violence in men’s and women’s sports. The ESPN clip she used for her presentation shows the type of violence expressed between these women on the soccer field. Subtle things like elbowing a girl for position and then a punch in the back are not usually seen during men’s sports games. In the clip, when the New Mexico soccer player pulled the BYU girl’s hair, which caused her to fall to the ground, the ESPN commentator labeled that as “downright unsporty”. Yet, if a male athlete did something equivalent to pulling on a ponytail, his sportsmanship would probably not be called in to question. We expect men to be aggressive in sports, and this often leads to acts of violence on the field. This difference in expression and expectation of aggression demonstrates the categorical differences between men and women. The male expectation of openly violent behavior adds to their perceived dominance over women. Women are expected to be more submissive than men, even in competitive environments, like sports games. And when violence erupts between females, their sportsmanship and sometimes even their femininity are called into question.
ReplyDeleteThis clip is very interesting because it shows how violent women’s sports can get. I find it fascinating that the announcers were so shocked by how violent the girls got. When one girl elbowed another girl, the announcer displays shock and calls the defender rough and physical. However, these types of play occur in male soccer all the time. In addition, the announcer said that this game had some MMA qualities to it. I think that this comparison is ridiculous. MMA fighting is a full contact sport in which men are punching each other and beating each other up. To say that when a girl elbows another girl is the comparison of MMA fighting is ridiculous. This goes to show that there is a double standard in sports. Boys’ sports welcome physicality and “playing dirty”. In fact, boys who do not play physically are called pussies or sissies. On the contrary, girls are expected to play a very sportsmanlike game with an element of pleasantries and grace. This reflects the social values that girls are supposed to be graceful, pleasant, and calm while to be a true man a boy has to show his physicality and prove to everyone that he is strong.
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