violence in women's sports response

I find it interesting that boys are encouraged to play sports so that they can perform their masculinity, and that girls are also in a way encouraged to perform masculinity in sports, but there is never a time when femininity is valued in sports. In fact, the sports that value femininity, like dance, gymnastics, and cheerleading, are often not considered real sports. I don't think that women are expected to be violent in sports at the level that men are. However, when they do get in fights, this creats a paradox between success in sports, which we correspond with strength and toughness, and correct representation of the female gender, which we correspond with kindness and a gentle, nurturing manner. The media's representation of violence in women's sports has a big impact on how this violence is viewed. When women are cheered on for fighting with one another, and complimented for being aggressive players, women are being rewarded for acting masculine. However, the media often demonstrates female violence as unnecessary and unnatural. Why is it that there is a place for violence in men's sports that does not exist in women's sports? Is it because women choose not to be violent, or is it because it is not socially acceptable for women to be violent? Even when women atheletes do not start fights, they gain respect by being tough and strong, qualities that are still associated with the male gender. By studying violence in women's sports in terms of the violence we see in men's sports and what we expect of the female gender, we are supporting gender essentialism rather than acknowledging the possibility that there is an association with athletics and violence that can apply equally to male and female athletes.