Game Changes for Females

For years, males have dominated the sports world, while women lurk in the background. It is evident that the attention female athletes get is overshadowed and forgotten almost immediately. One major factor contributing to this problem is the alteration of sport that females play compared to men.  The main sports that men play, which attracts millions of viewers, are altered and changed for women. Yet, despite these setbacks, there are many determined female athletes who strive to make a difference and prove that they can impact sports worldwide.

In sports today, we see that females are forced to play the same sports as men albeit with different rules and regulations. Baseball is an excellent example of this. Through stereotypes, females are generally associated with not having a "good arm". Phrases like "you throw like a girl" apply to someone who does not acquire any power or accuracy while throwing a baseball. In the MLB (Major League Baseball), pitchers throw overhand in attempts to strike out an opponent. Conversely, females play softball, a slightly different form of baseball. The pitcher throws a slightly bigger ball and is therefore forced to throw underhand. Although these are the rules of softball, women have always been associated to this style of play and this type of throwing. It belittles their skill to the average sports fan. Many see this as a simple game and it undermines their ability, forcing them to throw underhand while males throw overhand. These women have practiced for years and have developed this unique ability just like any other athlete, yet they do not gain the same amount of respect from their peers.

Another sport we see these slight alterations is hockey for females, which does not allow any physical contact. In international play, club play or even at the collegiate level, professional women’s hockey players are not allowed to use physical contact in their games. Hockey players in general are considered to be rough, violent, and all out nasty individuals. This is due in part to the constant amounts of bone crushing hits and multiple fights that occur in a regular game. To the average hockey fan, watching females play seems less physical and is regarded as a simpler, easier version of the game.

Another sport that females have to endure rule changes and game variations in is football. As we see in the NFL (National Football League), football is a very tough and physical game played by extremely athletic individuals. In the past, females have not had the opportunity to play football in a big time venue that could be seen on TV. However, in 2003 the LFL was available on pay per view on the Sunday of the super bowl. Years later, the LFL has grown into a legitimate league with its first 20 week season. The LFL stands for Lingerie Football League, in which women will dress up with a helmet, shoulder pads and lingerie, playing the game of football. Although it is estimated as one of the fasted growing sporting events in North America, the league does not provide health insurance for the players and does not pay them. These females simply love the game of football and will do whatever it takes to play professionally. The LFL shows how degrading this is to women. Viewers clearly watch the game simply for the attire that each player wears. In a sense, women are reduced down to their physical attributes. The only way they can play the sport on a national level is if is to dress in provocative clothing and hope that enough males see them tackle each other. How they look on the field is far more important than how they play. As you can imagine, no one watches the LFL for the sport.

When women are introduced to sports such as the examples above, it just proves the point they are underappreciated in terms of how they play. The rules of these games are constructed by men, and through this they tend to judge women and place them on a lower pedestal in terms of importance and skill in sports. Clearly, by women playing with different rules they have no choice but to be the subjects of criticism from their male counterparts.

As we have discussed in our blog female athletes have always been looked down upon and criticized in many areas. Obviously, many individuals are sexist in how they view women, but these sports are just some examples of how rule changes and altering of the game play will add to these negative connotations of women’s sports. This creates an even larger gap between men and women in the sports world and how the average viewer sees them.

Sources:

http://www.geekosystem.com/lingerie-football-league-video-game/

http://thesmartjournal.com/genderinsw.pdf