women in sports

Mi ae Yun

Kin 339I

In these days, the feminist cultural movement is brisk. The purpose of the protest is opposed to sexually discriminatory education, custom, and so on. Also, the movement is a greatly contribution to strong patriarchy as a symbol of virility, and the changes has occurred in the world of sports. According to the UNESCO which is a committee of Physical Education and Sports, no matter what gender is, every person has right to participate in any kinds of sports.

Although many people are trying hard to guard the equality between genders in the field of sport and political interest, sexual harassment and violence within intramural girls’ sports club or professional sports teams has been happening. Also, sexism in the process of leader selection became common social problems. The legal and systemically supporting to women’ sports is still lacked. So it is an urgent need for removing sexual discrimination within the sport environment that people come up with a social unity. Also, founding systemically steps can be one of the necessaries and it will also become a part of resuscitating the women’ cultural policies.

Physically Challenged Athletes

Life for the physically challenged athletes can be an obstacle both mentally, physically, and socially. The problem is with an obstacle or setback in your life, it is difficult to keep self-confidence, self-determination, and motivation to keep up with daily activities let alone sports and exercise. The social dimension does not add a positive effect to that. The downfall is tending to categorize or marginalize the disabled. This does not create a positive image for disabled persons. Anyone that was born with a disability, or was disabled during their lifetime needs extra support to keep them in a positive motivated mood.

Over the years many organizations such as the Paralympics and Challenged Athletes Foundation have been developed to raise awareness and get the physically challenged involved in some form of exercise that suits each individual with a competitive edge to it. The point is to encourage people to compete and be able to feel success through winning, and also the agony of losing. Every person challenged or not, deserves a chance to compete in sports and enjoy themselves doing it.

Some of the issues that face the challenged athletes are funding and awareness of their cause. There are 54 million people living with a disability in the United States alone. The equipment (either regular or adaptive) used to allow these individuals to engage in the active lifestyle is extremely expensive. Also, adaptive training and competition expenses add to the growing bill. So you can see how money can be a deciding factor in whether or not an individual plays a sport. The Challenged Athletes Foundation assists with scholarships and grants to help allow more people to join an active lifestyle and build the self-esteem that comes with it.

The Paralympics is also another great organization that has brought much awareness to the disabled cause. People are beginning to realize that disabled athletes can compete in many events and be just as competitive as the Olympics. Disabled athletes train intensely for their events in the Paralympics. They keep themselves motivated and they have overcome adversity. By doing this they set a very good example to other individuals with disabilities and they show it’s ok to be different emphasizing there are endless possibilities. They’re sending the message across that anything is possible and to not segregate yourself from non-disable people.
However, awareness of the cause is not large-scale as desired. For example, disabled cross-country skier Colette Bourgonje admitted Paralympic sport has come a long way but awareness is still low in some places, especially to disabled Canadians. Colette is a Canadian and hopes that hosting the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver and Whistler will show how many sports there are accessible for the disabled. To get a scope of how large this event is there will be 1,350 athletes and team officials from 40 countries. So the physically challenged has come a long way throughout the years but can always grow more. Disabled individuals face daily obstacles emotionally and physically that non-disabled individuals are not accustomed to. Raising awareness of their cause is crucial and should continue to grow with help from everyone’s support. Everyone should be able to participate in something they are interested in or love doing.

C.Rau
KIN 339
Monday 7 p.m.

Homosexual Athlete - “Coming Out”

So many gays, lesbians and bisexuals athletes are forced to compete in sports in the closet but when they come out their world is uplifted. For example Esera Tuaolo, and NFL foot ball player states, “he felt the burden lifting off of him and feeling light as a feather but jumping on a scale and weighting 300 lb.” Although this was a serious matter, Esera announced his coming out process in a joking manner. He wanted to show how happy he was after that process. Athletes that are gay, lesbian, or bisexual, should not worry about their sexual orientation and how it is view in society. They should be honest with themselves and their teammates because it will form a more cohesive team and trusting relationship within the group. Coming out is a difficult decision to make so their teammates will realized how hard it must have been to be in that situation. Athletes should really take it into consideration because coming out will produce a greater level of happiness and satisfaction with life.



- M.N.

-KIN 339I

Athletes of Color

The other day in one of my classes, we were talking about how environment and ethnicity affects what sport you will play, so my teacher asked a Hispanic boy what he was good at and he said soccer, she asked and Asian girl and she said gymnastics, and last she asked a African American girl and she said everything. The teacher laughed, agreed and went on to name African American athletes that excel in not your typical sports, like golf and tennis. And that made me think is that how society really feels about African American athletes? Are we naturally and biologically better? I do not think it is fair to say. African American athletes like Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Kobe Bryant all work really hard to be as good as they are in their sport, it is not because they are African American, but it is their work ethic and drive to be the best which makes them good.

C. Johnson

Sports and Athletes of Color

My personal experience of being a athlete of color has been different in every sport I have participated in. When I played football for the first time my freshman year everyone expected that I would be great at it and that I had played before high school. This was not the case, it was my first time playing ever. I did not understand all of the rules of football and I had did not know any of the techniques. Where as when I went into wrestling my sophomore year It was not as much of a race issue by my team mates they had no racial bias of how I should perform. I believe that many people stereotype athletes based on race, for example since I am 1/2 African American I should be good at basketball and football and should not be a good swimmer, where as a full Caucasian student might be stereo typed into being a good baseball player or water polo player. I do believe that people are starting to open their eyes to the fact that people of all races can be great in any sport, and to the fact that race is not always a factor in the sport that a athlete chooses to participate in.

Jason C.

Kin 339I

Psychological Issues of Women in Sports

Nineteen seventy-two was the year woman's sports had a chance to make a push for themselves. However, this is also another factor that may cause women to psychological issues in their sport. Men, in history, have always been seeing as the more dominant of the two genders, and especially so in sports. Women have been seeing as inferior at sports they play that men play, as well. For instance, take the WNBA (Woman's National Basketball Association)- the women of the WNBA have always been put down by sport writers all over the nation. "They are physically inferior to compete with male NBA athletes, and do not have the ability to market to the average American male" - this is one of many things that the WNBA is criticized on. This type of lashing at women in sports can play a huge part on their psychological mindset. Causing them to also feel inferior, or, no mater how much they achieve, they will never be able to be as good as a male athlete.
Coming from another angle, female softball players are highly identified as being lesbian and "male" like. I believe these women play a very competitive, hard-nose sport, and are wrongly criticized for portraying the same competitive nature as males in their sports. A stereotype like this can do serious psychological damage to young girls around the world who may have an interest in this sport, or other sports of similar nature. There is not one girl out there who will be okay with being wrongly accused of being something they are not.

Tony P. Nuñez

Gay and Lesbian Athletes

I really wanted to write about something that I'm not really knowledgable in, but I went online to read some articles about. I personally do not have anything against gay or lesbians, in fact I praise those who want to let people know that they are comfortable being who they are. I love sports and I believe that everyone should be given a fair chance to be part of a team or become an athlete. I was researching articles on gay and lesbian athletes and came across an article that caught my attention. It discussed the issues and stress that gay and lesbian athletes deal with. The pressure that the athletes, who are gay and lesbians, deal with is ridiculous. An athlete must deal with the thought of discrimination, playing time loss, loss on the roster of the team, coaches criticism, team thoughts, etc. If a player feels this way how are they supposed to function as an athlete without being bothered by a single disturbance. Performance would decline, self-esteem would plunge, social connections lost. Just the thought of it sucks. This case of an athlete feeling like this would mean that the coaches and team mates of the athlete are stereotypical, prejudice, uneducated in how to deal with gay and lesbian players, and disrespectful. If coaches and players are really part of the team, then they would respect and accept their fellow mate on their sexual orientation. Educating players and coaches that there are people of different race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation would be beneficial to providing team cohesion. How would teammates and coaches react in finding out that their point guard and best player on the basketball team was either gay or a lesbian? Definitely educating athletes and coaches and even people on this topic would benefit. What harm would it do?



I just wanted to end this entry with a quote from the article that describes a little on how to respect a person.

"What is required is respect for difference and a belief that everyone on the team should be safe and treated with dignity and fairness. This standard should be the bottom line for addressing all issues of diversity on an athletic team, not only differences of sexual orientation."


"Ja-Ja-Roni"
Ronnie Pierpoint
339i Mondays 7pm

Athletes in color

I'm reading a book for another class called Souled out? How Blacks are Winning and Losing in Sports. There are so many great black athletes our there with multiple endorsements. (I'm going to use the reference "black" because my book does). Lets go back in time to the 90's during the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen era. During a specific demonstration at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the basketball team illustrated a point on the medal stand. MJ draped an American flag over his shoulder to cover up the Reebok logo on his "Dream-team" warm-up. The rest of the team followed this demonstration. You may be wondering why this is such a big deal? Well, when Tommie Smith and John Carlos, two black sprinters at the 1968 summer Olympics took a stand for eqality and justice but got labeled as radicals or trouble-makers, they were standing up purely for what they believed in; equal "human" rights. This was the first original protest...meaning, they didn't march or riot and shout out for justice, they made a stand for equality. Back to MJ and the Olympic team, the main point of endorsements is that in the past they have silenced many black athletes from speaking out about sensitive and important issues. MJ knew not to commit financial suicide like Ali did, he had a plan to build as much capital for himself as possible and in order not to be attempted to attack the establishmemt (which he was appart of knowingly) he just kept his mouth shut. This made Jordan's silent act on the stage so important and more accepted and acknowledged in the 90's than it was when Smith and Carlos tried to take a stand in the 60's. My question is does this still happen today, have we completetly overcome it, or are there still limitations with certain black athletes?


M. Lisnock Kin 339

Athletic Women

I find women athletes very inspiring. There may be many more dominating male-geared sports but women are definitely stepping it up into the active world. More so this year and upcoming years women will be more known in sports. Sure, we still aren't as acknowledged or remembered if asked to recall a certain celebrity within a sport, but we still have reigns on some sports. For instance, just think, who do you think are one of the most magnificent players of beach volleyball? You'd have to think Misty May and Kerri Walsch first, if not second at least to mind. There are very many strong women who are competing in all kinds of events for track, basketball, skiing, snowboarding, surfing, any sport really, just name it. Hey, there's powerful women who can play football just as good as a lot of the guys out there. The world should pay attention to these leading women. Physically fit, and healthy, with soaring determination and long hours of hard work show when they perform. Two of my favorite sports that I follow closely with the women is gymnastics and surfing. Pro surfers are always seen advertising for Roxy and other big labels, but when they're out on the water, they're just as tough against the waves as any dude, and look hella graceful executing their tricks when riding a wave. As for gymnasts, there's no other sport in my view that's more mentally tough and physically challenging in all aspects of the body. Anything really can happen. Gymnastics is practically 70% mental and 30% physical. There's so many things to consider as you begin to warm up for either the balance beam, uneven bars, vault, or floor. And to practice, it seems repeatitive, but its for your body to retain the muscle memory to become automatically corrected. There's the pressure during practice of pushing yourself, and then there's the pressure of competing. Both are quite different where one is you, yourself deciding to push yourself and the other one is the pressure to push yourself to excel what your best practices were. There's so many more mental activities that you go through as a gymnasts, but overall, ALL athletic women are amazing.

Kristina D.
KIN339I

Special Olympics

Sports Illustrated voted the City of Lakewood Sports Town of the year for its exceptional recreation sports. Lakewood has offered five free sports for youths, ranging in ages six to seventeen, for decades now. The sports are flag football, basketball, baseball, softball, and volley tennis. Lakewood also trains and pays sports officials and scorekeepers for all the games. The best thing about Lakewood Youth Sports is that it welcomes children with disabilities. Children with moderate to several disabilities can join the LYS Special Olympics. The Special Olympians has every advantage that the rest of the LYS participants have, including a coach, practices, games, officials and scorekeepers. They play teams from the 12-13 age group and play as many games as the rest of the teams. The Special Olympics are invited to take part in the end-of-season awards ceremony and are honored for their hard work and amazing attitudes. Lakewood has always done an incredible job with its youth and continues to do so despite the hard economic times. If anyone has time I strongly encourage researching the City of Lakewood and Lakewood Youth Sports and all the great things they do for the community. Volunteers are always welcomed.

Issues of physically challenged athletes

I honestly can not believe how ignorant i was in this topic.Unforutunealty i don't really watch television and  i have never met any one who is phycially challenged who plays some kind of sport and stays active. I was reading our textbook and i was reading about the a sport of "beep baseball". I was like, what the heck is that? I wasn't really clear on beep baseball  until i saw a video on you tube. Then i thought it was the coolest thing ever! The National Beep Baseball Association NBBA was organized in 1976 for  visually impaired adults to play baseball.In this game the catcher, the pitcher, and two outfield spotters are sighted and the remaining defensive players are unsighted. I  was so fascinated by this because ive never really imagined those who are visually impaired playing the sport of baseball. Our book reports that  the unsighted players report being more tense and depressed when compared to unsighted players. This must be very challengeing for someone who has never been able to use their vision. For someone who has never seen a baseball, a bat, or the baseball field, etc must be a challenge. A problem they might deal with knowing when to hit the ball. This sport will require a lot of guessing . They also need to have a lot of  confidence because they have to deal with running to the bases without their vision. i think that can bring lots of tension and worry because they have no idea what to expect, where to run, or  even getting hit.There is probably a high chance of getting hurt in this sport or like any other sport. But being phycially involved in a sport can be very exciting and like any sport it  can be worth the risks. i thought that's its really cool to have sports for the phyically disabled because playing in a sport or being active can be such a positve experience. 

A. Pineda

Homosexuals in Sport

For some reason stereotypes hold with them more strength and influence than we might think. It is thought by many ignorant people that gay and lesbians cannot be athletes based on their sexual orientation. This is propelled and supported by their ignorance and sense of stereotypes built up by society. Homosexuals, especially males, along with many other people, sadly do not have a chance to make a name for themselves because society typecasts them first. Not every person is the same, and those in which the stereotypes are based off of provide a picture of all gay and lesbians. It is not very often that we see an elite gay or lesbian athlete. This is possibly because, as aware as they are of how they are typecast by society themselves, they feel that they will not be accepted as an athlete or not taken seriously. In a sense of female athletes, there is almost more of an assumption that they are lesbians due to their outstanding athletic ability. Most things in today’s society are based of off stereotypes and not seen for what they truly are.

J.L.P

339i

Psychological issues of women in sports

Through out the history of women in sport, opportunity has increased for women yet they still get looked down upon. Many athletes and coaches are presented with the issue of sexual orientation throughout their sporting career. Women are usually seen as manly if they play certain sports. It is also rare for people to be watching women play sports, because apparently men playing sports is more entertaining. I am guilty of doing this sometimes. I would way rather watch men play basketball or baseball instead of women. I have grown up to watch all these men play sports, while even though I am female, I still do not have that much interest in watching women. In my women in sport class, we were supposed to name all the women in sports that we know. Our group named about twenty people. Other groups also had trouble with this as well. If we were to name men, I bet we would have had our paper full. Women may be shown as weaker and less able to be more competitive. I bet there are many women out there that may not be physically as fit as a man, but more mentally tough. Hopefully one day, women will be on the same level as men when it comes to sports, and more people will be more open to watching it.

J.V. 339i

blue crush

Almost every single day I go onto either surfline.com, surfermag.com, or wetsand.com and check the surf and read articles about what's going on in the surfing world. I can almost guarantee that everytime I scroll down the surfline home page to the highest rated or most viewed photos I will find a picture of a woman surfing. How awesome is that? A sport that is dominated by men, about 75% men to only 25% women, has photos of women surfing and surfing very very well on the homepage of the biggest surf site on the web. Here enlies the problem with these photos, the high majority of the photos are images of the women performing a bottom turn. Given, bottom turns are the most essential and one of the coolest looking maneuvers in surfing, but when doing a bottom turn, the surfer must bend over at the waist. So the majority of the photos feature a girl in a bikini bending over. It would be difficult to find an image of woman in a wetsuit surfing, even performing a more difficult trick than a photo of a woman in a bikini, that has a higher user rating or as many views as the latter.



Here is an example I found in about 30 seconds
Photo found on first page of the highest rated photos on surfline
















This was also one of the very few that had a woman actually on a surfboard in the water








The body of a woman is a beautiful thing, but these women should also be appreciated for their surfing. It saddens me when I go surfing and see hundreds of guys in the line up and one girl and virtually no one will give her the respect she deserves. I can remember seeing a group of guys driving by two girl surfers and mocking her by screaming out "BLUE CRUSH!!" I saw them often and saw them laughing when the girls would fall and would make jokes behind her back. It's just another example of the reluctance of men to incorporate women into sports with them. Many of the guys that dont give women they deserve in the water aren't even the best surfers in the water on any given day. I hope girls keep surfing, and keep charging, and keep throwing buckets in the face of those kooks who think its okay to push women away from a sport that is all about enjoying yourself and letting everything go.



Joshua K.

339 M 7PM

Improving self confidence in physically challenged individuals

Being born physically handicapped or sustaining a handicapped causing injury in life can severely affect one's self-esteem and confidence. One of the best ways to cope with these psychological issues is to engage in physical activity and sport. We derive a great deal of accomplishment from successfully executing physical movement. When someone cannot perform activities such as walking, it can make that person feel inadequate and worthless. But if they can be shown that they are still capable of physical activity, confidence can be restored. One great example is the sport of wheelchair rugby. If you are interested in learning more about this sport you can watch the Academy Award nominated documentary film "Murderball". There are countless other ways for handicapped people to play sports. There are sports such as: blind golf, electric wheelchair hockey, wheelchair baseball, etc. Kyle Maynard is a wrestler born without forearms or lower legs. In high school, his wrestling record was 35 wins and 16 losses. He recently has begun training to compete as a fighter in Mixed Martial Arts. Here we see an example of an extremely handicapped individual who derives a great deal of accomplishment and self-esteem from his sport. Indeed, the physically-handicapped must be reminded that even if they have limitations, they can still live a life enriched by sport.

Jonathan Cocco
KIN 339I

Physically Challenged

The physically challenged athlete is often treated differently. Depending on the form of disability, the athlete can be seen as being heroic or the disability can be seen as a sign of evil, weakness, or even failure. Often times when our culture thinks of athletes in general, we often first think of men. However, when a male athlete endures a disability, it is sometimes seen as a failure more than if it were to be a woman who underwent the injury or is dealing with the injury. At times, a physical disability can be more detrimental to the female athlete. This, I have heard, is because physical beauty is a big part of life for females. Many disabilities are not seen as attractive, and as unfortunate as it is, many female athletes are known for their physical beauty, such as Anna Kournikova. However, there are athletes that do not want their disability to inhibit their achievements, like Oscar Pistorias of South Africa. He has two prosthetic legs and tried to compete in the Olympics, and not be restricted to the Paralympics. Although there was much debate about whether he had an advantage, in the end it didn’t matter because he did not make it past the qualifying round, but he showed that just because you have a disability, does not mean that your life is over; you can still accomplish everything you wanted, you may just need to view your situation in a different light.

B.W.
Kin 339I

Psychology of Women in Sport

When one looks back through history books they can see that a large portion of the athletic history that they will find is dedicated to male athletic achievement. Well my question is where is the woman? Do people today still believe that a woman's place is in the home? Taking care of her kids and cooking all the meals? I believe that most people put little emphasis behind female sports.
Back in the time when woman where just getting their start in sports, men allowed them to play sports that they deemed were suitable for them, such crochet and archery. It has been noted that any pain a woman experienced when playing these sports was deemed a problem with her uterus, and thought to be detrimental to her child-making abilities. All I personally have to say to that is "Wow". For people in this day and age rarely stop to look at how far we have come in terms of race and gender discrimination, but we still have a long way to go. For example, I am now 21 years ago, and I can count on one hand the times I have heard someone, especially a man, say "Oh lets go watch women's basketball" or " Did you hear about that great athlete Marcy Hobbs". It is a sad but true fact that woman are under appreciated.
Moreover, if a woman is noted as excelling in the sport as which she plays, she is oftentimes dually thought of as manly, sexualized by the press or portrayed as suffering from having to juggle a demanding athletic career with her family. I don't think that is fair at all. Women put just as must effort into sports as men, they have just as much ability as men and are just as mentally tough. So why the discrimination? I believe it is because people just are not ready to except the change yet. It is like with the recent presidential elections. For America, especially the middle aged white males, were not ready to see a female president lead them. It is a known fact that men think woman would rule with emotion over logic, and not do what is necessary to succeed as a president.
It is going to take a while for women to be seen equal to men in many aspects, but the point is it is in the future for all women athletes. Women just have to keep giving their sport their best, and sooner or later men will have to recognize them as achieved athletic individuals. Then one day few will remember the inadequacy women in sports once faced, for it will be a thing of the past to look back upon in astonishment.

C.A.G. KIN339

Ode to the Physically Challenged Athletes

Many people who are not involved in sports forget about the physically challenged athlete. The individuals that I think about in particular are the ones who became physically disabled after an injury. Besides getting used to the physical changes, there must be a million things going on cognitively speaking. I wonder about their confidence, anxiety, motivation, and mood. I admire them because I think it would be easiest to sink to the lowest psychological point. They could get depressed, be angry or bitter, and be fearful of the very activity that caused their injuries. I am almost positive that they do go through bouts of those feelings. Rising above the least ideal situation is a beautiful thing. I believe that many physically challenged athletes take on the challenge of learning compound skills. Not only do they excel in their sport but they master a new addition (i.e. artificial limbs). What is remarkable to me is that even though they may be in a chair, I see them walk taller than most.

D.M.
Kin339i
M 7pm

Psychological Issues of Gay and Lesbian Athletes

There are many issues that revolve around gays and lesbians in sport, I ask this question though will they ever be fully accepted within the sports that they play?You constantly hear of gays and lesbians progress in the athletic worlds but how much have they really progressed? Homophobic behavior and thought seems to me to be prevailing. Who is to say that someone is wrong or should be thought of differently for their sexual orientation? For some reason I think that our society as a whole seems to think that it is okay to oppress and think incorrectly about homosexuals. I think that a lot of homophobia for the male side of things begins in the locker room where homophobia is almost second nature in many cases; I have personally seen it at the high school and collegiate levels.According to Dave Zirin’s book “What’s My Name Fool?” No active player in the three major men’s sports has come out of the closet while playing. As we have seen by demonstrations in class when many hear the term female athletes or sports they tend to connect it with lesbians. I think that our society as a whole needs to make a much better effort to make gays and lesbians equal in sport, we have come a ways but there is still a long road ahead.

Adam Grubb

Kin 339i

Here is a video on youtube of the University of Hawaii head football coach getting in trouble for a gay slur: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GnMIKpguWo

Homosexuality in Sports

There seems to be a stereotype that a lot of women on basketball teams are lesbian. I’m not sure how this came to be, but interestingly enough my sister’s high school basketball team had several lesbian teammates and actually a lesbian coach. This was tough on her because other people at school would make fun of her and the team. A lot of people made a big deal about it for no good reasons at all. They lost sight of the fact that the girls were there to play basketball and have fun as a team and that sexual orientation had nothing to do with it. I’m sort of glad that my sister got to experience that type of diversity at a young age. I think it made her a better person and I think she would agree. It’s unfortunate that homosexuals are still getting so much negative attention both in and out of sports. It’s about time we stop making such a fuss about what gender people are attracted to and start paying attention to the real important things in life - like basketball.

Kyle B.

Kin 339I M 7pm

Female Role Model

Female athletes have been overlooked as primary role models especially by aspiring male athletes. Many guys feel they cannot relate themselves to how a woman plays the same sport they’re involved with. They may think that women aren’t aggressive enough, or too physically different to relate toward. I beg to differ because my main source of motivation to be a better athlete comes from my older female cousin, Taren. Although she is not an elite athlete, she had once proven herself as a sufficient basketball player on an all male team.
In high school, she was allowed to play on a male youth basketball team because there were no other girls interested in forming a league. In the beginning of her career she sat on the bench most of the time. In reaction to her coach’s treatment, she practiced after every practice. She spent an extreme amount of hours thinking and searching for basketball magazines, posters, videos, and shoes. By drowning herself in everything the sport had to offer, she developed skills and an increased understanding of the game. She eventually demonstrated her ability and became a starting player on her team. She was known to be fast, an accurate shooter, and sneaky. I have watched many of her games, and every time the opposing team’s coaches would be yelling out her jersey number, “12! 12! 12!” Even though I have never played in a basketball league, I have been able to apply the mental game my cousin had played to my athletic activities. She has personally been a source of motivation to guide me into becoming a better athlete. Her struggle from being an underdog to a starting player on her team has influenced me greatly to never feel discouraged to improve in any sport I practice.

Scott Shironaka
KIN 339i
M 7pm

Psychological Issues of Gay and Lesbian Athletes

T. Cook
Kin 339i

Homosexuality is a continuing conflict within colligate sports. Many issues from the coaches to the fans go into this conflict. But I believe that there are 3 main issues. The first one is the feeling the need for gays and lesbians to hide their sexual orientation on their teams. For example, on a football team if you are gay one will feel uncomfortable going to the locker room or trying to have any non intimate relationship with a teammate in fear that the fellow teammate may question their incentive. This could destroy team chemistry. The next one would be problems with gays or lesbians having intimate relationships on the same team. For instance on my friends’ collegiate woman’s basketball they encounter many “issues” with fellow teammates because of intimate relationship going on between teammates. This could be hazardous to a team’s focus and demeanor. Finally one of the biggest problems that happens on a team is the division of a team aka cliques. You have every right not to agree with some ones orientation but this could cause disrespect on the same team. It also can cause a player to not perform to his/hers highest ability on the team.

Before Jackie Robinson athletes of color weren’t even considered to play on the professional level. Now, 62 years later, it seems that people of color almost dominate every major televised sport. For example players of the NBA are 78% black and in football it is about 69%. Not to mention that in the past five years only 3 non-black athletes were nominated First- Team all NBA. It may sound kind of funny but some believe that Darwinism’s theory of evolution may be a large factor as to why there are so many black athletes in the professional level. After reading the arguments behind this theory it doesn’t seem like such a stretch, in fact it seems quite plausible. I believe the idea of white privilege is now extinct as it should be. In fact the tables may have even turned. Nowadays being a minority isn’t such a bad thing. For instance if a white student and a colored student apply to the same college and have the same GPA then the colored student is more likely to be accepted into that college. It may have taken more than half a century but it just goes to show what the efforts of men like Martin Luther King Jr. can do to promote equality in our everyday lives.

R. Burbage
KIN 339 M7

Women in Sports

I had a random thought about women's uniforms in sports. I have noticed that in many sports, men and women wear the same or similar uniforms to each other, for example basketball, golf, and soccer. There are other sports though, that women dress in uniforms much different than men playing the same sport. Volleyball and tennis are examples. In volleyball men wear long loose shorts and loose-hanging jerseys that are usually short sleeved, while women wear very tight and short spandex shorts and usually tight form fitting jersey tops. This is very curious to me, because there doesn't seem to be any particular reason, that helps the athlete to play any better, to wear such a tight uniform. Similarly, in tennis, men wear loose shorts (well Rafael Nadal may be an exception)and short sleeve shirts, while women tend to wear skirts and dresses, often with the top being sleeveless and strappy. Also, I noticed that many women wear jewelry, like long dangling earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. The men and women participating in the sport are playing the same exact sport (save the height of the net in volleyball)and therefore, women should be able to play just as well in similar uniforms to mens'. I have played volleyball competitively for 8 years, so from first hand I know that the booty shorts are not a necessity. So what does this mean for women playing these sports?

There is more pressure on women to show their bodies in the general society today. That appears to be translating over to some sports as well. Why is it that these sports put so much emphasis on how the female players look? In basketball, soccer, and golf the men and women athletes pretty much wear the same or similar uniforms. In my experience playing volleyball, I have heard men say the only, or main, reason to go to a women's volleyball game is for the girls in short shorts. Women in sports want to be appreciated for their abilities in the sport not for how they look in a skimpy uniform. Is the tight or girly uniform there to enhance the athleticism of the players and the game? Is it's main purpose to show strong and attractive physiques, or to draw spectators to the female side of the sport? It's hard to say what the purpose is, but it is in a sense sexist. Women in sports can be considered a rather new thing, and there has always been a struggle for equality, so is the use of skimpy uniforms exploiting women for their bodies? Just a really random idea I'd thought I would share.

Erin Tucker
KIN339I
M 7pm

Athletes of Color

Often time as, a result of the times, I fell that as an athlete of color I am expected to in some way be far more extraordinary as opposed to athletes of other raises. I fell that that stereotype is wrong. To simply discount a White, Mexican or Asian athlete based on their color is wrong in so many ways and has caused of a vast amount of raisesiam in the athletic realm. Also as an athlete of color I feel many times we are looked at on the collegiate level as uneducated and unworthy individuals who are pampered and practically given everything on a silver platter. I am not saying that we are not helped more than the average student because we are, but what I am saying is that people do take the time out to look at the bigger picture. The majority of collegiate athletes work twice if not three time as hard as the average student as they balance school and athletics wile all at the same time maintaining eligibility, staying off drugs and juggling a work load that in some cases would cause the average student to drop out of school. People also fail to take into account the amount if persistence and perseverance it takes to become an athlete at the collegiate level none the less do it as an athlete of color and withstand the stigmas of ones society. To be an athlete of color is a burden I would never want to be lifted form me because it has made me who and what I am today, a success.

Women in Sports

As I read about women in sports and how they are viewed, it reminded me of a video clip I had seen last year in another sports related class. The clip was from around the time when I was in elementary school and it showed soccer star Mia Hamm during a (I believe) FIFA World Cup Chamipionship when she made a final goal and the American Team won. She was so happy to win that she tore off her sweaty jersey and was hugged by the rest of her team. To me, I saw an athlete celebrating a victory with other teammates. But to other people in the class, they were surprised that a female athelete would rip off her jersey in front of others, even though she was wearing a sports bra that covered more than half her torso.
That got me thinking, why do some people make such a big deal about events such as that, even when it didn't really affect little children's thinking about sports, as some may be worried it did? Some people in the class went as far as saying 'she's a woman, she shouldn't be doing things like that'. It's opinions like that which make one wonder if we really are trying as a whole population to be more impartial and gender neutral when it comes to sports. I'm not trying to point my finger at anyone in particular, but I've noticed that there are a great number of people who claim to be neutral and then seem surprised at something that one gender may do that isn't the norm for them. How would you as an individual react?


Sarah Garcia
M 7P

Intersexuality in Sports (Semenya)

First of all, I want to eliminate the term of a Human Hermaphrodite, because they simply don't exist. A hermaphrodite is defined as animal or plant that has both male and female reproductive organs, which is most typically found in invertebrate animals. Hermaphrodites can reproduce using either their female or male reproductive organs, while Inter-sexual human beings are incapable of deciding to use either one. Typically with inter-sexuality in humans the person is either more male than female or more female than male (,and NEVER equally male and female), deeming the weaker sexual organ useless. And in some rare cases a human can be born without any reproductive organs and is not deemed male or female. With that said, Caster Semenya an 800 meter runner has been sweeping the event as a young female out of high school, but her opponents complain that she is a man. Yes, she does have an abnormally deep voice and masculine features (according to societies views of masculinity), but she is legally a woman. She was born a woman with sexual abnormality that gave her small testis that are inside of her body. She has been tested for testosterone levels because of the testis and results show that she has normal amounts of testosterone in her body. All this being said, she still looks like a she can be either a male or female, but the problem is not with her, it is with society. Society has deemed what is essentially male or female, masculine or feminine and the time has come to break the barriers of stereotypes of how a man or woman should look/feel/act/be. The real question is, who is willing to break traditions for the sake of 1.7% of the human population?

-Stephan May
Kin 339I M 7pm

Homosexuals in Sports

Picture this: There is three seconds left on the clock. Kobe is given the ball and quickly realizes that he is being guarded too heavily to make the shot and quickly hands it off to someone else who throws it up and makes the winning basket. It is the championship game and the Lakers just won the game. However, the person who shot the ball up to make the winning basket is a homosexual. Does this affect your views and opinions on this person who just made the winning basket? Gays and lesbians are continually being hassled for their sexual preference when in reality should it really make a difference to anyone else? If someone is good at the sport and excels in the game, should they be put down just because of their sexual preference, something that has nothing to do with the game? If someone is good at a sport, no matter what age, race, or gender, they should receive the same amount of respect that a heterosexual player would get had he or she made the same play and made the winning basket. It is not fair to judge an individual based on sexual reference. An opinion should come from how well the player plays the game. Give credit where credit is deserved, no matter what sexual preference.

Shannon Slater
Kin 339I M 7:00 pm

Alice Coachman and Althea Gibson

Who has heard of Alice Coachman or Althea Gibson? I first heard about them just two weeks ago, during a Women in Sports class that I am enrolled in. Both black women, Alice Coachman was involved in track and Althea Gibson played tennis, during the 40's and 50's respectively. As black women, they both faced a number of hardships because of their gender and race, and their athletic achievements were often marginalized and disregarded by the media at the time.

Since she participated in a sport deemed suitable for men, Alice Coachman was often degraded by the white press's comments about her seemingly masculine traits. The black press at the time, trying to defend her, would often go out of their way to describe her beauty and slender figure, feminizing her. The white and black press effectively marginalized her athletic skills, and they instead focusing on her gender, since she participated in a sport perceived as masculine.

While Alice Coachman was genderized, Althea Gibson faced a more racialized focus by the press. Since tennis was perceived as acceptable for women, the white press would provide reporting more equal to her white counterparts. With the civil rights movement emerging, the black press wanted Alice Coachman to become a race hero, similar to Jackie Robinson. When Althea Gibson refused, the black press essentially turned on her, contending that she had an attitude problem. After turning on her, the black press would even go on to describe her as "mannish", an unheard of word for the black press to use to describe a black female athlete.

With the press genderizing and racializing them, Alice Coachman and Althea Gibson's historic athletic accomplishments have become marginalized and forgotten. In addition to dominating the Amateur Athletic Union's high jump competition from 1939 to 1948, Alice Coachman was the only American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in 1948. Althea Gibson won countless tournaments throughout her career, including back-to-back wins at both Wimbledon and U.S. Open tournaments. She was the first African-American to win Wimbledon.

Considering how the press was often disregarding their athletic feats and focusing on their gender or race, one has to wonder how they managed to stay motivated and focused. Alice Coachman and Althea Gibson must have had an extremely high level of intrinsic motivation. Marginalized due to their race and sex, they must have had some extrinsic motivation to prove to their critics that women and African-Americans are just as capable in athletics as anyone else. With their high levels of motivation and accomplishments, Alice Coachman and Althea Gibson proved to the world that women and African-Americans can play sports just as well as anyone else.

Eric Harnden
Kin 339i
M 7 PM

Sports and Color

Sports is one of the most common ways to include the concept of diversity in the activity. However, when we start to distinguish the color of an athlete's skin rather than the accomplishment is wrong. We get caught up in racist thinking that the only reason why a certain athlete excels in a certain sport is because of the color of his or her skin. We scrutinize athlete's personal achievements and only focus on the color of their skin. Athletes work hard and compete everyday to prove to the public that they deserve to be in the position that they are in. Psychologically, athletes can either get down on themselves and begin to perform poorly in their sport or they can use the scrutiny as movitvation to prove the public wrong. At the 1968 Olympics, two African American athletes showed the world that the issue of skin color and racism has no place in the world, especially in sports. We have now come to a point where sports has so many diverse cultures and all types of people and skin colors making sports a diverse community.

Brian Chan
Kin 339I M 7pm

Body Image in Sports

Why is it that many athletes who are clearly not large in any way, shape or form always saying they are fat? I have come to the conclusion that no matter what, body image will always be a psychological factor to motivation in sport. How one feels about their body, can influence their self-esteem, thereby causing changes in their motivation towards a goal. Obviously, if that athlete in the sport, they can do what they do pretty well and they do it for a reason, so why focus on how they look. The body image factor can add a lot of negative influence (e.g, bulimia, anorexia, rapid changes in weight to gain or lose) that can be harmful to his or her health.

I see it as an extrinsic factor—trying to get into shape to look better and perform better and receive compliments on their body or avoid the bad ones. Let’s be honest, how many of you would think negatively if you saw a cheerleader who was on the larger size, a lanky football player, a girl wrestler, or short basketball player just by looking at them? I bring this up because I am a cheerleader, and every day I deal with body image issues—from boys and girls. Some people are so focused on the outward appearance of cheerleaders, that they overlook the skill that it takes to be at the elite level. We have to spend time working hard on our skills, and the other half trying to defend our sport and be comfortable in our bodies to avoid being judged by other cheerleaders or people at the games, competitions, etc. Girls who look great (not just "skinny") think they are fat because we are surrounded by a standard that people stereotype us as--small, skinny, pretty, and peppy. Let’s face it, skills aside, people want something nice to look at. And it is so frustrating that it has come to that because it can really mess with people’s minds. Yes, on a lighter note it can also be a positive push to work hard and stay in shape, but it depends on the person’s mental toughness. So the next time you watch a certain sport, think about how much you comment on the outward appearance of them compared to the skills or compare their lack of skills to their body image. It is an interesting observation...


Vanessa Reyes
Kin 339I M 7pm

M.L.

Melanie L. KIN 339