One of my dearest, and most intelligent friends Sophia Arenas wrote the below article this summer: Women in Sports: Role Models for Life. She brought forth points that I often forget to consider when thinking about women as role models in sport. I think her statements are vastly important and worth sharing!
“Historically in sports, women have had and continue to have many obstacles to overcome. They often have been scrutinized for their appearance; either criticized for their lack of femininity or hyper-sexualized in the media and on the cover of magazines. Before the passage of Title IX in 1972, about 1 in 27 women participated in sports. Today 2 in 5 women participate in athletics. Media coverage does not reflect this dramatic increase, however, and despite the drastic increase in participation rates female athletes are still covered less, and less seriously, than male athletes. For example, the US women’s basketball team won their fifth consecutive gold medal in 2012 at the summer Olympics but received less than half of a minute in prime-time coverage. The men’s team, however, who won their second consecutive gold medal, received approximately half of an hour of prime-time coverage (1).
More recently, the U.S. Women’s soccer team (led by co-captains, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and more) filed a gender discrimination lawsuit in March 2019. As stated in the lawsuit, “…Despite the fact that these female and male players are called upon to perform the same job responsibilities on their teams and participate in international competitions for their single common employer, the USSF, the female players have been consistently paid less money than their male counterparts.” This discrimination is not only apparent in terms of pay and media coverage, but also in terms of medical treatment, types of training and coaching they recieve, and means of transportation to matches, despite the U.S. Women’s National Team being world champions.
Over the years many women have paved the way for the next generation of athletes. They have been role models for little girls who have grown up watching them, even when the athletes didn’t realize they were being idolized. They are the pioneers who made it possible for contemporary sports stars like Serena Williams, Diana Taurasi, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan. Although these women or athletes, in general, may not have signed up to be role models, the reality is that they are in the public eye and will be looked up to by a whole new generation of young girls.
Indeed, female athletes do serve as powerful role models for young girls; they promote a healthy lifestyle and participation in physical activity. Not only do female athletes promote a healthy lifestyle but also defy stereotypes of what society believes a female body should look like. They are strong, which sends the message to young girls that it is possible to have muscles and still be feminine. It shows young girls that their value as a woman is not defined by the number on a scale.
Females who participate in sports also develop important life skills such as confidence, dedication, leadership, the ability to work in groups, and more. Sports for many can be that initial platform where young people acquire these necessary tools to succeed in the world. However, in the past, boys were encouraged to participate in sports while females were encouraged to participate in more “gender appropriate” activities. Although the idea that sports should only be reserved for boys/men is certainly outdated, it has much to do with the efforts made by female sports pioneers who paved the way for the next generation. The media heavily influences how females participate and how they perceive their role in sport. Less than 10% of sports media covers women’s sports and less than 2% of sports media covers women’s sports that are deemed too masculine (2).
As a society we have made significant growth in our ability to value diversity; however, we still have a long way to go, especially regarding the #metoo movement. Gender roles are deeply rooted in our culture; we see their influences permeate through sport every day. From the ground up young girls need to be offered the opportunity to participate in sports of all kinds – masculine or feminine. They need to be led by female coaches in order to foster their perception of their future selves. The media, being one of the heaviest influencers, needs to equalize their sports coverage and spotlight strong, elite female athletes. Without consistent exposure to the excellence of female athletics, the masculine-heavy perspective in sports coverage will never change. Leveling the playing field in sports could be a stepping stone to the ultimate goal: gender balance throughout wider society.”
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Coche, R. & Tuggle, C. A. (2016). The women’s Olympics?: A gender analysis of NBC’s coverage of the London 2012 Summer Games. Electronic News, 10(2), 121-138.
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Koivula, N. (1999). Gender stereotyping in televised media sport coverage. Sex Roles, 41(7), 589-604.
This post is for all those parent-coaches who aren’t sure where to start and may be wondering what in the world they got themselves into. Let me start by saying, we appreciate you stepping up and “taking one for the team” so all of our kiddos have a place to play and fall in love with the game! I know how hard the position of coach can be, especially if you have little to no experience with the game.
It tends to snowball into more of a mental hang up than a physical one. As parents and coaches we know dips and peaks in performance are normal, especially for our young athletes. So what can you do to help them get out of their funk before the negative mindset tarnishes their confidence? In order to help them regain confidence in their athletic abilities it is helpful if you reframe their definition of success at the plate by focusing on what they can control.
em. Use the no answers as moments to coach and improve. Use the yes answers to deliver well deserved praise!
Coaches move right into hitting fly balls or turning double plays in the first few practices without covering the basics of what they’re looking for. I remember watching a coach, run a fly ball drill, and each athlete wasn’t performing as the coach had expected them to. A majority of their players weren’t using the correct footwork to move to the ball. At this particular practice, they had a college player as a guest. This player was executing the drill properly, dropping her hips and crossing over to move to the ball. She was eventually highlighted to the other girls, and immediately everyone’s performances improved. The rest of the team suddenly understood what was expected of them, and they were then able to perform properly.
As the coach is going through this checklist, they should also be demonstrating each aspect so the athletes know exactly how to execute the drill. This is beneficial even for the things that seem simple. For instance, there are multiple ways to break down after hitting the bag. Be explicit with your instruction and demonstration. Make sure your athletes know that you want their hips to drop while their head turns sharply to the right after hitting the bag allowing them to stop in an athletic position just a few feet past the bag. Go through each objective and make them repeat it out loud:
One Game, One Love. 