Female athletes confront stereotypes
Alicia Johnson
Issue date: 1/24/02 Section: SPORTS
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Female athletes have captured worldwide attention over the past few of years. With the creation of the WNBA for basketball and the WUSA for soccer, female athletes have been able to showcase their talents on primetime television.
Despite these great strides, female athletes continue to battle the misconceptions that exist in today's society. Stereotypes such as being "too masculine," "too aggressive," and "too muscular" have unjustly been used to label female athletes.
The sexuality of women in sports has, at times, become more of a topic of discussion than the actual accomplishments of a player. Female athletes who don't exude feminine qualities are labeled instantly as "butch," men or lesbians.
Though some female athletes are, in fact, lesbians, many feel it is unfair to brand all female athletes as homosexual. They contend that the sexuality of a male athlete is never brought into the public eye unless the media wants to publicize how many women one particular athlete has slept with.
Michele Hall, a freshman on the Howard University track team, believes these stereotypes exist because many of the sports women athletes play are considered a "man's game."
"Guys label female basketball players as lesbians or men because they (female ball players) play a 'man's game,' and therefore are trying to be men," Hall said.
The greatest misconception that exists in female athletics is that female athletes are "inferior" to men.
Many of the rule differences between men and women who play the same sport can be seen as concrete reasons why women are considered inferior. A woman's basketball is smaller than a man's is, men's hurdles are placed higher than women's, men's poles are thicker than women's poles in pole vaulting, and softball is played with a larger ball than in baseball.
Many female athletes refuse to accept a subordinate position and have tried to shatter stereotypes and myths by challenging men head on.
Tennis star Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in the first battle of the sexes in 1973. King hoped to gain respect for women within the sporting world.
Shontione Tuckson, a senior guard on M.M. Washington High School's girl's basketball team, discusses the lack of respect. "They don't respect us because they see us as just girls," she said.
During a girl's practice at M.M. Washington, male students disrupted the female players, making snide comments and shooting around in the midst of the girls' practice.
"Stop calling us lesbians. Just respect our game . . . we respect the male's game," Tuckson said.
When faced with these stereotypes and labels, Hall says she does not let them get her down. "
Stereotypes shouldn't be taken to heart," Hall said. "I don't need to compete against a male to prove I am a worthy runner."
Contact Alicia Johnson at district_chronicles@hotmail.com.
Despite these great strides, female athletes continue to battle the misconceptions that exist in today's society. Stereotypes such as being "too masculine," "too aggressive," and "too muscular" have unjustly been used to label female athletes.
The sexuality of women in sports has, at times, become more of a topic of discussion than the actual accomplishments of a player. Female athletes who don't exude feminine qualities are labeled instantly as "butch," men or lesbians.
Though some female athletes are, in fact, lesbians, many feel it is unfair to brand all female athletes as homosexual. They contend that the sexuality of a male athlete is never brought into the public eye unless the media wants to publicize how many women one particular athlete has slept with.
Michele Hall, a freshman on the Howard University track team, believes these stereotypes exist because many of the sports women athletes play are considered a "man's game."
"Guys label female basketball players as lesbians or men because they (female ball players) play a 'man's game,' and therefore are trying to be men," Hall said.
The greatest misconception that exists in female athletics is that female athletes are "inferior" to men.
Many of the rule differences between men and women who play the same sport can be seen as concrete reasons why women are considered inferior. A woman's basketball is smaller than a man's is, men's hurdles are placed higher than women's, men's poles are thicker than women's poles in pole vaulting, and softball is played with a larger ball than in baseball.
Many female athletes refuse to accept a subordinate position and have tried to shatter stereotypes and myths by challenging men head on.
Tennis star Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in the first battle of the sexes in 1973. King hoped to gain respect for women within the sporting world.
Shontione Tuckson, a senior guard on M.M. Washington High School's girl's basketball team, discusses the lack of respect. "They don't respect us because they see us as just girls," she said.
During a girl's practice at M.M. Washington, male students disrupted the female players, making snide comments and shooting around in the midst of the girls' practice.
"Stop calling us lesbians. Just respect our game . . . we respect the male's game," Tuckson said.
When faced with these stereotypes and labels, Hall says she does not let them get her down. "
Stereotypes shouldn't be taken to heart," Hall said. "I don't need to compete against a male to prove I am a worthy runner."
Contact Alicia Johnson at district_chronicles@hotmail.com.