Women In Sports Article Review #2

Midori Harrison

Professor Currans

Introduction to gender and sexuality studies

5 November 2013

Blog Topic: Women In Sports

Article Review #2

Mottinger, Sue G. “ Girls and Women In Sports.” Journal of Physical Education,   Recreation & Dance 69.6 (1998): 41-45. ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health             Source. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.

The veracity of women athletes has been challenged for over a century.  Since the start of the Olympic games, the availability for female athlete to participate has been a long-standing argument. By 1997, “over one-third of the total participants of the Olympic games, were woman. This record number of female athletes shattered the myth that women in sports are fragile, weak, and incapable of running fast, throwing far, and jumping high (Mottinger 41). Across the country and over-seas, women continue to shatter records and challenge the boundaries. Currently, women of every nation and every sport venue are blazing the trail for the future of women in sports.

            The role of women in society has changed over the years, and continues to change. Women have not only struggled to gain basic inalienable rights and equal ground, but women have fought to have their athletic ability accepted.  Sports has been long-time deemed a venue for men due to their strength and masculinity.  In the early 1900s, Anna de Koven declared, "No sport is too reckless, too daring, or too strenuous...the tomboy (has) moved from disgrace to honor as the symbol of a new type of American girl" ("The Athletic Woman," 1912) (Mottinger 41). It was not until early 1970s, that large numbers of girls began participating in high school interscholastic sports due to the passing of Title IX, engaging girls to participate in grades 9 through 12.  By 1983, an organization promoting women in sports, known as the Women's Sport Foundation, collaborated with the United States Olympic Committee in Washington, DC to participate in a national conference called the New Agenda. The New Agenda allowed for national and international women in sports to discuss where women in sports is headed in the future, and to create a platform for more useful conversation.

            Since the founding of the New Agenda, multiple other collaborative groups, such as the Girls Club of America, and the National Organization for Women, have worked tirelessly over the years to target not only high school girls in sports, but elementary school girls as well.  In this vein, and in order to offer training for girls interested in sports, these groups have researched and sought to open up local opportunities for sports clinics for girls to get involved across the country.

            The awareness brought on by the efforts of so many women's groups has evolved into other areas of interests for girls and women in sports.  One group, working hand in hand with training young female athletes in Dayton, Ohio since 1996, collaborated with The Injury Prevention Center of the Greater Dayton area.  This group promotes general health and wellness opportunities for girls and women in sports to learn how to train and stay healthy in sports and in life. Many good things have evolved for woman in sports since the early 1900s, when a few women decided to make a difference. Today, women in sports is a national institution. Everyday across the country, women are gaining confidence, building their minds, souls and bodies to compete in athletics for awards, rewards, scholarship opportunities and simply pride and pleasure. What started out as a dream for a few, has developed into major goals for many.

            In the last article I posted I wrote about how race plays a big factor too as far a women in sports goes. Yes I applaud the things women in sports is doing and how women continue to fight for equal rights in sports. We must all remember though that as women we do come in different shapes, sizes and colors. If we are to fight for the rights of women we must fight for the rights of all women in sports. No matter what we look like we all deserve to be treated with the same respect. No woman no matter how old she is should feel like her race is hurting her or putting her at a disadvantage in any way.