Even with the rise of feminism having brought improvements to society, sexism still exists everywhere you look, especially in sports.
People are not born sexist, this is a concept that manifests through experiences. In an advertisement campaign by feminine hygeine company Always titled “#LikeAGirl,” a video of girls and boys of all ages depicted their interpretations when told to act “like a girl.”
All of the boys and the older girls portrayed being a girl as being weak and inferior, but the younger girls did the complete opposite. Their reenactment portrayed girls as tough, powerful, and strong, all traits that they very much are.
This powerful video shows how sexism is taught and proves that society is able to change, and yet these stereotypes are still ingrained in people’s minds.
A common insult in sports has always been that someone “plays like a girl.” This phrase is another way of saying that someone is weak, fragile or a coward, and is practically always used in a negative sense. Women in sports are treated differently than men because of stereotypes like this.
Take Serena Williams, for instance. One of the most famous professional tennis players in the world, who according to USA Today, was recently scrutinized for wearing a catsuit during a match in France.
The outfit in question covered her entire body with the purpose of showing that she had not lost confidence in her body after recently having a baby. This is just one example of how women are treated very differently than men in sports.
If it were a man wearing something tight, there would not have been the same backlash. This sort of sexism happens all the time.
Another example of the unequal treatment in professional tennis was a recent incident in which Alize Cornet received a violation because of a shirt change. The video of her quickly fixing her shirt went viral.
However, in the second part of the video, professional male tennis players were shown repeatedly being shirtless on the court.
The fact that such a big deal was made about the female athlete, but not the male, goes to show how unequal the treatment in sports is.
All sports experience sexism, but the NBA compared to WNBA is a whole different ball game. According to CNBC, the average salary for in the WNBA is $50,000-$110,000, whilst NBA players make an average of $560,000. The gender pay gap is ridiculous.
Many fans believe the pay gap in regards to the NBA is simply because watching men play sports is more entertaining than watching women.
Women’s sports are typically stereotyped as less aggressive, having little or no contact and overall less physicality when compared to their male counterparts.
These ideas come from the concept that men are statistically proven to be physically stronger than women.
Though this is true in most cases, the contrast derives from women being generally built and developing differently than men. It does not make them less capable as athletes.
Strength is just one component you need to be an athlete. Studies have shown that women have a higher pain tolerance than men, which would obviously help them in playing contact sports, but according to the International Socialist Review, studies have proven that women can also have a stronger lower body than men.
Though muscle size and strength helps in being a good athlete, many other factors, like genetics and age play a more crucial role in somebody’s abilities.
Sexism is a concept developed as we age, but it should not be used to define an individual, or an athlete. While it has previously been used to keep women a minority, our recent progression is indication that these stereotypes will not last forever.
