Sporty or Not, We Should All Care

Fighting for gender equity in sports seems to lie mainly in the interest of females who are athletes and sports fans. While it’s understandable why sporty-minded people are more drawn to the topic, all feminists can be encouraged to stay engaged in gender equity in sports. Sports have a lot to offer the general female population and the general female population has a lot to offer sports.

When I say “engaged,” that doesn’t mean every feminist has to be a loyal fan to women’s sports. It can mean simple actions such as being aware of the issues female athletes face or following feminist sports accounts like the Women’s Sports Foundation, Fast and Female, or She Scores. Some people don't enjoy spending their time watching or playing sports, and that's why they don't feel the need to support women's athletics. However, there are many ways the general public can feel more open to the idea of supporting female athletes.

Here are five reasons to support women's athletics that can be appealing to non-sporty feminists:

Wage Gap
Playing a professional sport is a paid job. Therefore anyone who is passionate in fighting the wage gap women face in the workplace should also be concerned about the gap women see in sports. Professional female basketball players make one percent of what professional male basketball players make (1) . This is no less important than women receiving low wages in a business environment or any other kind of everyday career. If we are fired up about wage gaps in an office, we need to be fired up about wage gaps on the court.

Hiring of Other Female Roles
Professional women’s sports are about the athletes, but the athletes only make up a fraction of the people involved in the leagues. There are coaches, referees, commentators, scouts, managers, journalists, physiotherapists, psychiatrists, dieticians, and other team staff. In men’s professional leagues, it’s difficult for women to get themselves hired. There are a total of two referees in Major League Soccer, Felisha Mariscal and Kathryn Nesbitt. Not only are there just two of them, but they’re both merely assistant referees. The year 2000 was the last time a female was the centre referee in a Major League Soccer game. However, it is common in women’s leagues to see a rapidly growing female staff. The 2015 women’s World Cup had a total of 73 referees, all of them female ( 2) . Furthermore, in the Women’s National Basketball Association, six of the twelve head coaches are women. Women’s sports open up more employment opportunities for females in all aspects of the league. Supporting women’s sports doesn’t only support the athletes; it helps females behind the scenes and on the sidelines obtain jobs as well.

​ Inspiration and Empowerment
Watching women achieve greatness is always inspiring; whether their area of expertise is something I’m interested in or not. I feel more empowered as a woman because that individual is, in a way, representing the entire female population. Her actions show that women have the opportunities men have. Doors are open wide. The world is ours. An example of this is the new Wonder Woman movie. The movie was incredibly empowering to me because Wonder Woman saves the world and battles on horseback and with a sword and shield. I’m not a warrior and I have never done martial arts, but I was inspired because Wonder Woman destroys not only her enemies but also the mask of restriction and delicacy females are expected to wear. She breaks that stigma and puts females, as an entire population, in a positive light.

Shows Character
That mask I just mentioned? You can’t play sports with that on; it’ll just keep trying to fall off anyways. With sports removing that “mask of restriction and delicacy,” females show a different side of their personalities. Athletes want to wear their baggy shorts. They’re not afraid to be covered in mud. They put their dreams before boys. They possess well rounded and carefree qualities that any female can look up to and carry through any aspect of life.

Nurturing Young Girls
Supporting women’s sports is crucial for the nurturing of young and growing females. If we don’t give women’s sports our attention, the leagues won’t gain popularity and young girls won’t be exposed to them. The media has a huge impact on young girls, which is why they need good role models and positive exposure to media. Sports give them this. My previous post, Be More Than the Media , expands on this topic further.



References

1. Adelphi University (2014). A Look at Male and Female Professional Athlete Salaries. https://sportsmanagement.adelphi.edu/resources/infographics/a-look-at-male-and-female-professional-athlete-salaries/.
2. Johal, H. (2015). FIFA explains all-female referee crew for World Cup. The Equalizer. http://equalizersoccer.com/2015/06/30/womens-world-cup-referees-female-fifa-explains/.