Many questions about what is considered fair when it comes to the gray areas of sex as it relates to athletic competition have been raised in class and in readings. Should females be allowed to compete with males? Should males be able to play on a female team? And what about "intersex" athletes and their supposed advantage?
Not surprisingly, there are very few opponents to females competing with men in most sports if they are deemed good enough. However, there are also very few examples of a female successfully doing so at a high level. Michelle Wie and Danica Patrick come to mind and both have struggled to compete, Wie especially. An interesting conversation I've had a few times with a teammate is debating which sports have biggest and smallest gaps between men and women. Each time we discuss it, we have a hard time finding a major professional sport where the best female is close to worst male. Something that always comes to mind for me, is how the USA women's hockey team stacks up to men. The Team USA women compete against, and often are defeated by 15 and 16 year old boys teams as they prepare for the Olympic Games. While I am all for a woman competing against men in any sport, at any level, I do think it is a farfetched notion at the professional level.
Another conclusion that this type of conversation leads me to come to is that, generally, the more masculine females are the better athletes. Women like the Serena Williams and Brittney Griner have dominated their respective sports while taking advantage of a very uncommon physique among their sex. The same is true in men's sports where physical specimens like LeBron James and Calvin Johnson take advantage of their masculinity and physical stature. These top athletes, however, are never criticized for having an "unfair advantage" like South African sprinter, Caster Semenya, has been.
Semenya has been under scrutiny for several years due to her unusually masculine features that some say have been the basis of her success at World Championships. The more I think about taking a side on the subject, the harder it is for me. History shows several examples of intersex athletes but there is really no precedent on how to regulate the perceived advantage they possess. What I can conclude, is that it is in fact an advantage to be a female who possesses more male-like characteristics. In my mind, males have a much higher ceiling, athletically, than females. Therefore, the more masculine female athletes have a higher potential than others. Is it unfair? Luckily that is not up to me to decide.
I believe that if women athletes are good enough to compete with men, than they should be allowed to compete.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if they do not meet the standards such as Michelle Wie, than they should go back to their respective sport and play against women. As a hockey player, I believe that women should not be allowed to play with men because of its aggressive nature. Not only is it dangerous for women but also from past experience of playing against girls when I was younger, that boys don’t want to be aggressive against girls because it’s a lose-lose situation. If the boy hits the girl he is viewed as a coward and if the girl outmuscles the guy, he is considered weak. It is an uncomfortable situation and I feel that in sports such as hockey and football females and males should play against their own sex. Many people concentrate on how women feel competing in men’s sports, but don’t usually consider how men feel about women competing with them. I feel that this should also be considered because their opinion and attitude matters.
Ryan Viselli
This is always an interesting debate anytime it is brought up. I think there are undoubted differences in men and women biologically when it comes to strength and athletic ability. Obviously, these differences can be shrunk through time and effort. I think this is pretty much why people believe that women who are skilled enough should be allowed to compete in men's sports.
ReplyDeleteI think in America, the general belief is that women are inherently physically weaker than men. This is why you would never see a man competing in a woman's sport. The most prominent sports for women (soccer, tennis, basketball) also provide a separate league or division for men. There is really no need for a man to compete in a woman's league or division.
But, what if volleyball had a professional league in America? Would it be co-ed? Most likely, it would not be. It would be modeled off of the Volleyball Superleague in Russia. Men and women technically compete in the same league (governed by one governing body), but in a men's and a women's division.
In the end, I think we always will find ourselves at a conclusion that says that men are inherently stronger, more aggressive and bigger than women. There are women who can compete with men though. If a woman is at the skill level where she is at an advantage over every other woman in competition, she should be allowed to compete with the men.
-Geoff Roberts
DeleteBeing an athletic female all of my life, I have always wanted to compete with guys instead of girls in sports because guys take the games more seriously and are much aggressive. But when playing with guys in sports whether if it was in gym growing up or even now with my guy friends, I feel as if I have to show them or truly impress them that I can play with them just because I am a girl. You mentioned Danica Patrick and Michelle Wie; I admire their hard work and dedication to succeed in their sport against male athletes regardless of the outcome. Their drive is different than any of the males competing. They are out there to prove they can play and compete just like any other professional. Maybe it is because I am a female too and understand what other females go through just to be seen as an athlete, let alone compete with the “guys.” I believe in the future, maybe it will be Danica who knows, but it will take one female athlete to blow away the male competition in the sport for females to be taken seriously in the sports world. Our society and our mindsets will change once what we thought will be proven wrong. You said, “These top athletes, however, are never criticized for having an "unfair advantage" like South African sprinter, Caster Semenya, has been.” I could not agree more with this statement. Megatron’s and James’ statistics show the unfair advantage they have over there competition but never are they actually criticized or viewed differently for having these advantages. If the top athletes are not being criticized for their advantages, why do we criticize whether an athlete’s sex gives them an unfair advantage regardless if they are succeeding or not?
ReplyDelete-Chelsea VanAssche
I believe that some sports women should be allowed to compete with men and other sports they should not be allowed. Women should be able to compete in sports that do not involve a contact aspect. Such sports are: bowling, golf, swimming, table tennis, and several others. The reasoning for this is that if women and men compete in a contact sport then many ethical and social issues will arise. Like should a guy be allowed to hit a woman? If a guy injures a woman, how will he be viewed in society?
ReplyDeleteI played in a summer hockey league where checking was allowed and there were a couple girls in the league. I always eased up or strayed away when I had a chance to check them. I would of felt weird if I checked them like I normally do with other guys. I felt like having girls compete in a contact sport made me more conscious about what I was doing, and the level of play was not as high when they were out on the ice.
Non-contact sports are fine for both sexes to compete in because the stronger you are, doesn’t mean you are automatically going to be better. It involves more skill and with the same training, women and men can both be equal.