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Women, Sport, and Film - 2002
Student Papers
On Serendip
There are both many social and cultural costs and benefits of an individual (male or
female) entering a non-traditional sport for their gender/sex. First, there are a variety of
benefits. When women and men enter non-traditional sports, they are showing society
that sports don’t have to be limited to one sex or the other. Women and men are setting
an example for everyone around them that you people should do whatever you they want
to do no matter what. The entering of a non-traditional sport may be easier for an
individual when there is positive feedback from the people around him/her. For example, I
don’t think that Bev (in the movie Pumping Iron II) would have been able to continue to
weight lift if she didn’t have such positive and encouraging coaches and family.
Another benefit of entering a non-traditional sport may just simply involve the use
of skill. Although a sport, may not be traditional for a certain sex, athletic capability may
be enhanced by participating in these other sports. For example, many football players
take ballet lessons to work on their balance, grace, and stability. This kind of situation
shows that ballet can be used for just performing ballet or it could mean that ballet is
useful for other types of performance.
Another way to look at entering a non-traditional sport as beneficial is by looking
at upward social mobility. Participation in a certain sport can allow a person to better
their chances of getting out of a situation or circumstance. An obvious example of
upward social mobility is in the movie Girlfight. Diana has a chance to get out of her
home and community through her participation in boxing. Because Diana is a women in a
non-traditional sport, her chances of getting out are increased, unlike the many male
boxers around her. Because other women boxers are rare, the demand for other
competitors is high. Being an individual in a non-traditional sport shows uniqueness, and
if that individual is good at what they do, this can bring in more attention and possibly help
in achieving other things such as athletic scholarships.
Also, in regards to females entering non-traditional sports, there is the benefit of
proving to themselves and others that women are just as capable, if not even better, as
men in performing certain tasks. This would not be such a big deal if historically sports
weren’t established with men and only men’s participation and skill emphasized.
On the other hand, there are also many costs of an individual entering a
non-traditional sport for their gender/sex. Such costs can include things that affects one’s
personal self. An individual’s self-esteem can be lowered by the people around them - this
can be provoked by comments or actions from men to women, from women to men, and
even from men to men, and from women to women. Earlier, and still even today, women
had to overcome labels and name calling from people around them and even now an
example is men in dealing with comments being made about becoming cheerleaders.
Another example of an action that affected someone’s self esteem was the match between
Adrian and Diana in Girlfight. When Diana won the match, Adrian had a hard time
dealing with it. It seemed as if his self-esteem was lowered because he got beat by a girl.
Unfortunately, Adrian may have to deal with people around him commenting on this
outcome, but this could eventually lead to a benefit in that Adrian and society will learn
about talented women boxers and give them the respect that they deserve.
In the forum, difference was discussed. Individuals entering non-traditional sports
is a difference and this difference may be perceived as a threat by people. It could be
perceived as a threat because it would mean things are starting to change. Some people
may not like the idea of changing the established male role sports and female role sports.
In my high school, the field hockey team had one male member. This member received so
much insult from opposing fans, players, and coaches. Some people may have felt that he
was taking away from the established female sport. Opposing coaches threatened to
protest games if he was on the field and if a team did agree to play with a guy on the field
and lost, blame was put on the fact the field hockey team had a guy participant (one guy).
Men may possibly be physically faster and stronger, leading to another cost, in
regards to men entering non-traditional sports. It may be that if a guy joins a field hockey
team and then others begin to join, outcomes of events may be due to the fact that men
could get the ball faster, and this could lead to big conflicts in playing all girls teams.
However, men should not be excluded from certain sports based on their physicality and
the same goes for women (such as bodybuilders).
So far, I feel that the benefits outweigh the costs. If someone is willing and able to
overcome the comments and insults thrown at their self-esteem and continue to do what
they do, this is an accomplishment in itself. The most amazing thing to me involving an
individual entering a non-traditional sport for their gender/sex, is the way people around
them react negatively. I have a hard time understanding why people wouldn’t encourage
this non-traditional participation. I feel as though most of the costs are fixable and that
the solutions may not be that hard to come by. Maybe if people looked at the bigger
picture and compared this participation to what else these individuals could be doing,
people would be able to see why it is really okay for them to participate. Maybe if people
were more aware that if these individuals were rejected or denied the opportunity to play
in a sport that they like, the individual could turn to participating in no sports at all and be
doing alot worse things with their time. People could look at any and all sports as an
outlet for individuals, a way to stay out of trouble, a way to interact with others and meet
new people and make friends, or as an opportunity to change one’s life for the better.