Stereotypes

Why does everything need to be stereotyped? Once in high school couple of friends and I were playing basketball during lunch and this guy just comes up and starts calling names us like "beaner" and other stereotypical Mexican names too. Just because we look Mexican does not mean that everybody is. It also means that not everybody eats beans either. What I'm trying to get across here is that sometimes women are stereotyped as beauty queens, weak, and non-athletic. It is not fair for women to be stereotyped all the time because they play sports. Not all women have the same bodies and are athletic. Same as men there are men out there that might not be able to do a set of push-ups, pull-ups or complete a mile run it takes practice.
Sometimes I hear men saying all the time “Oh that guy is fast," "that guy this.... What about women can’t' they be fast? Women can be as fast as men too. I think society has just grown accustomed to these norms and stereotypes that it is really hard to treat something that is different as normal or acceptable. It is through what the media and society wants us to think and we sometimes take it as something that it is true. In the women in sport class when we talked about norms at the beginning of class, we discussed that society was is in this box and if you step out of that box it is like if someone committed a crime. That person that steps out gets scolded and gets treated differently.
The stereotypes are keeping society from creating social change in women in sport and other areas in society. It makes difficult to change how women in sport are viewed. The question is how can we make that change? Since it is deep embedded in our society it is difficult to get away from stereotypes like that. In addition, another time in class we watched a video about 8 year old girls playing soccer. These girls moved to the boys division for more competition. In one of the games the video showed that some of the parents from the other team were saying things like, "come on, they are just girls we can beat them.” What does that have to do? What if they are girls, can they not play against the boys and be able to beat them? They don't think that girls are capable.
I also would say things like "man you kick like a girl" with out thinking sometimes when played soccer. However, talking about issues like this made me realize that stereotypes like these and judging people by gender we sometimes do not even think about it that it affects that person. We can see how media and society makes it acceptable that we don't even think about when we say it. When in reality, there are women who can kick better and harder than boys. In the future I hope we can realize that stereotypes do affect people and women in sport as well as other areas in society and that we need to somehow change that.
Andres A.

Cindy Yorba: Blog #2, NIKE campaign

Cindy Yorba
kin 338I.S6

http://www.rm116.com/2005/08/nike_hearts_rea.html

I came across this while doing research for my awareness assignment. I believe Nick also mentioned these ads, just thought I'd let all you get a better look at the pictures and give you a chance to read what they say. In a way i feel that they are empowering to athletes and those who are more muscular, but I also feel that they are disembodying women into certain body parts. they are not seeing them as a whole, but by butts/ shoulders/ thighs/ legs; parts that are usually seen as sex objects or used to sell products. I find these ads to be contradicting, what do you all think?

AGENT ZENYATTA....

Throughout the whole semester, we have been talking about the struggles and challenges that women have gone thru in the past. In our second reading summaries, one of the reading that was included in that, was the story about the competitive WOMAN walkers who were doing so good that they were out performing most men. Little that we know, for the past three years, another WOMAN in sports is out making news.

Zenyatta, a 4 year old mare, has made huge splashes in the horse racing world in the past 4 years. Many have doubted what Zenyatta could really do and many people were not giving her all of the credit that she deserves. The reason for this, was because Zenyatta is a female horse and all of the race that she ran was against all the other female horses. All of that changed when Zenyatta entered in a Grade I race, which all of the other horses in that race were male horses. Zenyatta prevailed and won very easily. During Zenyatt's career, she had won both the Breeders Cup Ladies Classic (2008) and the Breeders Cup Classic(2009) ( a race that is only held once a year, where horses all over the world travel and compete). Last month, Zenyatta ran again in the Breeders Cup Classic (2010) to defend her crown as a champion Older horse. With a win in this race, Zenyatta would go down in history as the only horse ever to ever win a Breeders Cup Ladies Classic and two Breeders Cup Classic race. Also, with a win in this race, Zenyatta would also be the only horse ever to win 20 consecutive races. This feat was very unheard of and never been done by any horse, male or female. And Zenyatta was just about to do that......

Unfortunately, Zenyatta lost. Lost by a very narrow margin............ :(


Despite the lost, Zenyatta is still considered as the best race horse that this generation had ever seen. Although this champion did not come out as the eventual winner in this race, she left all of us a very important lesson. Women in this world, whether its in sports, work, or even horse racing, can be very competitive be successful on the same time. Lets give our women all the things that they deserve, and we should stop doubting their abilities.

Women competing in powerlifting and strongman training

I recently read an article on Elite Lifts that focused on women in the sport of powerlifting and strongman training. For those that are not familiar with these types of training, here is a little rundown. The sport of powerlifting consists of three lifts: the squat, dead lift, and the bench press. Strongman training consists of exercises that include: tire flipping, the "farmers walk", atlas stones, and the log press. In sports that are almost completely dominated by men, women are not usually looked upon as being the strongest weightlifters. With that being said, many women, such as Cathy Marsteiner and Harriet Hall, were both inducted into the USA Powerlifting's hall of fame in 2010. Both of these women held over 16 world records in their weight class and have a deadlift over 500 lb's, a squat over 600 lb's, and a bench press over 300 lb's. More than half of the guys in the world can't even fathom lifting that much weight! Many women have also recently been competing in strongman competitions, or correctly said strongwomen competitions. Despite the fact that these sports have been associated with masculinity, many women love the athletic challenge as well as the satisfaction to be competing in such challenging lifts and events. It mentions in the article that women want to be seen as strong, capable individuals rather than just pretty, fitness models lifting a weight a five year old can lift with two fingers.

Brian Montano

Kin 332I (tu-thurs) 12:30-1:45

Women in Other Countries

In class we have learned about the struggle to make female sports equal to men's. We have already established that women should be allowed to play. In other countries women are still fighting to be allowed to play. The Afghan national women's soccer team is competing in it's first international competition this week. In a country that has major events occurring, these women still find time to fight for what they want. These women face a lot of criticism and even death threats because of their desire to play soccer. Their only place to practice safely is in a NATO base with a helipad. They can only use it a few times a week and are frequently interrupted by helicopter landings. If they tried practicing anywhere else, they would be attacked because it is considered indecent for women. Some players even choose to play without their head scarves because they feel it is too dangerous to play with it on. These players love playing so much they feel it is worth taking the risk. Hopefully someday they will be allowed to play without any risks.
While we have been focusing on making sure women are treated as athletes and that they get enough media coverage, these women have been fighting to get a chance to play. These women aren't focused on getting television coverage. I do believe there needs to be more equality in sports for us but sometimes we need to stop and be thankful for how far we have come.


Sam H
KIN 338I Sec1

espnW

Link to ESPN-W --> espnW

"espnW is a destination for women who are passionate sports fans and athletes."

Recently, ESPN launched their new site espnW. The site, aimed at the female sports audience, is set up like a blog. The majority of the espnW team are women and consist of sports columnists, reporters, and former athletes. The subjects of the posts are not restricted to womens sports: a Dec. 6 post involved the Monday Night Football match-up between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets, one Dec. 10 post included briefs on Peyton Manning and Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, and another Dec. 10 post highlighted Brett Favre's supposed selfishness.

The side bar on the right contains the following:

- "Editor's Choice"

- "Most Shared" - the most frequently shared stories through Facebook and Twitter

- "What Matters" - links to stories from ESPN's main site and around the web

- "Games We're Following" - scores and a link to full recaps of the day's games

- "espnW Tweets" - espnW's posts on Twitter

- "This Week in Women's Sports" - historical facts in women's sports

- "Things To Do Near You" - local games, events, and competitions across the nation

On ESPN's main site, women's sports rarely make headlines--only under "More Sports" can one find a dedicated women's basketball tab. On espnW's page, there is a link on the very top that goes directly to ESPN's main site. On ESPN's main site, the only link to espnW is on the very bottom of the page, the last link on their mini site map. I personally do not see the need for a separate site for women's sports. ESPN is the "Entertainment and Sports Programming Network", which should encompass all sports, not just men's sports.

Daniel J.

KIN 338I - S6

James Harrison vs. NFL

As we all know concussions in the NFL especially helmet to helmet hits has been a new source of voodoo-like talk this season. Not only has the NFL started handing out heavy fines week after week. But, referees have been increasingly penalizing those heavy hits that we as sports fans love to see when we tune in to watch the game. One player that has been a primary contributor to the NFL in fines this year is James Harrison, linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Harrison has received over $120,000+ in fines this year all a result of heavy hits he has been known for in the course of his career. One of these incidents happening at the beginning of the year he was fined $75,000 for a hit on a Cleveland Brown's wide receiver. Harrison actually contemplated retiring from the NFL all in itself after the league handed out these fines. He has said in interviews that he feels that the NFL is out to get him and is using his as an example to show the rest of the players int eh NFL that they are serious with these fines. But, is this fair for Harrison? Is this a source of deviance by the NFL all in itself for handing out fines for something that the NFL markets with the heavy hits that these grown men are known for.

Corey Becker
Kin 332i TuTh 12:30

The Effects of Childhood Tomboyism

Chelseah Murphy

KIN 338I T/TH 930-1045

While I was writing my book review for our awareness assignment I came across an interesting study from the College Student Journal about the effects of childhood "tomboyism" on grown women. The word tomboy doesn't necessarily have a negative stigma in the United States. Girls who are considered tomboys are more likely to take on a masculine role rather than engaging in pretend play. According to this study many women who considered themselves as tomboys played sports. One hundred and twenty-four female undergraduates were recruited for this study from an online participation pool. Results from this study found that participants who were tomboys as children had higher self-esteems as adults. According to this study, girls who were tomboys growing up are more well-adjusted, good leaders and popular as adults. Slightly more than half of the women in this survey considered themselves as tomboys as child but stated that they grew out of it during or soon after puberty. Many girls who continue being tomboys into their teenage years are labeled as loners and don't fit in as well as their non-tomboy counterparts.

"Due to the social inequity of men and women" (Volkom, 2009) it is understandable why many girls want to incorporate some male traits into their actions. According to this article tomboys feel empowered by making male friends and by obtaining their respect. I think that this article was very interesting because I was a tomboy for a few years. I played basketball with the boys everyday at recess. I wonder if this affected the woman I am today.

-Volkom, M. (2009, September). The effects of childhood tomboyism and family experiences on

the self-esteem of college females. College Student Journal, 43 (3), p736.

In class we got into teams of three or four and had to come up with a map that had to do with females and sport. The team I was on, we chose to do females in the medias vs. males in the media and how difference in coverage. We showed how females were portrayed as feminine and how they had to up hold there profile as mothers and house wives, and the eating disorders. We also outlined their body image. Men were more advetised for their sport and not their body.

I thought it was pretty awesome how the other teams maped out similar things that differ between women and men. For everyone to be on the same page definitely means that we're learning and retaining what we've learned. Women equality isn't there yet but hopefully some day for our younger generation they'll be less and less discrimination and more comradery between sexes.

In the last class, we watched a movie called "Not Just A Game." This movied bought up several interesting facts about the current social beliefs of sports in American Society. It showed how, even though it is supposed to be completely separate, politics is deeply incrained in sports. The incorporation of Mass Media into the current set up of sports has created a cultural oddity that proclaims a belief in keeping neutral while it clearly does not. In class, we have talked aobut how the sports community is considered to be a "safe haven" from the worries of the outside world where people can lose themselves. This was a reason as to why people believe that sports are so popular. However, after watching the movie, we begin to realize just how much we are influenced by sports. One of hte examples given by the movie where politics was involved was Michael Jordan's hiding the Reebok insignia on his uniform. He was influenced by the politics of the media and advertising industries. He was a spokesman for Nike so wearing a Reebok jersy was something that he was unwilling to publicly do becuase it would cause problems for him and his endorsements. The book even has a whole chapter devoted to "Sports and the Media." It goes in depth into the implications of sports and media and even discusses whether sports could exist without the media.
In my opinion, media is automatically involved in politics. These politics may not be as blatant as "American politics" which is bi partisan, but they exist. The politics are all which band you wear and what things you buy. The belief that media is not involved with sports is an idea that people are fed by the media owners. The owners want you to believe that it is an escape from the world while, in truth, it is clearly not.

Charley Merrow
Kin 338I S3017

Different View on Youth Sports

Today in class we watched the film “Kick like a Girl”. After the film, the class discussed youth sports and our feelings about the film and the integration of gender in youth sports. It was surprising to me to see that some of the parents in the film were skeptical about a girls youth soccer team playing against boys on youth soccer teams. It was also strange for me to hear some fellow students comment that the integration of gender in youth sports should happen. I did not believe that the integration of gender in youth sports was even an issue. In my hometown most, if not all, of the youth sports are considered at least semi-Coed. Even when I was growing up and playing youth sports in my hometown, youth sports were organized. These organized youth sports could all be classified as Coed. Youth baseball and youth football were still considered boy sports, but girls could sign up to participate and were both allowed to and very able to play and compete with the boys. Growing up with that image of equality in sports makes it very difficult for me to comprehend that some organized youth sports separate gender still.

We have come a long way in sports since the passing of Title IX in 1972. However, the video today and some of the comments in the film and in our class discussion show me that there is still a long way to go to achieve equality in both youth sports and sports in general. I believe that the revolution of sport started in the 1970s has stalled; and that there needs to be a push for equality in sports before the role of gender in sports is perceived by society the way it was before the passing of Title IX.


Nick M.
KIN 338I Sec. 1

Nancy Lieberman named Head coach of an NBA d-league team

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/art_garcia/11/18/lieberman/index.html

Nancy Lieberman was named Head coach of the Texas Legends, a NBA D-league team. She is the first woman in a position to coach NBA players. Players on her team such as Sean Williams (a first round pick for New Jersey) explained that it took some time to get used to this gender-reversing arrangement. “I definitely see her as a woman. It's hard not to notice that,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve never had a woman tell me what do on the court before. But she knows what she's talking about. She has an aura.”

Lieberman has been a student of the game her entire life, since she was 15 she explained. So she is no newbie to the sport. She knows what she is talking about, has an authoritative attitude, and knows how to win. Her résumé includes being an Olympian at 18; a three-time All-American, two-time player of the year and two-time national champion at Old Dominion; a pro career with stops in the men's USBL and WNBA. She played summer-league ball for both the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz.

Women for a long time even since the passage of title IX have not gotten the opportunity to be involved in men’s sports, playing or coaching. Even to be to be a head coach of women’s teams has been giving over to men. Nancy Lieberman has proved that there are plenty of qualified women out there that are capable of running a men’s program. That sports in general doesn’t have to be male dominated, there is room for equality. Hopefully with people like Nancy Lieberman in position of authority that this will start to open door and break down barriers for women to gain more opportunities in sports and that qualified women will stopped being over looked and be given equally opportunity.

Ben Ott
Kin 338I
TTh 9:30-10:45

Female in a male dominated postion

American football and masculinity go hand in hand. Young boys are taught from the very beginning of their childhood that tough men play football. Typically the coaches sending the messages about manliness and teaching them how to play football are commonly men themselves. A common belief is that it takes a man to raise a man. However, for Calvin Coolidge High in Washington DC their head football coach is female. Natalie Randolph has undertaken the responsibility to teach high school boys not only how to play football but to help them become men on and off the field.

So why has it taken so long for a woman to become a head football coach and why is it such a big and surprising story. Coach Randolph along with many other women in the popluation have just as much experience and knowledge in football as well as coaching experience as their male counterparts. Males coach female sports and it is not uncommon. Are males capable of teaching females how to be athletes and women any better than female coaches can teach males? Gender should not play a role in jobs other than coaching, if a person is qualified for the position they should receive that position and coaching should not be any different. Maybe females have not necesarily taken the steps to push to become football coaches but if women have the desire to coach a sport dominated by males they should learn from Natalie Randolph and push for the jobs they want regardless of socieites idea about gender and coaching. Women are capable but are enough willing to help change the tide and make female football coaches more common?

Marc R.
kin 338

Divisions in Society

Why is it that as an American society certain type of divisions or groups are created? These different types of divisions create ideologies or acceptable ways that a person needs to look like or act. It also creates a hierarchical system where one group will be more dominant and have more control than the other.

For example, there is a division between people that are thin, fit, and slim and people that are obese or overweight. What does society think about the people who are thin? Society creates these ideas that make thin, slim, and fit people more acceptable. We see this in the magazines, TV, commercials, the mass media, where thin, slim, and fit bodies come out all the time to sell the image and the product. For instance, when are we going to see an overweight man on commercial selling Polo underwear? Most likely we will not because they will not look good and will not sell the product. Who knows?

Also thin, slim, and fit people are perceived as being healthy. It makes people think that in order for them to be healthy they need to have this thin, slim, and fit body. Like we discussed in the women in sport class, these ideas create what’s called fat phobia, the fear of being fat, obese, or overweight. This makes people go to extreme limits to fit these norms in whatever possible way. In either way this creates stress on that person because they can’t meet the criteria of that perfect body image.

So if we see an overweight person, assumptions are already made that this person is lazy, and that they don't care about their bodies. We make the assumption that an overweight person cannot run because he is too heavy, he is not athletic enough. In one of the articles discussed in class, “Unbearable Lessons: Contesting Fat Phobia in Physical Education” it mentions that these obese and overweight bodies lack the discipline and control over their bodies. This is not true; it’s a matter of shaping the body in the way you want it to perform through practice, conditioning, and dedication.

Overall, the way I see it is that if these divisions or groups in society continue to exist there is always going to be that group that would be seen as greater or more important than the other. Then again creating this hierarchical system and this makes it hard for people who go out of the norm to not be seen differently. It becomes hard for that person that steps out of the box because they will be criticized. Also, there are more divisions in society such as gender, racial, and sexual preference that we also need to think about. So the question is what can we do to eliminate or change these ideas?

Andres A.
Kin 338I t/th 9:30

Natalie Randolph...The Chosen One

About three weeks ago I was watching ESPN after I had gotten home from our Women in Sports class, and coincidentally, ESPN Outside the Lines did a piece on Natalie Randolph. Natalie just so happens to be the first woman to coach football at the high school level. She applied for the position after the coaching position opened up. In the interview, Calvin Coolidge Senior High School principal admits that she didn't consider Natalie for the position when she saw her name but once she interviewed her and saw her proposal, she knew she would be the one. What was appealing about her was the fact the she gave more importance to school than to the game of football, something that most coaches overlook. Coach Randolph says that she wants to change the world and hopes to be the best at what she does.

I feel that Natalie is doing a great thing for the sports world whether you are male or female. I personally find her story to be inspiring primaraily because I coach as well and I like how she is breaking down barriers. I admire the fact that she is a woman doing it in a "man's sport" but also for what she stands for. She is completely focused on changing the norm in school athletics by putting a priority on academics rather than on the sport. She has also pushed on even though people are doubting her. Some of the schools players transfered to a different high school when she got hired but that did not turn her away. Because of what Natalie is doing, pretty soon we will start to see more women coach men's sport. It will probably have to start at the high school level but and maybe one day at the professoinal level.


Shusaku Isagawa
KIN 338
t-th 9:30-10:45

"Improving women's basketball"

Cindy Yorba
KIN 338I
t/th
9:30am- 10:45am


http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/columns/story?columnist=voepel_mechelle&id=5662243

This article covers a lot of what we have discussed in class. It mentions how little coverage women basketball receives in comparison to men, particularly for the association FIBA. FIBA is trying to figure out ways to make get more coverage and more fans. They are proposing getting new uniforms. They want to make the players look more like "women", therefore trying to feminize the sport. They also want to lower the rim so that the women can dunk more; in theory, more people will become interested because dunking seems to be very popular and desirable.


All these things have a common theme, the women are being pressured to play for others instead of themselves. The women are being pressured to get more fans, instead of being motivated to train. They are changing their uniforms to be more appealing to others, instead of feeling good about themselves in their current uniforms. They are also going to have to change their shooting techniques if the rim is lowered. Its evident that FIBA wants to make profit off these women, and are less worried about having these women play a sport that they love.

The Use of "Octagon Girls" in UFC

Cindy Yorba
KIN 338I
Tue&Thur.
9:30am-10:45am

I found it very interesting that women are being used to sell tickets to men sports. These women prance around in bikini for the simple viewing pleasure of the spectators. Her body is described as fit and sexy, her body image is very much liked and preferred. It made me wonder if men would still want her to pose for them as an Octagon Girl if she was much more muscular or if she was fit but not "physically attractive".

Should women be involve in this type of work? UFC is about mixed martial arts, but some how womens bodies were introduced to the sport and used a marketing tool. UFC is going to help her out financially for her fitness ideas, which is great. But it is obvious that they are using her for money. This woman's participation in Playboy is going to bring UFC fans up and people will soon tune in just to watch the Octagon/ Playboy beauty walk around the ring.

Women Coaching

After reading "She Is The One", it is very evident that women can coach just as well, and if not better than male coaches. This reading was a huge eye opener for me and i would think it did the same for the other classmates as well. To judge and say that women cannot coach a men's team is just selfish. Throughout history women have proven that they have just as much knowing in sports as men. In this reading, a great point is proven as a women's coach does a very good job in a lead head coaching position for mens football. I admire Natalie Randolph in this reading very much as she had to prove herself that she could do just as good of a job as that of a man, and she did. Readings such as "She Is The One" and Natalie Randolph's story i believe can be a very big benefit to women and their place in sport. I think that society should think more about what is best for sport instead of constantly believing that coaching a men's team is strictly for men, the story of Natalie Randolph would seriously make them reconsider their view on women coaching men's sports
Corey Nagle
Kin 338i t/th
9:30-10:45

Women Coaching Male Sports...

I totally think it is ok for a woman to coach a male sport. i mean what is the difference? is it because she is female and she may not know as much as the male? or is it because men are just to embarrassed to accept the idea/fact that a woman can just as easily coach a male sport, such as football. I think our world is so wrapped up into what life should be, and people portrayed it in the past and how they may portray it now that we take the time out to observe how much the world is changing infront of us. Things are never going to be the same. so we must now sit down and take note of the changes occurring and accept them, which include women coaching male sports and women even participating in male sports.

JM,KIN 3381, section 01

Coach Randolph!!!

When we think of a typical high school football head coaches, we think of old Caucasian man right away. But in the article “She is the one”; an African American woman by the name of Natalie Randolph was hired as a head coach of a high school football team.

There are plenty of women out there are well qualified to coach a team, but they were being passed on by white male, because school administrator still cannot see how a woman can run and coach a team of men. And for the first time, it was nice to see that there are now people out there that will actually look at what the person has to offer, rather than looking at their gender or race. This is a great breakthrough in women in sports. And hopefully this will bring attention to many of us, that male are not the only one that should be allowed to coach a male’s sport team. I just hope that Coach Randolph will have a very successful season this year, so that those people who have decided to hire her will not think that they made a bad decision.

GO COACH RANDOLPH!!!


- Arbhie Guce
-332i
-t/th 930-1045

Reality!

Before this class I didn't realize the disadvantages women had faced in sport and education and how Title IX changed all of that. I really didn't know that existed. I did know women struggled for equality. I grew up participating in many things. I even played T-ball with the boys in 1985. Never did I once get treated differently in high school because I ran cross country and track or swam on the swim team. To this day, I can't even think an incident that would involve a female playing a sport. I may have not notice if there was anything of that nature occurring at my school.
In the few weeks in this class I've learned that women and girls have struggled for fairness in athletics and still do. Men are still coaching women's sport, which I read about one that was forced to coach a female's soccer team in New York but had no interest to do so. He wanted to coach male's soccer instead. This is happening a lot and female's are not getting the opportunity they deserve to participate in sports and in coaching. There's still more money going into a male's athletic team over a female's athletic team.
I think what made me realize everything is the one reading was, "Just Do...What? Sport, Bodies and Gender", this had a major effect. The talk of how men are mostly coaching female and male athletics, which is causing injuries to female athletes due to them, being encouraged to continue when injured. I never realized the risk of injury until I got involved in athletics at OCC. In high school there wasn't much information put out on injuries and prevention and how to take care of an injury if one was sustained. We did have male coaches. It’s amazing what we learn in life and still learn even when we didn't realize what was going on in that particular moment of our lives but down the road we do.

Women Coaches

In the article "She's the one", it is pointed out that Natalie Randolph is a female has nothing to do with her ability to coach high school football. I completely agree with this. The administrators picked who they thought was best for the job and male should not be one of the requirements to be a football coach. The one thing I might argue is that she has never played on a high school football team. I did not notice until I reached high school that it really makes a difference whether your coach has actually played at the level you are playing at. My coaches prior to high school would tell me how long they watched the sport but you really need to have been out there on the field to understand how the game is played. At least Randolph played semipro women's football. She may not know exactly what goes on in a guy's head but she has been on the field.
Hopefully this will be a big step for women who are coaching other sports as well. We have discussed that women are often passed up for coach's positions and now maybe people will realize that there is no reason to pick someone based on gender. I am a girls soccer coach at a high school and have never though about women being passed over in coaching jobs. Even though I am the only female on the coaching staff for soccer there have been women coaches before me. I recently heard about women coaches not being taken seriously in one of the local soccer clubs and it was my first experience with the issue. I do not want to continue to come across this issue. Hopefully people will not look at the fact that Randolph lost her first game and will instead focus on all the other things that make her qualified for the job.
Samantha H.
Kin 338I S6

Is Cheerleading Dangerous?

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/22/eveningnews/main613227.shtml?tag=mncol;lst;2

Is cheerleading too dangerous? Over the years cheerleading has gotten more and more competitive. This means that their moves and stunts have got to be bigger and better, and unfortunately, more dangerous to win and be the best. “Cheerleaders today are as competitive as the teams on the playing fields,” said a CBS News Correspondent.
Having once being a high school cheerleader, I have seen how each year stunts get more creative, different, intense, and dangerous. Just one wrong move can cause you, or even all the girls in the stunt, major injuries. In the CBS News article it mentioned how “…just months into her freshman year, the stunt went wrong at practice and Rechelle became the second cheerleader this year left paralyzed.” In my four years of cheerleading I have seen ambulances take girls away on three separate occasions, and I personally had my jaw dislocated from stunts gone wrong. The article also mentioned “In girls' sports, more than half of the catastrophic injuries - those causing paralysis or death - are happening on the sidelines, in cheerleading accidents.” As competitive cheerleading progresses so does the intensity and danger.
The safety of the girls and responsibility of properly teaching these stunts lies with the coach. Unfortunately the dangerous moves are often taught and supervised by people who do not fully understand or are not qualified. The CBS News article quoted how, “In professional gyms, coaches are specialists. In schools, the coach might be doing double duty as the math teacher.” The most important position in high school cheerleading is the coach, because the girls’ safety ultimately lies in that person’s hands since they teach, choreograph, and allow the dangerous moves causing injuries.

-Bree Torres
Kin 338i t/th
9:30-10:45

Running in the Dark

It's 5:30pm and I feel myself scrambling to get out of work as quickly as possible because I want to go on a run. Why would I be scrambling to leave work where I "run around" to go on a run? Well, this is the sad part of being a women in todays society. In actuality I would love to go home and relax for a little while before working out, however this is not an option for me due to the fact that I work in Laguna Beach and it takes me at least thirty minutes to get home. As I'm driving down Pacific Coast Highway at 6 o'clock, I am watching the sun quickly slip behind the horizon and the sky is getting a bit darker every second. I now know that if I wish to continue with my plan to go on a run I will need a partner. I called my boyfriend and he was more than happy to join me on my run, however it made me think how unfair it is that just because I am a women I dont feel safe "running in the dark." I dont think that every women thinks like this, but because of the stories I have heard its just not worth risking my saftey.

Jessica D.
KIN 338I. S6. T/Th 9:30

Inequality in Athletics

"Cal-Berkeley Cuts 5 Athletic Programs"
Published: September 28, 2010
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/sports/29cal.html?_r=2

It is clear that college Football means more to Berkeley than other popular sports and academic programs. In this article it is clear to spot this inequality. Baseball and men's Rugby along with five other sports programs were cut in September 2010 when the football budget was slowly increasing in 2008-2009 year. Due to placing eighth in the Director's cup last year, Berkeley has shown incredible financial support just by protecting them from a monetary cut. Only the top 14 athletic football programs made money last year and that number is decreasing at a steady rate. Berkeley obviously wants to keep their team in those top statistics to make money at the expense of other important athletic teams. Students who were in these teams may have some help from the university administrators who are honoring previous scholarships and helping with transfers but it will still vastly affect their athletic and academic career. College football is an important aspect of the college experience and can help the college but inequality is unacceptable when they are not accounting for the recession. If Berkeley's football team ends up placing 20th in the coming years and the revenue they bring in diminishes, those teams that will have been cut in vain.

-Kathleen C.
KIN 338I Sec 01, T/TH 930-1045

all women need to have access to exercise

Cindy Y.
Section: Kin338I. Tue&thur 9:30-10:45am. CSULB

I started teaching aerobics for the city of Hawaiian Gardens about 3 months ago. My participants are amazing! They are mostly also mothers (old and young), immigrants, only spanish speakers, and dedicated. My classes are offered 8 times per week, and they are completely free. My classes also come with free child care, every single class. I also have instructions in english and spanish so that everyone can understand and be comfortable. It really brightens up my heart to see these women participating in something that is so healthy for them.

We have discussed in class that those who are "white" usually get priorities that many other people do not. They usually have access to sports and exercising gyms, especially if they have the financial abilities. Many of these ladies are immigrants, and some have shared with me their hard journeys to America; they have sacrificed alot for their children to be American citizens.We also discuss girls in youth sports and college sports, but what about the grown women?

I have women who come to every single class, which means they exercise 8 hours per week. they also take advantage of the weight classes that are offered twice a week, and the gym. Alot of these ladies would not be able to do any of this without the resources they have at the city hall. My class if free and has free child care; there isnt any excessive paperwork to get done or regulations. Its fast, easy, and fun. If I didn't have childcare available for them, most of the ladies would not be able to participate; many of them can not afford babysitters and many of them do not have relatives who could help them out with babysitting.

I feel that free programs as mine should be offered in every city and every recreational park. These women are dedicated, strong, and hard workers. It is really admiring how these women come day after day to exercise and make themselves healthy. I can not help but wonder what these ladies would be doing every night if these programs did not exist. Everyone should have free resources in respect to exercise and sport, along with free child care.

Women Coaching....Football? Yes!

Click here for the article about Natalie Randolph from ESPN's outside the lines.

What is Socially Acceptable

Ohio 11-year-old Tyler Wilson wanted to join the traveling cheer team. He was successful in doing so, and was told by his mother that he would probably be picked on and he should be ready for it. I am not sure he was ready for what happened next. The football players at his school did pick on him and they ended up getting to a fight and breaking Tyler’s arm. Now that he has told on them they are threatening to break his other arm. The society we live in today is all about social norms and if we step out of those “norms” we will be seen as different. Just because a little boy wanted to do cheer instead of football he was seen as different, to be different in today’s society comes at a price. Males have to be seen as strong and aggressive, so to do something like cheerleading which is seen as “feminine,” goes against the idea of what a male should be and act like. Sports is not helping this stereotype either, it continues to push the idea of “proper behavior” and attitude of men and women and how they should fit into their roles in society.

Kin338I .S6
Ben.O

Danica Patrick- Don't Hate me Because I'm Beautiful (and rich, and famous..did I mention I race cars too?)

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/lars_anderson/05/14/patrick/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmdaB21E2tY

While doing some brief research on female athlete's I quickly came across an article in Sport's Illustrated called, "Hard Work Patrick Generates High Expectations" written by Lars Anderson, on Indy racecar driver Danica Patrick. She is the 1st woman to ever win in Indy car. There was talk on her moving to Nascar racing, but her main focus was on concentrating on her Indy 500 race. She has received a lot of attention in the media such as "Go Daddy" commercials, Sport's illustrated and various women's health magazine's such as Shape, been featured in a South Park episode, as well as from her racing/unlikely successful career. For example, she dropped out of school and moved to England at 16 to concentrate on racing. If that doesn't sound ballsy, she lost funding from her racing sponsor for being perceived as a wild party girl! She got lucky by "landing a ride with Letterman Racing in 2004" even though she didn't have a consistent winning record.

As I surfed the web, I found YouTube video's of commercials she has been in as well as a video clip of her posing for Sport's Illustrated. They portray her as being very sexy. In the Go Daddy commercial, featured during the 2010 super bowl, the scene is focused around a pool and a massage table with her and another woman. The commercial ends with her saying, "Customer service with a personal touch". In the Sport's Illustrated YouTube video she says, "A guy loves to look at the issue; I'm a girl and I love to look at the issue". In the shoot she is shown having very feminine characteristics such as long brown hair, a tan thin and toned body, skimpy shiny swimsuit, and flawless looking skin/makeup. Google her name and hundreds of other very sex appealing photos will pop up. She appears to be calm and confident. In a South Park episode where they make jokes about her, she responds with, "Anytime somebody takes the time to make fun of you is a compliment".


In a society that puts so much pressure on women’s appearance, it makes sense that in a Shape magazine interview she said, “Racing makes me nervous, but getting into a bathing suit for this cover made me more nervous.” There is no doubt in my mind that her good looks are what has got her media attention. The brutal truth is, is that sex sells, and if she were overweight, ugly, or manly, they wouldn’t feature her in the media and her talents in Nascar racing would go unnoticed.

Veronica G Kin338I section 1 Tu/Th 9:30am

Team Acrobatics and Tumbling

“Groups compete to make cheer a recognized sport”
Published Thursday, September 9, 2010
Source: http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/News-And-Events/Womens-Sports-News.aspx

This short article talks about how the governing body for cheerleading organizations is meeting with 15 colleges to create the sport of “stunt”. “USA Gymnastics sanctioned events will be called "team acrobatics and tumbling." This push was evoked by a recent Federal court ruling in Connecticut that found that cheerleading “wasn’t established enough” to meet the gender equity requirements of Title IX. Judge Stefan Underhill backed up his decision by concluding that cheer lacked standardized rules and a sanctioning body. Leading this movement, Bill Seely, the executive director of USA Cheer said that they are hoping to provide schools with a format that will satisfy the requirements of Title IX. They are making sure that the expenses of this new sport will not come out of funding of traditional cheerleading. The teams joining the USA Gymnastics model are becoming members of USA Gymnastics and have agreed to adhere to that USA Gymnastics' rules and policies.

-Chelseah M.
KIN 338I T/TH 930-1045

Do cheerleading uniforms reveal too much?

Florida cheerleader story
Connecticut cheerleader story
Cheerleaders at schools in Connecticut and Florida have requested changes from school officials regarding their uniforms.

Cheerleaders from a Florida school asked for an exemption from the current dress code that bans skirts or dresses that are too short (above mid-thigh). Their uniforms fall under the category of “sexually suggestive” clothing. The cheerleaders felt that they should be allowed to wear their uniforms on game days to promote school spirit so an exemption was made from the school district.

On the other hand, cheerleaders from a Connecticut school have asked school officials to make adjustments to their uniforms—because they were too skimpy. Bridgeport Central’s uniforms expose midriffs and are combined with either small shorts or baggy sweatpants. The cheerleaders felt that the uniforms hurt self-esteem.

Cheerleading is a physically demanding activity with grueling routines that command attention. Some feel that the revealing uniforms cater to the typical college/high school sporting event attendee: young men. I feel that certain uniforms can put unrelenting pressure on young women, possibly forcing them into unhealthy exercise habits and/or eating disorders at a young age. These energetic young women are leaders, role models, students, and athletes and shouldn’t be objectified.

Daniel J.
KIN 338I - S6

What is Socially Acceptible?

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/TheLaw/exclusive-broken-arm-boy-cheerleader-threatened/story?id=11753915

Ohio 11-year-old Tyler Wilson wanted to join the traveling cheer team. He was successful in doing so, and was told by his mother that he would probably be picked on and he should be ready for it. I am not sure he was ready for what happened next. The football players at his school did pick on him and they ended up getting to a fight and breaking Tyler’s arm. Now that he has told on them they are threatening to break his other arm. The society we live in today is all about social norms and if we step out of those “norms” we will be seen as different. Just because a little boy wanted to do cheer instead of football he was seen as different, to be different in today’s society comes at a price. Males have to be seen as strong and aggressive, so to do something like cheerleading which is seen as “feminine,” goes against the idea of what a male should be and act like. Sports is not helping this stereotype either, it continues to push the idea of “proper behavior” and attitude of men and women and how they should fit into their roles in society.

Kin338I. S6
Ben Ott

Has Title IX struck again???

The University of California, Berkeley has eliminated 5 intercollegiate sports programs. These programs include baseball, men’s rugby, men and women’s gymnastics, and women’s lacrosse.
It is very much a possibility that this event could be spun and Title IX could be blamed for the removal of athletic programs, as it has in the past. The blame, however, most likely lies with the fact that there was a financial issue that needed to be recognized by the school. This issue comes from the fact that we, as a country, experienced an economic recession and the fact the California’s funding of schools has been reduced in recent years. Eliminating the sports is estimated to save the school $4 million dollars in the next fiscal year.
Sources at the school have even stated that the school will be committed to REMAINING compliant with Title IX, DESPITE the reduction in the athletic department, which affected both male and female sports.
This is not an issue of Title IX, but an issue of money.


-Nick M.
KIN 338I Sec 1

How student fees boost college sports amid rising budgets

I found this article to be very interesting and eye opening. I have understood that we as students at CSULB do pay a "University Fee" that is nicely labeled within our account inquiry. I admit however that I do not have the slightest idea of what these university fees are going towards. I do know they contributed to the new Rec Center and I am completely content with this. Also I am sure some goes towards the upkeep of the various gyms, racket ball courts, pool, etc. which I am also OK with. How much of that total university fee is going towards athletic programs however is another story. I do not necessarily feel comfortable paying for the athletics of other students. I rarely go to 49er games regardless of the sport. Perhaps if we did have a football team I would get my cut by having a huge homecoming game to go to but this is nonexistent. I feel that many students on our campus are blind to this "University Fee" which we have been paying since our enrolment including myself. I feel that the university should let us see the breakdown of the university fee and let us know exactly where our money is going.

-Nick H.
KIN 338I Sec 1

Reggie Garrett

Well i read an article on the AOL news.

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/reggie-garrett-star-texas-high-school-quarterback-dies-after-collapse-in-game/19639051

It was a surprising event that happened in Orange. A young seventeen year old with a bright future in football collapsed on the field after throwing a touchdown to his teammate with a huge smile on his face. As he walked to the sidelines to celebrate he collapsed over and wasn't breathing. Shortly after he arrived to the hospital, he was pronounced dead. He was such a beautiful kid as well as a very talented and loved one too. they were just celebrating on the field for they were winning the football game. The doctor said he died of a seizure. His medical records show that he had suffered convulsions when he was three when he had a fever but didn't have one since. Apparently this one, he wasn't able to overcome. He passed his yearly physical exam with flying colors but still had a seizure. Is there any way we can prevent this from happening? Are there any tests that could be done to predict these events and tragic moments? Do we need to raise our standards for physical tests to be cleared to play sports? When I have a physical done, it is very simple, quick, and sometimes I don't even feel like it is enough. I have permanently sprained both of my knees from sports, but I still get cleared every time to keep playing and do what I'm doing. When I'm on the field or in the dance room, I can feel myself not being okay but the doctor said I was. I am cleared from a car accident I was in four years ago, but I still feel the repercussions of it. I fell at work and filed a workers comp claim, but couldn't get permanent disability because they tested me and said I was fine. I can still feel the pain and limitations I now have from the injuries. Are there more tests they can run to see the in depth injuries or unknown repercussions from previous injuries? Reggie Garrett isn't the only football player this has happened to. There are other players too who have suffered from things like this. One had a heart attack and his heart stopped for two minutes after making a touch down. He made it to the hospital and his life was saved for a cardio doctor was in the stands and came to his rescue. He was lucky, but what about Reggie? Will there me others like him? Should be raise the standards for physical exams and research their medical past more diligently? YES! We must! To keep our athletes safe and alive, we must do more tests, be more honest about our medical history, and do more in depth research into their medical past. It is a must or there will be more like Reggie Garrett, young athletes with dreams and futures. R.I.P. Reggie Garrett. You were loved and admired by so many. Heaven has a great quarterback now. Keep reaching for the stars!

Chelsea Castaneto
KIN 338i
Women in Sport
T/TH 9:30am

Female Kicker Wins Football Game

Detroit High School earns a win. Click here for the article.

Female phenom pitcher

Click here for the link to the article I mentioned in class on Thursday 9/9/2010.

Why Female Athletes Pose in the NUde

Some opposers say that the necessity of females posing in the nude is so the sales of their magazines or other products will sell more or have more ratings. sex sells. yes it does but why? why do we have to sell ourselves to the media through sexual appearances in athletics instead of by our talent? professional athletes are in the pros as a career, as a way to make money, but why do they have to expose themselves provocatively? it is because people are more attracted to sex than to the actually media of sports when it comes to reading say a magazine or an article online. people don't want to read these days unless it is something "interesting" such as sexual poses or nude pictures. it may be debated that the professional athletes make so much money that they should do whatever they want to i.e. pose nude but when it comes to female athletes, is that down grading our sports and our abilities to prove that we are professional and athletic? i think that it is unnecessary to pose nude to gain ratings from the media that women should just prove themselves professionally to be taken seriously in the athletics department of their careers. some other women may pose nude as their career on porn videos or even as models for say playboy but that "is" their profession. they are paid to do that and that's the career they went into. athletes get paid to do it as well but if women are trying to promote our athletics as well as that we have the ability to be as successful as men's sports then we shouldn't have to "sell" ourselves to the media to get support. we should be supported because we are great athletes as well as for that we, as women, have fought so hard to have women sports so we should support it! what do you think? do you take female athletes seriously when they pose nude in a magazine?
-Chelsea Castaneto
KIN 338i
T/TH 9:30am-10:45am
CSULB

Why Nude?

Why female athletes pose in the nude?
Some opposers say that the necessity of females posing in the nude is so the sales of their magazines or other products will sell more or have more ratings. sex sells. yes it does but why? why do we have to sell ourselves to the media through sexual appearances in athletics instead of by our talent? professional athletes are in the pros as a career, as a way to make money, but why do they have to expose themselves provocatively? it is because people are more attracted to sex than to the actually media of sports when it comes to reading say a magazine or an article online. people don't want to read these days unless it is something "interesting" such as sexual poses or nude pictures. it may be debated that the professional athletes make so much money that they should do whatever they want to i.e. pose nude but when it comes to female athletes, is that down grading our sports and our abilities to prove that we are professional and athletic? i think that it is unnecessary to pose nude to gain ratings from the media that women should just prove themselves professionally to be taken seriously in the athletics department of their careers. some other women may pose nude as their career on porn videos or even as models for say playboy but that "is" their profession. they are paid to do that and that's the career they went into. athletes get paid to do it as well but if women are trying to promote our athletics as well as that we have the ability to be as successful as men's sports then we shouldn't have to "sell" ourselves to the media to get support. we should be supported because we are great athletes as well as for that we, as women, have fought so hard to have women sports so we should support it! what do you think? do you take female athletes seriously when they pose nude in a magazine?
-Chelsea Castaneto
KIN 338i
T/TH 9:30am-10:45am

Final Distance Learning

When I enrolled in Women in Sports course, I was expected to learn just about the history of women sports, star professional athletes and what type of sports women participate in. We did cover some of those bases but we actually went more in depth with social issues that athlete women faces day by day. I didn't expect to learn about all the diversity that women have to endure just to be an athlete. I didn't expect to learn about equality issues, whether it was between men and women or sexual orientation, scrutinized lesbian athletes. I was not aware of any of these issues actually occur in the world of women athletes. Taking this course made me realize how society can socially manipulate and change a female athletes based on social taboos and standards. What I got from this course made me be more analytical on how women are being portrayed in public either in sports media or any source of media outlet. I just respect female athletes much more than before.

Michael Nguyen
005679555
kin338i (9:30-10:45)

Final

When I first signed up for this course I thought that it was going to be a easy class and all I would learn is about all the famous women athletes. However after the first day I knew that this wasn't going to be the case because I learned about all the different obstacles women face in the sports industry. I also noticed a bunch of things that I never really caught in the news and magazines. I noticed how women pose provocatively and how controversial it is.

After this course I totally have a new respect for women in sports and have a broader view on how hard it is for women to get coverage in sports. If I could share one idea from this course to others I would tell about all the troubles women go through to get noticed in sports.

-Sean Hoang

Distance Learning (Ray Kim, KIN 338i,04)

Coming into the course I expected to learn about the various obstacles women face and have faced when participating in sports whether it be gaining entry or finding equality. Being an Athletic Training student I wanted to gain a broader perspective of what female athletes must deal with when playing sports as they can be put under a lot of pressure and scrutiny from family, peers, coaches, etc.

I don't think my views have changed but I have gained a broader understanding of the challenges and hurdles female athletes must go through when participating in sports. I've always respected the female athlete and the difficulties they might face when playing a particular sport that may not be deemed feminine or the pressures they are put under to maintain a certain body type. However, my knowledge was fairly shallow, and since taking this class I've not only come to better understand but also better sympathize with women athletes.

Final Exam Distance Learning

1. One thing I was surprised to learn in this course is:...I was surprised to learn this because...

One thing I was surprised to learn in this course is how even thought title IX helped out alot within the women's sports there is still some discrimination and bias towards women in sports but in a more subtle way in today's society. I was surprised to learn this because before i took this class i didn't really pay attention to how women were portrayed in sports through magazines and television. The awareness paper really helped me see just how women were portrayed for their pretty faces and bodies instead of their talents and skills in the sports they play in.

2. If you could share one idea from this course with others, what would it be, and why?

If I could share one idea from this course with others it would be to not judge, not to make stereotypes and not to treat people bad because of what we preceive them to be because from watching the film "training rules" I was able to see how alot of those women who played basketball were prejudged and labeled just from their appearance or because they were on the basketball team. For example, the young woman named Jennifer Harris she was labeled a lesbian only because she wore her braids in what people thought were too masculine when in fact she was not a lesbian. Therefore, we shouldn't treat people ugly and different just because of stereotypes or because they are different from us because it can hurt people and mess up their lives in some cases.

Erika Boone
TuTh 930-1045a

distance learning final

What did you expect to learn in this course? Did you learn it?


When I first signed up for this class, I expected to learn about women who have made a lasting impact in the world of sports. I hoped to learn about prominent women who have left their legacy because of their skill level in the playing field. I love sports and am fully aware of the male dominant athletes such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, but I hoped to learn of the "female versions" of these male athletes. I actually learned something completely different and much more valuable. I learned about the unfair treatment that women get because of their gender. I learned that gender is socially constructed and the fact that we live in a male dominated society makes females the inferior gender. For the most part, their role is to appease the men. More importantly, I learned of the dire need for women to break out of that mold and pursue greater heights especially in the field of athletics.

Complete the following sentence: I used to think — but now I think — .

I used to think that feminism meant lesbian, strong, brutish women who hated men. I thought that feminists wanted to become the better gender and abolish all types of control that had men in power. It turns out I was wrong. Now, I think feminists want freedom and equality more than anything. They do not want to be better, they just want to be able to do the same things men can do without getting any ridicule for it. I also learned that both women and men can be feminists.

Ephraim Gatdula
Women in sports Kin338i
T/Th 9:30 AM

Final Exam-Distance Learning

Did your view of women in sport change as a result of this course? Why or why not?

As a result of this course my view of women in sport has definitely changed. The most prominent way in which it has changed is that I no longer view female athletes as vulnerable or submissive, but rather I now see them as the fierce, successful women they are. In addition to this change in my view of women in sport, I feel as though I am now eager to learn more about female athletes and keep up with the medias portrayal of them in terms of media coverage, or lack there of, and the way in which each athlete is depicted in the media. Prior to this course I could care less about female athletes and in fact would scoff at them for their successes simply because I did not see under the surface of the trials and tribulations they endure on a daily basis. As I mentioned before, I saw these women as vulnerable and submissive because I had not been educated on the history of women in sport and all of the advancements they have made as a result of their physical and mental strength. Because of this course I now have the most respect for all female athletes because I know their journey is not always easy. I never used to consider myself a feminist in the slightest sense, but I can definitely say that me learning as much as a did about women in sport has given me quite a bit of woman power!



Complete the following sentences: One thing I was surprised to learn in this
course is: … . I was surprised to learn this because …

One thing I was surprised to learn in this course is the amount of female athletes that struggle with eating disorders. I was surprised to learn this because- I suppose it was that I always thought of female athletes as not having to worry about being healthy or in shape because of it is already built in to their role as an athlete to do so. After being in this course I can now see that there are so many different factors that tie into women turning to unhealthy eating behaviors. Whether it be to make weight for an event, shed a few extra pounds to trim seconds off a race, or simply meet the social expectations of what an athlete should LOOK like, I now realize that there are so many female athletes that are battling a serious eating disorder because of the pressures put on them by coaches, family members, and fans. As I previously mentioned, I had always seen these athletes as being in top physical shape and healthy; confident and happy with their physique and performance. Being in this course has enabled me to look at situations related to women in sport through a more objective lense and realize there is more to a story than what is seen on the surface. After watching Beauty Mark I can definitely say that I was surprised to learn how prevelant eating disorders and unhealthy lifestyles is amongst female athletes because of the stigma that is often associated with athletes in general as being health junkies. This notion has further contributed to my being more open minded and not as quick to judge as a result of this course. I feel as though, in addition to the above, this has more clearly defined the distinction between health, being in shape, and satisfying the need for an idealistic physical image.


Elise Severson
Section 5306
T/TH 2:00 PM

Top 10

I recently watched Sportscenter in the morning on ESPN like I always, do; except this time during the Top 10 plays from the previous day, 2 of the top 4 clips were from women's sports. Now, I'm not talking about it was some emotional moment that got placed on the list as ESPN will sometimes do... but these were women making big-impact plays in their sports. The number 4 play was a WNBA game and showed a player weave through the entire other team before making the lay-up. The anchor who was narrating it used the same tone and enthusiasm as he would have during any clip involving Kobe or LeBron doing the same. The number 2 clip was from the Georgia-LSU softball game, and showed the center fielder for LSU sprinting in from deep center to make a diving catch in the shallow outfield. Again, the anchor called this play much the same as if the clip came straight out of an MLB game.
After having talked in class about the lack of attention women's sports get during shows like Sportscenter, I found it to be a little impressive that these two plays made it into the top 5 spots from the night before. And, truth be told, I wouldn't mind it at all if all of the Top Plays were from women's sports, as long as they're as exciting as the ones who made the list this time.

Ingemar Grave

Final Exam Distance Learning

I changed my point of view concerning female gay coaches coming out. I didn't think it was necessary for me to come out before because it shouldn't matter, and it would probably do more harm than good, but then I realized how great and how much easier life would be if everyone came out, and being gay was part of the "norm". I guess that is me thinking we could one day live in an Utopian society, but that is the goal. So I am in the process of coming out to my kids and their parents. I am not going to stand up and announce it, but I'm not going to hide my girlfriend anymore either.
If I could share one idea from this course with someone I would want them to know that all discrimination's are connected. We can't end racism until we end sexism, homophobia, and fat phobia. If the ideal woman is supposed to be a Caucasian (racism), blond/petite/sexy (sexism), and girly/straight (sexism/homophobic)we will continue to have discrimination in out society. I think this is an important message I wasn't expecting to learn. Everyone has experienced some type of discrimination whether they realize it or not, and if all of these "isms" are interconnected, maybe they will be more inclined to make an effort to work towards a more accepting environment.

Ashley Chatman
Women in sports Kin338i
T/Th 9:30 AM

One thing I was surprised to learn was how much emotional stress women have to go through. From gender testing to feminism, women go through situations in sport that men would never have to go through. It's the females who mainly get questioned about their gender and end up getting gender tested, and the women who get questioned about their sexual orientation. I always had the idea that athletes were so blessed because their lives conisted of doing what they loved and getting paid for it, when really there is more behind the scenes that we could ever know, imagine, or experience. They suffer with problems just like the rest of us, but their problems are likely to be more detrimental due to the fact that they are in the public eye.


My view of women in sport changed in a way where I have a broader perspective of the subject. Entering this class, I thought I was going to learn about female dominated sports such as tennis, WNBA, volleyball, etc. and how they relate to female hormones, emotions, and menstrual cycles. Now, when I think of women in sport I think of the history and progression women had to go through to be where we are today. Although most may argue that females don't live up to male athletics, female participation has still rapidly increased since the beginning. I also think about how women in sports has modernized when it comes to uniforms and rules. Looking back on the old videos and the establishment of Title IX, I've realized that I am lucky to be living in the generation I'm living in today.


Anya de Leon
KIN 338I S.6

Final Distance Learning

I used to think that women were equal to men in sports opportunities, but now I think the differences are drastic. I think my views were skewed before because in my small town high school we had nearly all the same sports for boys and girls to participate in, and I was seeing and hearing about female athletes quite often. After this course I realized that not only do many high schools not have equal opportunity for males and females, but most colleges don't even come close, and the professional arena is even more drastically skewed. This was shocking to me.

If I could share one thing from this course with others it would be what I learned about how female athletes are depicted in media and the lack of quality coverage of their sports. Most female athletes are used for sex appeal and rewarded for maintaining traditionally feminine features and societal standards for females even if it contradicts their sport. Attractive female athletes receive more sponsorships and media coverage than strong and winning athletes. This coverage and sponsorship is still substantially less than in male athletes. For exerting the same amount of effort, demonstrating skill and talent, and winning titles just like male athletes, female athletes are underprivileged.

Courtney O'Connor
KIN 338I Section 4

Final Distance Learning

Did your view of women in sport change as a result of this course? Why or why not?
-My view of women in sport did change as a result of taking this course. I always had known women weren't paid as much as men and overall as professionals, but I never realized the extent of all the obstacles women had to face in many different aspects of sport. It gives me a better appreciation for the women who have become successful, and who have paved the way for others. I am also more aware of the exploitation of women in sports and the media now. I will look at ads in new ways, and know that often women have fewer options when it comes to endorsements, and the ads they have to o to make a living.


What did you expect to learn in this course? Did you learn it?
- I expected to obviously learn about women in sport in this class and i did. I also expected to learn about some feminist ideals when it comes to sport and that was also included in the course materials. I was not expecting to have these concepts really change my opinions, but they did. I would definitely now advocate for women to have more equity in sport, and i am now aware of how much it is lacking. It was a well developed look into the many different facets of women in sport from their history o their modern day struggles.

Kellen Chamberlin
Kin 338I Section 5306

Final - Distance Learning

If someone asked you, “What did you learn in KIN 338I,” how would you respond? How do you think you would respond in five years from now?

If someone were to ask me what I learned in Women In sport, I would tell them that this course does not just focus on specific female athletes and the history of women and sport, but the struggles women faced and the discrimination that still exists today. I would also mention the effects of Title IX because I was unaware of this ruling before taking this class, the female athlete triad and the symptoms involved with it, and that homophobia exists in women athletics. In addition, I would respond with the cultural dimensions female athletes face within their own families along with the media and how certain races/ethnicities are more privileged than others when it comes to selection, financial resources, and coverage in the media. In five years from now, I think I would be able to respond with this same brief overview of the course. However, a lot of the topics that we discussed in class intrigued me and I feel like I would be able to notice issues that arise with women in sport and be able to recognize them and tie them in to what was learned this semester.

Complete the following sentence: I used to think — but now I think —.

I used to think that female athletes in a sense were seen more equally represented/accepted when it came to athletics, but now I can see that this is not the case in which females are only recognized when they are “feminized.” Being an athlete, I always thought that every female athlete was accepted as being an athlete and recognized for her talents. However, after listening to the panel presentations and going over the notes and readings, some of these females are ridiculed as being a lesbian or being too muscular for a woman. Also, the fact that many female athletes are only recognized when they portray some sort of sex appeal came as a shock to me. At the same time it served as a reminder that although a woman can be a great athlete, she must also be good looking and portray her aspects that make her a female. After taking this course I was exposed to more of a reality on this topic along with others that we covered throughout the course of the semester.

Denise Nunez
KIN 338I T/Th 9:30-10:45

Final Exam - Distance Learning

Complete the following sentence: I used to — but now I will — .

I used to think that as a nation we had come so far along when it comes to racism and sexism, but now I will take a whole different look at the world around me. I used to think that compared to where we were as a nation about 20 to 30 years ago we had come so far and that we had nearly wiped out all racism and sexism; however, after this class I have come to learn that, although we have had great movements, we still have a ways to go in regards to women overcoming a great sexism barrier, and minorities overcoming racism barrier.

If you could share one idea from this course with others, what would it be, and why?

If I could share one idea from this class it would be to have more people be more aware of the lack of women participation in sports, specifically in college. I would like to be able to share the information about Title IX with everybody and have them realize how few women teams and women athletes there are compared to men teams and men athletes. I want to make more people more aware because it's one step towards making our world more equal. As we become more aware of this inequality women will have more of a freedom in the world, something so many of us want.

Thank you for a great semester! I have been recommending this class to all my friends!

Shanna Emrich

Final Exam Distance Learning

What did you expect to learn in this course? Did you learn it?
I expected this course to be a simple discussion of the history of women in sport. While we did learn about the history it was more of a lesson of how far women have come in regards to equality in sport and just how much further we should go. It was a lesson in history that will help us further women's athletics in the future.

Have you changed your opinions or views as a result of this course? Why or why not?
I definitely had some opinions of the feminist movement that after this course have changed a bit. I used to resent the feminist movement for its alleged theories and the effect it has had on our current society. Some of what I believed hasn't changed but I definitely have a new found respect for certain feminist movements and the progress it has helped women attain.

Did your view of women in sport change as a result of this course? Why or why not?
I think I bought into the whole view that their are some sports men play and some sports women play and that's that. But looking at the history of things... I realized that all sports started as men's sports and if women didn't start playing so many of the sports women have come to love then we wouldn't have ever changed our thinking in regards to these sports. Women have every right to play sports that men do and to the same intensity. If mental roadblocks of female limitations didn't exists I wonder what athletics would look like.

Complete the following sentences: One thing I was surprised to learn in this course is: … I had no idea that women had an organized football league. I was surprised to learn this because … i had no idea that kinda thing existed. That alone was so eye opening it got me thinking about why I thought women couldn't play the game in the first place.

If someone asked you, “what did you learn in KIN 338I,” how would you respond? I learned a lot about the current state of college athletics. I learned just how much adversity women have had to endure to allow me the simple benefits of playing the sports I play at the level I play them. How do you think you would respond in five years from now? I hope that in 5 years I could see a more complete transformation and evolution of women's athletics

Complete the following sentence: I used to think — men were worlds apart from women but now I think — that is more of a social misconception that should be challenged more often
Complete the following sentence: I used to never open school surveys — but now I will — so if there is ever a question of interest regarding women's athletics for title 9 purposes, a better sample might be gathered.

If you could share one idea from this course with others, what would it be, and why? One idea I will share is definitely the fact that women can compete with the guys. We are just as able as they are with some time and effort we can keep up.

One thing I would like to learn more about is: The women's football league. I Love football and always wanted to play. Ive been looking for some kind of athletic outlet other than a boring gym and this might be my answer.

Thank you to all my class mates, the semester was fun!

Katie Ouaknine
Kin 338i

Final Exam-Distance Learning

My view of women in sport has changed since taking this class in that I have so much more respect for the many obstacles that they have to conquer. I think that we have a tendency to take for granted all the steriotypes that they deal with, as well as the inbalance in support because they are so often judged based on their bodies instead of their performance.
If there was one idea I would share from this course, I would want people to be more aware of their surroundings and realize that we as women are still far from achieving equality in sport and in ordinary life. I would want girls to realize what they are perpetuating when they put their bodies out for men to look at like a piece of meat, and I would want men to have more respect for what women go through.

Bethany Endter
TuTh9:30

Final Distance Learning

What did you expect to learn in this course? Did you learn it?

What I expected to learn from this class was how women in sports have succeeded and their struggles. I knew we were going to discuss women in sports but did not really think we would get into so much depth and discussion. The textbook provided great information but the in class activities, discussions and films gave us a better insight on what we learning. It was interesting to expand my knowledge on certain topics such as Title IX, Female Athlete Triad and many others. The debates were also informative since we got to hear our peers debate and present both sides of their arguments.

Did your view of women in sport change as a result of this course? Why or why not?

Yes, they absolutely changed. Prior to this class I really did not pay much attention to the discrimination and the challenges women have been facing when it comes to sports. Now that I have taken this course I am more aware and want to see change. The topic that really stood out and shocked me was the whole controversy about athletes coming out. I really did not see why their own personal choices would affect a team and bring about discrimination. And the film we watched about Rene Portland was very shocking due to the fact that a coach was going out of her way to ruin in a sense some of her players who were homosexuals. It is unbelievable how it continued for so long and nobody did anything to stop this. Before this course I never thought about topics like this but after hearing and reading these stories it became so real.

Jasmin Dominguez
T/Th 9:30am

Final-Distance Learning

From this course I expected to learn exactly how modern American society views women mainly in the media. I did learn what I expected to learn and beyond that; I now know where our cultural values have stemmed from and why women are treated unequally in many ways that may not be as obvious. This course changed much of what I had previously especially when it came to the issues of obesity and self-esteem issues involving body weight. I have come to understand that it is the persception of oneself and goal of health that should be most important when evaluating body weight and what is considered to be healthy.

Because of this course I have come to appreciate so many women in history that have paved the way for female athletes today. There are women who have made an incredible impact in sports history but continue to remain unrecognized for their achievements.

One thing I was surprised to learn in this course is that people may not be aware of certain privileges they have because of their race and/or social class. I was surprised to learn this because as a minority I have always been aware of certain social injustices yet not hindered by them.
I would respond that in KIN 338I, I learned about what TitleIX is and what the effects entail for past, present and future generations. In five years from now I hope to respond that TitleIX has improved in its flaws, and continues to be immensly successful for women in various ways.
I used to think women were treated more equally in sports than in any other area of society but now I think that in all areas women are treated with a certain inferiority even in sports. I used to be shy about discussing body weight issues but now I will be more open to understanding the factors that contribute to body issues and image.
If I could share one idea from this course with others, to keep yourself healthy, exercise and work hard to achieve your goals. This is an important because if our bodies feel empowered so will our minds.
One thing I would like to learn more about is how do other countries women's professional sports differ from American professional female teams?

-Bianca Palos
KIN 338I
SEC 04

Distance Learning Final

1. What did you expect to learn is this course? Did you learn it?
I expected to learn how women’s sport has grown and evolved over time, and we did learn a lot about this. We especially learned about Title IX and how that has been the biggest factor is promoting women’s sports. I also kind of expected to hear all about feminism and the movement and how men are so horrible and suppress women. We did learn a little about feminism, but it was not how I expected. The course still focused on women and athletics, and we just spent a little bit of necessary time on feminism and how it fits in. Also, I learned a lot about what feminism really is and how there are many different views and ideas within feminism.

2. One thing I would like to learn more about is:
I would like to learn more about how changes can actually happen. We learned a lot about why things are the way they are and how wrong and even dangerous societies ideal standards can be, but how does that get changed. I guess a lot of it is awareness, which classes like this are good for. People need to realize that the societal stereotype of what is feminine is not going to fit the individual personality of every girl and it can really be a barrier to equality. We did learn a lot about the history of how things have been changed, like Title IX. I wonder if there are any current things being done, like current legislation that is under way or programs that are being promoted to continue to strive for equality in female athletics.


Sarah Orchard
338i section 5

Distance Learning final

1)Did your view of women in sport change as a result of this course? Why or why not?

I did change my opinions about women in sport. For the longest time, I had the same views and opinions as many male viewers, as well as the views of the Sports anchors for the News channels (I don't watch ESPN or other sports only channels). I didn't really think that women could do all that they had done, and that they had been fighting for equality in sports for longer than I had though. I now believe that female athletes have as much right to the same coverage as male athletes and that they work just as hard, and go through the same struggle that males do.

2)Complete the following sentence: I used to think — but now I think —

I used to think that it was okay for women in sports to be portrayed the way they have been in mainstream media, but not I think that they're being exploited and that even if they DO know how they're being shown, it's demeaning to them and their sport and the portrayals are not equal or just.


Sarah Garcia
TuTh 2-315
KIN 338I

Reality Check- KOTEX

Kotex recently released a promotion in response to typical feminine hygiene advertising. Kotex’s commercial parodies the fantastical commercials that depict women dancing in white dresses, lounging with pets, and sunning in white bikinis. The commercials that it mocks neglect the negative symptoms that some women face like cramping, mood swings, and irritability. Although the Kotex promotion does not necessarily directly counter any of the other ads or provide more realistic or well rounded information, it brings attention to the taboo of female menstruation. The bluntness of the commercial is striking at first, but I think it is makes it easier to talk about in mixed gender settings. Have you ever been sitting around watching a show, or even a game, and a tampon commercial comes on with soft music and pastel colors and everyone gets all awkward? Well this one would not trigger the same response. Another of their commercials depicts a young woman trying to get a guy to buy her tampons because she can’t leave her bike unattended. This one is great for the same reason, it addresses the taboo around female menstruation. Although neither of these ads are about athletes or sports at all, they are about women and femininity. I think these ads a small step in the right direction to give women more freedom and less shame around menstruation.

Social Experiment: “Buy Me Tampons” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXz9OcnRBYY
“Reality Check” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpypeLL1dAs

Courtney O’Connor
Kin 338I Section 04

Final: Distance Learning

What did you expect to learn in this course? Did you learn it?
In taking Kin 338, I expected to learn about the history of women’s sport. I also thought there would be a lot of focus on the current happenings of women’s sports. As a result of a ratemyprofessor.com comment, I thought the class would be a radical feminist perspective with male bashing. I was happy that the class really went over women’s sport history. I learned a lot for the first time, about women athletes who really transformed how people viewed women competing in different types of sports that were previously only played by men. I think it was important that the class highlighted these women because they really transformed sports and we often take their accomplishments for granted today. There were a lot of current topics in women’s sports mentioned through out the class. I really enjoyed this aspect of the class because it made what we were learning applicable to everyday life. As for the class being radical and male bashing, I think that the person who made the comment must have never attended the class.
Have you changed your opinions or views as a result of this course? Why or why not?
I have changed my opinions as result of this class in a lot of ways. To be honest, I did not even think there was really that much inequality between men and women. I thought that living in a society where women make up the majority of the workforce, it would be a society that is fine with women’s sports. The class revealed to me how much disparity there still is between men and women. What really revealed this to me was early in the semester when women ski jumpers were not allowed to compete in the winter Olympics simply because they were women. I thought something like that would never happen in today’s society, but then it did. This class has made me a lot more thankful for my active upbringing. Sport has always been an important part of my life, it never crossed my mind that I was privileged to compete and privileged to have a family that supported my athletics.
Cynthia Wollerman
kin 338i section 5306

Too Hard on Yourself?

Yuko Mitsuka has been involved in a very interesting case. As she was competing in the World Ladies Championship, she was penalized 2 strokes for playing too slowly. This is against the rules in the LPGA. As a result, she then threw a fit on the course, threw her clubs down and walked off the course. This is highly unprofessional and looked down upon so she was fined of a Japanese LPGA-record of two-million-yen according to yahoo! news. After the punishment she decided to take it into her own hands and suspend herself from 11 games!
In my opinion, Yuko was so ashamed, that she suspended herself before the JLPGA could punish her even harsher. Basically, she quit while she was ahead before she could get humiliated even further. People need to realize that professional atheletics is no joke and shouldn't be reckoned with.

Monique Paterra
KIN 338 TUTh 9:30

49er Volleyball

After taking this class this semester made me more interested in sport especially women in sport. I recently received “The Beach Review” to my home. Quickly looking over I would have normally tossed it aside, but something stood out this time. It was the sport section; the headliner was of our Women’s Volleyball team. I have been a student here for 3 years but never really heard about our volleyball teams. It was nice to see a female sport mention first in the sport section before the male teams. In the article it said that The Long Beach State women’s volleyball team won its second consecutive Big West Championship. This took our 49ers to their 23rd consecutive NCAA tournament. I can’t believe I was so obvious on how the women sport teams on my own campus were doing. I want to thank this class for helping me become more aware and knowledge of females in sport. As well to support our amazing athletes and help bring more attention to female athleticism.
Jamie Ruiz
T/Th 9:30-10:45

Idaho girl creates controversy by joining boys' lacrosse team

I found this article very interesting because Sara Maras wanted to play a sport that specifically have a male and female division but she like the more physical contact aspect of the sport. What I found very interesting was that the male team mates on the lacrosse team accepted her as a lacrosse player regardless of her gender. What was very surprising for me was that Eric Jones (coach) actually went out of his way to petition for Sara to play in the first place. He was very support of her being on his team. What really gets me is that the only problem that Sara faces is the members of the board worrying if she would get hurt or it would alter the competitive levels of the sport. And now the members of the board are claiming that it will weaken girl's lacrosse. I find all these allegations ridiculous because now I feel like they are just trying to find more and more excuses to not make that transition. Why aren't the parents and coaches worried about any of the boys getting hurt in that sport? Why is there such a double standard? I am supportive of Sara standing up and showing that she can hang with the guys. I think this is just a small stepping stone for sports equality among male and female sports, when more and more girls start catching on to this movement, the barrier is easier to cross over if a girl is interested in playing a certain sport regardless of gender.


Michael Nguyen
005679555
Kin 338i

Idaho girl creates controversy by joining boys' lacrosse team

Sara Maras is a girl from Idaho that joined the boys' lacrosse team because she preferred how the boys' team played over the girls'. The coach has allowed her to play and the boys on the team has accepted her. But the the board of the Treasure Valley Lacrosse League is concerned about her playing for the boys' team and they voted 18-4 to not allow her to play. Now she has a lawyer on her side helping her fight for the right to play on the team. The team has chosen to allow Maras to continue to play with the possible consequence of having to forfeit the season.


I think that it's admirable that she's standing up for what she wants. After going over in class about the discrimination towards women in sport I'm extremely impressed that the guys on the boys' team accepted her and are sticking up for her. I don't understand why the girls' team have to have different rules and regulations concerning the game. Lacrosse is lacrosse regardless of who plays. I also don't understand why the board is so opposed to Maras playing. I'm sure when someone chooses to play a sport more aggressively that they understand the consequences and risks and I'm positive the mentality of the boys playing against her is "well, if she wants to play let her play." There's no reason or need for the boys to hold back their game. And if more girls choose to play boys' lacrosse then it's definitely saying something. Maybe the girls want to play more aggressively. I think the guys on the team are great. It really shows how accepting and tolerant our generation really is and it's a huge contrast to previous generations. If that's the improvements we can make in just a few generations then we truly have a bright future ahead of us.


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/highschool/05/05/sara.maras/index.html


Eulelia Soe
KIN 338I, Section 4