Health At Every Size

Check out this very comprehensive website about the body.

Title IX Media Helper

Honestly, in this link my understanding for the Title IX issue is way much better than just reading the articles in the book.

Please have sometime to review it.

Thank you.

Khodr Saleh
KIN 338i section 3023

Female Coaches Representation

Here's a link to an interesting blog about female coaches and representation.

Angela Madsen

Today's speaker was one the most inspiring experiences that I have ever had. I witnessed the story of someone who took a negative and turned it into huge positives into her life. Overcoming the feats that she has is truly amazing. It shows that you can do or accomplish anything that you stick your mind to no matter what is in your way. Angela was a very competitive person and that was a driving factor for her, as well as proving those who had huge doubts in her wrong. Listening to her speak today made me put a lot of things into perspective and how me and many other people just give up on things as able-bodied people and how important never giving up really is. Hearing Angela speak is definitely going to make me think really hard the next time I feel like giving up on something. Listening to her speak has inspired me basically to never give up and if something seems hard and unbearable it is going to be that much more rewarding once it is accomplished.

Adam Grubb
Kin 338i

Lingerie Football League Woohoo!!! or Ouch!!!

The Lingerie Bowl was founded in 2003 where woman played tackle football while wearing shoulder pads, elbow pads, and ohh… did I mentioned lingerie. In 2009 the founders of the Lingerie Bowl developed the first inaugeral season of the Lingerie Football League (LFL). It is a 20-week season and consist of 10 teams, 5 teams from the East and West. Now women can participate in a physical and aggressive sport such as football, however why do women have to wear lingerie while they play? Second, what does lingerie have to do with football? The answer is absolutely nothing.
The main reason for the LFL is obviously to attract males to watch half-naked women tackle eachother around. In the reading “Just Do… What? Sport, Bodies and Gender” in order for, “Women’s sports… to be successful, have to be attractive to men as well as women viewers” (120). In this particular situation it is mostly to attract men to watch the LFL. Furthermore, LFL displayes a possible health risk due to the lack of proper equipment. My mother one day watch a LFL game and noticed the visable bruises on the backs, shoulders, and arms of the women while playing. This can lead to dangerous injuries without the proper equipment. But if the women were wearing the gear males wear in football then the sport would be less attractive.
I still respect and support the women who play the sport, and give them credit for playing hard and aggressive while playing with less padding. However, is it worth to sacrifice their health and body just to entertain a male audience? No, because attractive or not attractive changes should be made where women be more safe while still playing hard and aggressive like men. Or the NFL starts making football players play in their jockstraps and underwear that way the LFL and NFL are equal.

David Torres
KIN 338 section: 3023

running with the "bull"

The other night I was sitting with a girlfriend of mine talking about a variety of topics and we naturally wondered into my experiences of backpacking through Europe two summers ago; I told her all the countries I traveled to, as well as the activities and excursions I participated in. I told my friend about ice climbing and bungee jumping in Switzerland, the Anne frank museum in Amsterdam, and Spain winning the Euro cup while I was in Barcelona. But upon reflection this class made me ponder in a way that I never had before about my favorite adventure in Europe. I talked about running with the bulls-- but in a way that had to do with gender and traditional roles. See running with the bulls is an annual tradition in Pamplona Spain each year lasting for a week in July. People flock in from all over the world to experience the tradition, get drunk, party and tempt fate by running with the bulls hung over and with no sleep. It was a roll of the dice that I soon wont forget and never regret. Upon telling my girlfriend about my adventure shot me back to right before they released the bulls and we all stupidly squeezed on to a crowded street running for our lives from two ton beasts. I remember the police officers were finding any reason to kick people out of the over crowded area. You took a picture , you were out; you were drinking you were out. Everyone was on edge and didn’t want to do anything to keep them from partaking in this adrenaline junkies wet dream. When I looked around at the people around me I saw a couple guys saying “keep your head down! Its almost time” and a young lady saying “Is my hair sticking out of my hat?” when I glanced around I realized aside from this single girl I was surrounded by all men. I asked her friend and the yong girl “ what are girls not allowed to run with the bulls, they said “no its not allowed” he said “if the police see me they will kick me out, its against tradition.” At the time I didn’t think much of it other than thinking it was bad ass that a girl snuck in and concealed her gender to run with the bulls. But after taking this class and reminiscing on my Pamplona experience I had that “ahahh moment” when I thought of things in context to equality, sexism and male privilege. Now granted guy or girl running with the bulls is probably a bad idea. But why couldn’t girls be just as dumb as the guys and roll the dice on fate and elusiveness? Why were the girls allowed to party all night but were forced to watch the big tough guys go “grab the bull by the horns”? Was it because girls were too slow, fragile, or likely to get trampled by the flood of men running for there lives? Because I saw many guys get trampled in the wake; why didn’t a female have the right to suffer the same fate or run her tail off out of self preservation like the rest of us were? I think it comes from an old cultural ideology of tradition and protecting small delicate women from the mans ceremony which consisted of running down a blocked off street hoping not to get gored from behind from a herd of bulls. I thought and still think that its pretty cool the female took the necessary steps to be able to run with the bulls; I think women should be able to run right along with the guys; but with that said I will then push then see no difference between them and the guy I pushed to the ground to avoid having a date with a bulls horn in my backside and id expect them to do the same. I think that’s fair and equal to have all of us be able to roll the dice on fate and truly grab the bull by the horns.

Ryan Adams

tues thurs 9.30 women in sports class

WNBA Champions

On Friday, the Pheonix Mercury were crowned WNBA champions, yet most people probably wouldn't have known that unless you caught the minute they got on sportscenter. Although the WNBA is the biggest womens sports league in the United States, it still isnt even as popular as the MLS, probably the weakest of the mens major sports leagues. While most people know whats going on in the MLB playoffs, or in the NFL, the interest for womens sports is lacking. Most people couldn't even name one WNBA team unless there was one in their local market.

Alot of these players playing in the WNBA are talented athletes but rarely recieve public recognition of their accomplishments. I believe that eventually the WNBA will recieve more public recognition, but only time will tell. ESPN said Tuesday the five-game Finals averaged 548,000 viewers, up 73 percent from 316,000 in 2008. Thats a pretty big improvement over just one years time. As the game starts to market their big name players such as Diana Taurasi, slowly the appeal with increase with the public. congratulations to the Pheonix Mercury for winning the WNBA championship, even though the average person wouldn't have known.
-David Johnson
KIN 338I Tue/Thurs 2:00-3:15

Angela Madsen

Today's guest speaker Angela Madsen, had some very interesting things to say about life in general. I had no idea who she was or what she did but after today's presentation I'm very glad we as a class had the opportunity to meet her. It seems like before becoming a paraplegic, Angela was a very driven, hard working, goal oriented young lady. After her telling us about how she became a paraplegic and how the surgery went wrong, I cant believe it took the government thirteen years for them to finally compensate her for the surgical mistake they made. It's amazing how much her accident changed her life in a positive way. I can't believe that being a paraplegic didn't stop her from trying new sports she probably never imagined doing, that just shows how much heart and pride she has for herself. It made me realize that I sometimes take what I have for granted. After hearing her struggles and how she pulled through and is a very successful athlete, motivates me and made me realize that anything is possible. It's amazing how active she is and inspiring to see her participating in so many sports, despite her injury. Angela Madsen is an amazing person, she is funny, smart and generous and has such a positive attitude in life. I am very amazed and proud of her for her accomplishments. Being the first female and paraplegic to cross the Atlantic Ocean and crossing the Indian Ocean and setting a world record is amazing and very inspiring. I can't even explain in words how motivating and inspiring that is to me and how much I look up to her and disabled athletes who are successful in sport. I am so thankful and glad we had the opportunity to meet Angela Madsen. I want to thank her because after today's presentation, she definitely made me look at life differently.

Damian Perez
Tues-Thurs 2pm-3:15pm

Female Coaches

I have been coaching waterpolo for almost 2 years now. I many other assistant coaches for the club have come and gone. Throughout the past couple years I have noticed a trend with the female coaches and their treatment and behavior on the pool deck. One major thing I have noticed is that they appear to be treated differently from the rest of the coaching staff. They are often treated as if they were unable to control the number of players that a male coach can. This appears true often with some of the female coaches but not all of them. However, there ability to control large numbers of players at once is really no different then any male coach when they first start out. But they do tend to be more soft spoken when it comes to instructions. I have also noticed the treatment of female coaches from a players point of view. When I had my first female assistant coach i had no problem following instruction from her. However, many of the other players on the team had trouble following her leadership until she had proven herself as a quality coach. This was not the case when we had a new male coach brought on staff. I imagine that my experiences with female coaches would be similar with other peoples experiences or observations. Please expand upon this topic.

Justin Koeppen
Kin 338I T/Th 9:30

High school P.E.

For me, one of the most compelling articles we have read was the online interview about physical education. The group of individuals were asked to classify themselves based on gender, race, and body type. Many of the overweight participants had very negative feelings about physical education in high school and how it was implemented. Some of them were uncomfortable dressing out, while others were very uneasy about being overweight during the actual sports and activities. I have never been overweight but I can easily relate to the feelings expressed in this article. I think the idea of incorporating physical activity in young peoples' lives is a very good idea, but I do not think forcing children to be active against their will is the right way to go about it. I mean let's face it, if two years of P.E. was not required in high school very few of us would actually take it. Being physically fit is obviously important, but I feel that it is a personal decision that must be made, it can not be forced upon us. When you force someone to go out of their comfort zone and exercise against their will and in an uncomfortable environment, it will leave them with a bad taste in their mouth toward physical activity all together. Each time they think about exercising in the future, they are going to relate physical activity back to high school P.E. where they felt so uncomfortable and out of place.

One specific instance where I feel that high school P.E. was poorly implemented was the one mile run. I am fairly certain that nearly all schools had the one mile run. At my school we had to run one mile around the track every other Friday. Everyone, even the athletes, HATED it. I always thought that it was unfair to grade someone on how fast they can run because there are so many factors that can contribute to someone not being able to run fast; being overweight, having injuries, having health problems, etc. I never thought that giving someone a grade on how fast they can run was fair, instead people should be graded on how hard they try and how much effort they put into the physical activities assigned to them. I know at my high school, after eleven minutes the students who had not completed the mile would receive a zero for that day. I think that instead of running one mile every Friday, that students should simply run one lap around the track, four days a week. One lap is much easier than four laps and it allows the students to build up their stamina and work toward that one mile goal.

Physical activity is very important and health should greatly be emphasized to children and teenagers, but forcing physical activity on them at school is not the answer. Even if you are not overweight, there are so many other ways high school P.E. can be humiliating and unpleasant. I'm sure all of us can think back to a specific instance where we were uncomfortable or even embarrassed in gym class. I know I can.

-Shawna Wilson
T, Th 9:30

Angela Madsen

Today's guest speaker was motivating and interesting to listen to. It was nice to have a guest speaker that was local to the area. When listening to Angela's story pre-injury, I wouldn't think that she would be a rower. I think that rowing gives Angela the opportunity to be competitive and still be involved in sports. It seems that Angela seeks out a challenge that people think she can't do like crossing the pond with a two person ocean row boat. Her story reminds me of a guy that I know named Travis Roy. Travis was hit from behind in the first eleven seconds of his first shift while playing hockey for Boston University. He was paralyzed from the neck down and would never play hockey again. He is also a motivational speaker and found that his story had a profound impact on my life. Its truly inspiring to listen to the story told by Angela and how it has shaped her life in such a positive way.

Albie Sears

Women in Sports t-th 2-3:15

Angela Madsen

Knowing that our speaker in class today was going to be Angela Madsen I was very excited to come to class. I had heard her speak previously in a Sports Appreciation class I took two years ago. I remember how powerful her message was and was excited to hear what she had to say. When I first heard her speak she had not made the Cross-Indian Ocean trip yet, so it was exciting to hear about her new adventure. She is truly inspiring in the way she overcame all the challenges in her life. Surfing, Volleyball, Basketball, and Rowing are all thing that we as able-bodied people seem to take for granted. Not only did she overcome the challenges faced by continuing to play these sports although she was bound to a wheelchair, she also made the Guinness Book of Records for the fastest time crossing the Indian Ocean. She has inspired me to focus on the good things in life and that sometimes; although, you are faced with obstacles, you have to push forward and overcome them.

Ray Wertz

KIN 338I Tue/Thurs 2:00

To think the unprivileged is privilege

Last Tuesday, October 6, 2009 was an eye opener for me. In class we were taught the true definitions of “white privilege”. Being a Filipino, it is hard to determine where my racial standings may be either more to the white or more to the black side. I grew up with a hard relationship with my parents and moved from house to house every year. I always thought that I was very privileged because I always would get what I wanted. My parents worked very hard to become a U.S. citizen and to provide a stable and successful life for my siblings and I. Last week in our activity outside allowed me to really see how unprivileged I was and how there were people who had it easy in life. Seeing myself in the back from the rest of the class set a scar in my mind that no matter how hard or easy it was for everyone to get to where they are today, we are all still in the same place in life in the same class.

Stacy A.
kin338i/3023

Female Athletes Sexualized

Continuing my research for my Pannel Paper, i was somewhat dreading my pro position on the topic of female athlete posing in provacative and sexual ways. Before researching my paper, ideologically i objected the idea of female athletes posing in such ways. I always figured there is no need for such an act, however, my research has openend up many new concepts that put me in a new perspective. Even though i always objected to the overall idea of demeaning women by representing them as sex symbols in magazines such as Sports Illustrated and Maxim, I have always been very envious of the female athletic body. I always said i disagreed with female athletes posing nude or in a sexual manor, however, if i had such a perefected body, I would want to show it off to! I realized that for many female athletes who chose to participate in such photoshoots, many factors come into play. Female athletes often have a difficult time proving themselves as a successful athlete as well as a feminine woman, two very different roles. I still object to the high school girls cross country teams running out on the streets of L.A. in nothing but short spandex shorts and a sports bra, and im appaled that the high school coaches allow that. However, as women, female athletes still embody beauty and strength, a combination which should be celebrated, not shamed.

Danielle Churchward
KIN 338I
Tu/Th 2-3:15

Guest Speaker

Today's guest speaker had some interesting insights, seeing as before she spoke in class, I had no idea a paraplegic could row anywhere near with the same power and endurance as an able bodied rower (and she proved me wrong) seeing as how I thought the legs were a big part of rowing. She must have trained an her upper body extra hard to be able to cross an ocean. Hearing about how she was kinda screwed over by the doctors who operated on her, and how she wasn't reimbursed for the damages she suffered was informative about how our servicemen/women are treated. Then how no one thought that she could do anything she wanted to do and almost no one would sponsor her made me think about all those people who no one believes in and they end up making it also. I still wonder if she got fully reimbursed for lost wages or if she just got paid minimal damages.
-Jesse S.
Tu-Th: 2:00-3:15 P
3023-06

RowofLife Guest Speaker Helen Taylor by Nicky Anderson 338I

I was intrigued by what I was expecting to hear from our guest speaker in class...but I did not think she would have made such a profound impact on me as she did. I did some research knowing she was coming to class by looking at her website. I was amazed at all the things she had accomplished. I knew I wanted to know more about her journey. It takes incredible strength and will power to overcome such a tragic accident that left her unable to fulfill her life the way she originally intended. She spoke of sports as her salvage and refuge from what could have been her demise. I found it to be incredibly encouraging to hear how she pursued many athletic opportunities trying to find the new one that fit her and her current situation. Her determination to overcome the boundaries that were put up around her because of her disabilities proved to be more than what it would take to succeed. Her passion shows not only in herself and her personal accomplishments, such as her placing 8Th in the doubles row across the ocean with Franck Festor, but in what she extends to other because of it. I personally do not believe I would have it in me to train as extensively day in and day out for such a test of physical strength and determination. Helen spoke many words that inspired me to set out and try something out of my comfort zone. She had stated not everyone can do what the next person can do and should not be expected to, but each person can do something within themselves to be proud of that will further them to reach out and try for more. I wish her well and hope she is given the chance to row solo and inspire more people on her way. Nichelle "Nicky" Anderson KIN338I

LFL: Lingerie Football League

Does the image of scantily clad women throwing balls and picking their wedgies after every play appear in your head when you think of women in sports?
Take a look at the Lingerie Football League. No, really, it exists. After seeing two teams compete on a local news channel one day a question comes to mind: could this be the acceptable entry of women’s football in our society? There are 10 teams: LA –Los Angeles Temptation, Seattle: Seattle Mist, San Diego: San Diego Seduction, Philadelphia, Miami, Tampa, Dallas, etc. which play seven a side with contact; this is not touch football. The players are dressed in limited padding and the padding is covered with, well, not much –no doubt so that the features of the ladies can outshine their playing abilities. How does this football league compare with competitive football? In the game that was viewed, the ladies were aggressive; tackling with gusto, pulling hair, and holding grudges, however the appeal toward the play was not there. One perk to the LFL is it is broadcasted, but let’s just say that with the outfits they wear the spectators are not there to commend them on their athletic ability. However, it is a foot in the door to women’s football being broadcasted.

Shawn Higgins
KIN 338I Tue/Thurs 2:00

First Female Ascents

In the world of rock climbing getting the first ascent of a problem, or the “FA”, is a pretty big deal. You don’t actually get anything for it, just recognition that you’re basically a bad-ass that climbs pretty hard because the climbs that usually get the most recognition are among the hardest in the world. With that said, I’d like to bring up the topic of first female ascents, “FFA”. This has become a bit of a controversial topic because what does it actually imply? More and more females are climbing and many are just as good if not better than the boys. Is it that surprising that a female can climb just as hard as a male? So it becomes almost degrading when the FFA is publicized because it only feeds into the preconception that girls are always a couple steps behind the boys.
On the other hand, it was pretty exciting when a girl did a 5.13d route called “The Man Show”, a name reflecting the opinion of the first ascentionist that a woman could never, ever repeat the route. Or when Lynn Hill became the first PERSON to ever free the Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite…in one day; something that takes an average of 5 days to complete and that has only been repeated as a one-day-free-ascent once in 2005.
So is this “FFA” title demeaning or encouraging? I can see both sides of the spectrum, but for me, right now, as I grow into my own climbing abilities, I look at it as encouragement, in the hopes that one day I too can be a bad-ass climber that gets a first female ascent or, heck, just a plain ole’ first ascent too.

Sarah R.
338i,S06

Whip It

In her directorial debut, Drew Barrymore just recently released a movie called “Whip It.” I remember a short segment in the movie “Dare to Compete” where they mentioned that women participated in roller derby beginning in the early 1900s. So, I find it a bit amusing that this movie coincidently came out only a couple weeks after starting Women in Sports. Quite honestly, I might not have paid attention to it at all if it weren’t for the class, which has made me acutely aware of issues that I never thought much of before.

Having written our epiphanic moment papers and explored some of the effects that participation in sport can have on a person, I find it pretty motivational that this movie was made. I mean, it’s not often you see movies that associate female athletes with violent full contact sports. The only recent movies that come to my mind that associate females and sports would be “Bring it On” and “Step Up,” both dance-related movies entitled in traditional “girl power” fashion. I think it’s very encouraging that someone as successful and accomplished as Drew Barrymore decided to do this movie to show that women can definitely think outside the box that society and the media has made.

As discussed in class, the result from participating in a sport can differ from being a pleasant distraction from daily life, to being a method for bringing people closer together, to simply being a way to stay in shape. In the movie, the protagonist found out a bit about herself while trying out the sport and then fell in love with it. She discovered a part of herself she didn’t know she had. She made new friends. She found that she was capable of more, both physically and mentally. These concepts are ones that many of us can relate to very well.

Regardless of gender, every person has the obligation to themselves to explore what they’re capable of, find their own identity and niche in the world, and become awesome at whatever it is they want to do. As Ms. Barrymore says in an interview about her movie, “Be your own hero.”

For those who want to know more about the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUGz9wflhAc

Ruben Angeles

KIN 338I/3018

Sexy athlete's get all the money?

I think it is interesting how in sports the “attractive” ones, whether a top athlete or not, tend to get more publicity, which then in turn leads to more pay. For example Anna kournikova who as we all know is a tennis player but certainly not the best one, is one of the names we think of. This is interesting and frustration to the ones that are actually good at there sport. The people who are good at there sport should also be the ones that are given the most publicity and money towards bringing the sport to the next level. Another example is from a small, growing sport, rock climbing, where one of the most photographed climbers over the last ten years is actually not elite. This makes it really hard for the athlete’s that are actually pushing the level of the sport to get money for what they are doing, which will in turn allow them to do there sport as more than just a hobby.

Chad G.
(kin338i-3023)

Grading in Physical Education

As some of our classmates in class have mentioned, physical education is often graded on quantity and not quality. It is understandable that it is easier to check how long it tool a person to run a mile than to observe how it was run and for what consequences the given time is what it is.
One of the reason why society has shifted to quantity rather than quality is because sports is a multi-billion dollar business in which only the top percentage of the belt curve graph get to participate and therefore it is only important how fast and how accurate a person can do something rather than seeing if proper technique and process is being utilized. In the perfect world, if kids were taught to work on proper techniques in order for the quality of their abilities to increase rather than checking to see who is faster, there would be more kids that would not be disappointed if they cannot run a mile on desirable time and instead use that as a motivation to improve and succeed.
As mentioned in class, I was also one of those "porky looking kids" when I was younger, yet instead of giving up and letting kids continue to pick on me. Throughout an entire summer, besides regular exercise, I would run from my house to the nearest park two miles away and play soccer for around two hours and run back home. During one summer alone I dropped around 40 pounds and when I went back to school not being at the top of my class but by being able to run with the group. This increased my self confidence and I have to thank my P.E. teacher that because she was not easy on me, she motivated me to set goals and accomplish them.

Sports Illustrated

The Magazine Sports Illustrated is among the top sold and read sports magazines in the Unites States. Most people who enjoy reading about sports have taken a gander at the magazine at some point in their athletic career. The magazine provides highlights from different sporting events, articles and interviews with players and is known for its famous Swimsuit edition. In light of topics being covered in class, women seem to be getting the short end of the stick when it comes the the Magazine giant. There are little to no articles on women, other then ratings of 'the hottest cheerleader' and bathing suit models. The female athlete has no representation in the majority of sports covered in the magazine and website. The most recently updated version of the website has one article in the Tennis section about Justine Henin and about 100 articles on male athletes. This magazine is not unlike many other sport magazines, whom seem to underrepresented women athletes, and focus on their sexuality for the one's they do cover. In fact, the only section dedicated to women on their website is labeled "Swimsuit". It has numerous pictures of women in skimpy bathing suits in sexual poses. At the bottom of the page is different sections, " NBA Dancers, Tennis Stars and Models". No other female athlete is covered, sexually or otherwise. Women athletes have a long way to go before getting the respect and credit they deserve in high selling magazines.

Megan O'Brien
Kin 3381, Tu/th 2-3pm

Aggression: Women vs. Men in Sport

Recently at the 2009 United States Open, Serena Williams was disqualified due to verbally abusing the line judge. A New York Times article on September 15, 2009 comments on the incident saying , “What made many uncomfortable, beyond the tirade, is that Williams stepped so far outside of the box of acceptable behavior for female athletes. With one stunning outburst, Williams barreled into the hallowed Men Only Hall of Intemperance reserved for John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors and Ilie Nastase, great players who became legendary for their rampages against line judges, umpires and each other”. This statement supports preconceived expectation that women must not show aggression in competitive sports. For men it is shunned instantly but then praised over time. If a man shows aggression it enhances the facade of a powerful competitor. If a woman is to show aggression their actions can be perceived in several ways but all are negative. Her actions maybe seen as manly, out of control, showing poor sportsmanship, unfair, disappointing, etc. Her reputation will forever be changed from a skillful, talented African American women tennis player to an aggressive, out of control player. Or will she not? If she, over time, becomes famous and glorified for this act like John McEnroe or Jimmy Connors did; does that mean there is a shift in the ideology of females in sports? Is that a positive or negative aspect of forwarding women in sport? Are we seen as equal? Or is this considered a type of “reverse resistance”? Are we setting ourselves back as women as a result of going against the learned anti-aggressive stigma for female athletes? All of these questions are multi-dimensional and deserve much thought and consideration by all.

L.W.
Kin 338I sect 3023

Who's your favorite?

Hello classmates, while trying to decide what I wanted to blog about, I stumbled upon a website. The website is called Women of Sports - Who's sexy? Who's Hot? Who's your Favorite? This rally stood out to me because of one of the panel position paper topics, which I think is based around female athletes posing in "sexy" pictures. The website that I came upon, http://www.sports-wired.com/women/, shows pictures of female athletes where you can rate them on a scale of 1-10 and see how others rated them as well. This website is obviously geared toward males.
I think it's pretty safe to say that there would be slim to none websites out there that allow people to rate male athletes solely on their physical appearance. But I think if I just put in a simple google search I would be able to find about 50 other websites that rate female athletes based on their sex appeal only.
Why is this? Well I think the answer seems to be pretty simple. We, as a society, like to make judgments on female athletes not always based on their athletic abilities but more on their sex appeal. This is why I would be very skeptical about fmales posing in sexy photos because of this. I would fear that they would only been seen as sex symbols and never portrayed as a great athlete.
What do you guys feel about this issue? I would like to hear some of you're input and what you think about female athletes being portrayed as a sex symbol.

Courtney Fretwell
KIN 338I
T-THU 2-3:15

Physical Education

I completely agree with Sam's blog on how physical education in schools should not be evaluated on how well they can play sport or on how fast they can run a mile. It should be rated on how well a student understand the concepts and how hard they try to play the sport. I remember growing up in middle school I absolutely hated going to PE class. We would get graded on how fast we could run a mile and how well we played a sport. I was never a very good athlete as a kid and when entering middle school I realized how terrible I was at it. I felt singled out, I was always picked last for teams and when being graded in PE I wouldn't do to good. In my middle school each student would have the opportunity to earn colored stars that represented getting an A in PE. Those stars were created to be worn on our PE uniforms, so everyone in your class can know who received an A in PE. Students were able single you out and see how good of an athlete you were, it was quite embarrassing.
PE in middle school really messed with my head; I always felt over weight and out of place. Because I wasn't the fastest one in my class or the best in a sport I was made fun of and criticized for it. Trying in PE was not good enough at my school you had to be excellent at physical activity.

Stephanie Bruschini
KIN 338I/3018

"Fat Phobia"

Reading the article about fat phobia really opened my eyes. I never really had a problem being over weight. It seemed that the people that they interviewed had a horrible time during middle school and high school with Physical Education. I believe that there can be ways to fix the problems they had. One woman talked about how they used to weigh each other in class. I never went through a PE class where they did that, but one way to solve that problem is to eliminate the scale. There is no reason to weigh people in front of each other. It does not prove anything!

Another point that a lady brought up is the activities they used to do. For example, dodge ball and baseball. I believe that Physical Education should be more of an individual work ethic plan. People get hurt by being picked last or getting hit first in a game. If they focus on individuals own needs as in running, jump roping, push ups, and sit-ups (conditioning) then there should not be much making fun of. There should also not be a set number for anyone to pass anything. You see how much they can do in the beginning, and then try to improve from the beginning until the end. Essentially, people would be getting a workout like they would be getting with a trainer at a gym. Just work on improving.

Sam Rips
KIN338I

Lingerie Football League

I never knew that a women’s football league existed. Did you? Well, I was wrong. On Friday night, as I was flipping through the channels, I came across women playing football; in their own league. Amazing, right?
Actually, it is quite amazing. It’s a football league for women called the LFL, or the “Lingerie Football League.” It is amazing in the sense that women have their own league to play football. They were tough athletes and played just as hard as any man would. But these were the only things I found amazing about it.
When I saw these women playing, I was baffled. They were playing FOOTBALL in what seemed like panties and a bathing suit top. No, this wasn’t flag-football. This was straight up tackle football, in panties. What was kind of ironic was that these athletes still wore their shoulder pads. Although the shoulder pads were made to fit around the chest, not to cover the breasts.
When watching this, I turned to my boyfriend (who was intrigued by this sport) and said “I’m not sure if this is a good thing for women’s sport or a bad thing.” As I was watching I thought about the discussion we had in class about feminizing women’s sports. And you can’t feminize football anymore than bras and panties. The athletes even wore garters on their thighs.
It was obvious that this sport was directed towards a male audience. The crowd at this game was 90% male, I think. I only saw one female out in the stands that they showed on TV. In my opinion I found this league to be degrading to women. For me, I feel it says that women can’t play tough sports without looking sexy. I mean that there has to be some sort of sex appeal in order for it to be somewhat interesting. I still don’t know what to think of it…

Ann Marie Evidente
Kin 338I
Section 3018
T/Th 9:30am

ESPN Magazine

In this months edition of ESPN Magazine titled "The Body Issue" it features Serena Williams, one of the best black, female tennis players in the world posing nude on the cover. At first glance and our discussion of how females are protrayed versus how men are betrayed this really seemed a prime example. The magazine does not put her on the cover as a tennis player or an athlete but a very provacative image of a nude female. If you compare this to when a male athlete is on the cover, they are usually playing thier sport and highlighting that. I understand the want to feminize female athletes but I do not believe that posing nude makes people think of the athletic ability first but of the female body.

But then I realized that not only was Williams nude but every other athlete in the magazine was as well in that they are trying to compete with Sport Illustrated. I found it very controversal and did not really understand why they could not just highlight these athletes abilities with clothes on versus having to be nude, either male or female.

This also made me think of the reading from last week about "fat phobia" and that Serena Williams is not necessarily considered a "small" girl, but very powerful, tall and weighing in around 170pounds. This allows girls to see that you do not have to be the tiny petite girl but you can be muscular, athletic and femimine all at once.



Kylie Starr
Kin 388I
Section 3023

ESPN The Body Issue (But Different)

In this month's issue of ESPN the magazine, ESPN offers us a look into the 'Bodies we Want' from the athletes we admire. On the surface nothing seems wrong with taking a look at the perfect bodies from athletes from many different sports. However, once a further examination is taking of this, it is easy to see a clear divide between how these photographers take pictures of women compared to men. Comparing two of the many athletes in the issue, Adrian Peterson (my personal favorite spread even though I'm a die hard Packers fan) and Serena Williams, we can see the difference in how athletes of different gender are still socialized. In Serena's spread she is shown in a black bathing suit while up against a white wall. Easily you can see how a women known for her physical power and prowess in tennis has been reduced to a feature to keep us entertained. On the other hand, while taking a look at Adrian Peterson's spread or just any other male, you can see how through the poses they are told to give, a sense of power and authority are shown. Nothing weak at all. Regardless of how you feel about these pictures, I still recommend everyone taking a look at them. So here's the link to a free online gallery. Pick up the magazine if you have chance.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/flash/zoomGallery?section=gen&photoGalleryId=4535846



Aaron Coelho
Kin 338I
T-TH
2-3:15

ESPN's The Body issue

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/1278067.html

This month’s issue of ESPN’S The Magazine features Serena Williams in a partially nude position on the cover. This was import to point out because it related to the issue of black females athletes in America and the theme of “the body”. Looking at the magazine I started to think about how America society transitioned from the generation of tennis player Althea Gibson, who is known for breaking the color barrier for black female tennis, to the generation of Serena Williams, who is considered to be the best female tennis player ever. Further more, anyone would agree with me when I say that Serena is not you typical women’s tennis player. At 5’10 and 184 lbs she is what some may consider “thick”. So to see her show her body partially nude on the cover of a popular sports magazine sends the message that you don’t have to be thin to be athletic.

Masood Farhar
kin 338i s01

Sport Education in Movies

After reading, "A Sense of Community: Japanese-American Girl's and Women's Softball in Los Angeles," I immediately thought of the movie, "A League of Their Own." I have always been aware that women had the chance to participate in the men's workforce by taking the positions in what was then considered "men's jobs" when the men were away at war. I never really thought about the sport aspect of it before. I didn't know real life professional women's sport leagues existed like the All American Women's League. I always thought that the league used in the movie was fake one made up for entertainment value. The article in our book proved me wrong and showed me they did exist. Even in the movie, it made refference to the feminine issues and the regulations they restriced women to follow in order to have a career in baseball. The movie emphasizes how the women had to look pretty and wear cute little dresses that were used for show and not for performance. People weren't concerned with how much their legs were bruised, scratched, and injured; as long as they looked good doing it. The were instructed to have ladylike manners and weren't seen as desirable if they displayed "unladylike" behaviors. Even at the begining of the movie, it shows how the girls had a rough start and was limited to those in the area. It showed that they didn't have a stong following and ridiculed by men just like it happened in real life. At the end, it shows it's true to life when the officials wanted the women to return to their homes where the "belonged" once the men returned from war. Even though "A League of Their Own" was a comedy/drama movie, it had real learning value and showed respect for the women players of World War II baseball league. Just like the Japanese-American girls and women from the reading, the characters in the movie showed the hard work and dedication women put into the sport. It showed what they gave up in order to gain respect and finally be acknowledged for their talen in the sport. It portarys real-life examples that women today can relate and agree with. It also ties in with the video "Dare to Compete." That also taught me more history of women's involvement in sport. The documentary also taught me more about the struggles and achievements of women of different types of sports other than baseball and softball. The reading and the movie show that women had to break free from the status-quo and stand up for themselves. The example of women from the video showed how the first women in sport revolutionized sport and allowed women to be able to particiapte where they once were refused to in the past. The Japanese-American softball league wouldn't be possible if it weren't for the hard work of the past fought so hard to achieve. "A League of Their Own" gives viewers a little insight on what women athletes had to go through during that time period in an entertaining way that people could enjoy, appreciate, and learn from. It helped me understand and appreciate women athletes even more.

Torey Richmond
Kin338I
Sec01
Tues/Thurs
9:30-10:45am

Fat Phobia

“Unbearable Lessons: Contesting Fat Phobia in Physical Education” was the title of a recent article we read in class that really struck a chord with me. The article talks about how fat women are positioned as “too much woman” and, given the association of athleticism with masculinity, they therefore cannot be athletic. I played softball with girls growing up who at a very young age were considered large but who were some of the strongest most powerful players i’d ever seen and who continued to dominate the sport in the years that followed.
Another concept the article mentions is that “being fit and having a slender body are proof of health”. I don’t believe that this is necessarily always true. I know people who are thin and unhealthy. There are also people who are considered overweight who are actually in great shape. In high school, when I played softball competitively, I was a conditioned athlete yet I was considered 15-20 lbs. overweight according to the chart that shows body weight in regards to height, which I don’t find an appropriate or effective tool, because there are a lot of things it fails to take into account. (Ex: muscle mass and your genes!)
I was always confident in myself and in my body as an athlete, but I remember having my weight pointed out to me, which then forced me to question myself and heavily self-scrutinize. It became this phobia, where even though I knew I wasn’t fat I thought I was. It’s sad and unfortunate, but reading articles like these, in which other people share stories about their struggles, fears, and feelings can be helpful or eye opening for any individual.


Kelly Peters
KIN 338I
Section 3023
Tuesday/Thursday 2:00pm-3:15pm

Women of Color or Just...Athletes?

Of course I already knew that Black athletes in general had a hard time being accepted into the rest of the world. But little did I know how much more of a difficult time Black female athletes had adapting into the world of sports for women. Not only were women in general not accepted as athletes but being a woman of color was definitely not accepted. Reading the stories "The Tuskegee Flash" and "The Slender Harlem Stroker" gave me a better idea in understanding the hardships faced by Black female athletes at the time. It was nice to hear their story for a change in a truthful way. I never knew that these athletes had to fight off the "white press" and "black press" as well. As dramatic as the articles in the textbook made things seem these events are still continuing on today. Most Black athletes male or female are still seen as representing the entire Black race instead of simply being seen as just an athlete.

Women playing in sports were fighting against the Victorian Period which basically set their way of life for them but by participating in sports they were basically viewed as the rebels of their time. If I were one of these athletes I would have also fought to be viewed as a talented athlete not as a female athlete or a Black female athlete. Everyone should only be judged or sought after only because of their talent as an athlete not by the color of their skin or gender.

Don't you agree?

Jacqlene Corbin
KIN 338I
Section 3023
Tuesday/Thursday 2:00pm-3:15pm

Babe Didrikson

This is in response to the film “Dare to Compete,” and the recent controversy with the WNBA coverage. I am in complete awe of women who can compete at the professional level, and yet I never see them on television or hear about them in most popular news. It seems that we are always watching or hearing about men. While it is great for men to receive coverage, it seems that there should be some attempt at equal representation. Furthermore, women’s sports need to be taken more seriously. The media focuses mainly on the minority of sexy women in sports and disregards the heroic actions of most female athletes. After viewing “Dare to Compete” I was amazed at Babe Didrikson, and completely surprised that I had never heard of such a strong, influential woman before. I decided to research her a little bit and post about her positive actions.

Babe Didrikson competed in many sports, but mainly basketball, golf, and track and field. She was also an Olympic athlete, competing in the maximum at the time of three different events. She played golf until close to her death of cancer in 1956. Babe is a heroic woman, who should gain more coverage and be remembered as one of the greatest athletes, male or female.

Samantha Durkin
KIN 338I, Section 3018, TR 9:30

No Support for Women Sport

Women’s professional sports do not get the coverage necessary to sustain a profitable business. Actually, the only coverage of women’s sports I have seen on ESPN or any network station is the WNBA, and they still get minimal coverage in non-prime time slots. The WNBA finals just finished Friday, the Phoenix Mercury beat the Indiana Fever in 5 games. I had no idea the WNBA playoffs were going on until the finals when ESPN would show highlight of the games. That’s about the only coverage the games got, I saw no commercials advertizing the games this year where in the past years I remember advertisements for the games. There are several reasons I can see that account for women professional sports, mainly the WNBA, failing to generate a profit.
The state of the economy doesn’t help women sports at all. The main audience of the WNBA is women. With the economy in shambles many women have had to go back to work and stop going to games, and they have to save money and stop buying apparel. The same is true for men’s sports, but the difference is that men’s sports has built up a huge fan base where minor changes in support have way less effect. Women’s sports are still fairly new, when the NBA, NFL, and MLB first started they weren’t making any profit either they had to build a fan base.
The lack of coverage hinders the building of a fan base. Without people being able to watch and see the games they can’t get into it and follow it just based off of box scores and stat lines they read online or in newspapers. There isn’t enough coverage because TV stations are businesses and are trying to make money. TV stations will get low ratings when they show games that have a low number of people willing to watch them meaning less money. It’s an unfair system that seems to have no hope for equal coverage for leagues like the WNBA until they build enough of a fan base on their own without TV.
Several WNBA teams have already gone bankrupt. It is an unfortunate and sad reality that women professional sports are unlikely to ever be profitable in America. If it were not for the NBA supporting the WNBA it would already be another failed league like the Arena Football League, the XFL, and the American Basketball League. There doesn’t seem to be an easy solution to making women’s professional sports profitable.
-Eric Fenzke
-Kin338I sec 06

Sports Center and WNBA Championships

As an avid sports fan I watch Sports Center on ESPN every night. It has gotten to the point where the only channel that will be on my TV for weeks at a time will be ESPN, and I often find myself watching SC 3, 4, sometimes 5 times in the same day. I pride myself, among other things, on my sports knowledge and in a crazy world the world of sports is often a great escape for me.

I decided to take this course because of my great love for sports and figured a class on sports, and the many amazing women in sports could not be half bad. Early in the semester I was relieved that, not unlike my predictions, this class is always interesting and very often thought provoking.

One of the reoccurring thoughts that have crossed my mind since being in this class is how little female sports are shown on ESPN and Sports Center. To be honest, it is pretty obvious why this happens. There are a couple reasons I can see. The main one being ESPN is mainly marketed toward men; just like different channels such as The Hallmark Channel and Oxygen are marketed toward women. Another being that greater demand is to see highlights from the main US sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA) than women’s sports leagues (WNBA) or even lesser supported men’s leagues (NHL, MLS).

This all being said, the point of this blog is to give big ups to ESPN and Sports Center for spending a good amount of time highlighting the struggling WNBA during the Playoffs, and mainly the Championship Series which ended Friday. I felt that Sports Center really got involved in giving the WNBA its due respect with a proper amount of time highlighting each game, the players, the coaches, the fans, and the league in general. Finally, they decided to try and get the average SC watching sports fan involved in women’s sport. It was well overdue and they did a great job with it.

Danny Welsh

Kin 338I S06