Do Individual Women Athletes Represent Their Entire Sport?

After watching the video featuring Tim Wise earlier this week in class, I was struck by his contention that individual minorities often struggle with the idea that their actions represent their entire race. For example, black students might feel anxious and stressed that one of their actions may negatively reflect upon their entire race, even affecting others of their race in the future. Since women sports has yet to attain the same level of equality as men sports, I was wondering if women athletes feel that they have a burden of representing other women athletes. When playing a WNBA game, did Lisa Leslie feel that she had to exceed expectations to represent women athletics in a positive light? Did she feel that her performance reflected upon women athletes and the WNBA?

Women athletes have many negative perceptions that they must overcome, and it must be incredibly difficult for them to have to deal with the ignorant and wrongminded perceptions regarding women sports. If a woman basketball player makes a mistake, does she worry that she is reaffirming someone's ideas that women are somehow inferior than men and can not compete? It's unfair for these women to have to deal with such worries, in addition to the constant stresses that the sport produces in the first place. While such issues can not be solved instantly, society would benefit by taking a closer look at women athletics and thinking about the hardships and demands that these women athletes face and overcome. I think people will be less likely to dismiss and ignore women athletic programs. Before this class, I really ignored women athletics and their respective organizations, like the WNBA, for I felt that they were unimportant and were not to be taken seriously. After learning about the history of women and women sports, I really understand how far women athletes have come and how hard they have fought to overcome negative stereotypes and perceptions, like the ones I held not long ago. While women athletics has come a long way, such athletes and programs have much progress to make still. By changing the wrongminded perceptions that many individuals may hold, I believe women sports will be propeled in a better direction.

Eric Harnden
Kin 338i, Section 6
T/R 2:00-3:15 PM