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Section One: The Fundamentals
A) History and Context
Exercise 1: Notebook Prompt
| The introduction to this module has already surprised me in a variety of ways. I did not know anything about the development of women in sport which I actually feel guilty about considering I myself am a women who participates in high-level sports. To start, the discussion about verification tests is shocking to me, specifically the “gender passports” and “nude parades”. I can only imagine how violating and degrading those practices made people feel. In my opinion, the focus on gender verification completely takes away from the impressive athletes who were able to compete at that level. I think about all the hard work they must have put in to get to the level they are at in their sport, only for the focus to be turned to their bodies and gender identity. This makes me wonder if the current discrepancies in viewership and support for professional male sports versus female sport can be traced back to that time in 60’s when women were challenged rather than encouraged for participating in sport.
Listening to this episode, I learned a few things that have certainly made me think about how I would feel if I were in the shoes of some of these amazing female athletes. For example, Debbie Brill, the canadian high jumper who competed at the common wealth games and won gold, but before she could be rewarded for her accomplishment she had to complete sex testing where she received a “certificate of femininity” that confirmed she was in fact a biological female. This experience that Debbie Brill went through forced me to think about what sports would be like if there was no separation between females and males. What would society be like if everyone just competed together? While I certainly want to say this would create a more unified sports world, I wonder if it would actually just create more havoc in the conversation of gender in sports. For example, in today’s society if a women outran a man in the 100 meter sprint there would be an uproar. This may cause people to encourage even more verification testing, which I do not believe is fair for the winner of the race. |
B) Timeline of History
Exercise 2: Notebook Prompt
What other significant case/milestone would you add to this timeline? Note it in your notebook along with a brief (one or two sentences) explanation of why you feel it is important.
| One significant milestone I would add to this timeline is from the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic games. For the first time in Olympic history, there was an equal amount of female and male athletes competing. This was the first Olympic games to have equal representation for women and men. The reason I would add this to the timeline is because I feel it is important to highlight some positive changes being made in the world of sport. While verification testing and the negative conversations about trans athletes is an ongoing issue, I think it is a positive effort for the Olympics to achieve full gender parity this past summer. In my eyes, this means that we are hopefully moving in the right direction when it comes to representation. There once was a time when no women were allowed to compete. So, the way I see it is this improvement of representation for cisgender women could also indicate hope for more representation of trans women as well.
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C) Gender coding in Sports
Exercise 3: Notebook Prompt
Has the gendering of sport ever been a constraint on your involvement? How?
Or, if not, why do you think this is?
| This idea of gendering sport is very interesting to me because of my own personal experiences I have had with it. I have played competitive volleyball since the age of 12 and all throughout my experience in the sport, I have always been told that it is a “girl sport”. There have been multiple debates with people about why volleyball should not even be considered a sport and how it’s only a sport that girls should play because it is too easy. Now, personally, these conversations have never impacted my involvement and I think this is because I am someone who identifies as a girl so being told I play a “girl sport” is not something I find offensive. However, I can see how this gendering of a sport could be constraining to involvement if I was a girl trying to participate in a typically gendered “boy sport”. For example, in highschool, girls were not allowed to play tackle football, instead we had to play flag football which involved no contact. This is a prime example of how gendering a sport can put a constraint on involvement. In addition, boys who maybe do not feel comfortable with contact sports may be made fun of for playing the “girl version” of football which could deter them from participation all together. There is so much stigma around certain sports and the people who are socially accepted into participating in those sports. I think about gymnastics and how male gymnasts are often ridiculed for being too “feminine” when in reality they are just as much of an athlete as someone who plays football. |
D) How is sport gendered in the popular imagination?
Exercise 4: Padlet/Notebook Prompt
While most sports are in fact unisex, gender coding remains pervasive, particularly at the professional level, although with a foundation established in youth competition. Participate in the poll below to share your views on how popular sports are gendered in the popular imagination. Also feel welcome to add or suggest sports that you feel strongly conform to the gender binary!
After you contribute to the padlet prompt, record your response in your notebook AND briefly discuss in two or three sentences how these responses and the polling figures in general confirm or contradict your assumptions about gender-coding and sports. Did anything surprise you?
After completing the voting, I am not too surprised with the results of the poll so far. They confirm my assumptions completely about the different sports being gendered. Also, it fully confirms my beliefs about the impact of societal norms and expectations in relationship to sports. I am curious to see how the soccer poll will turn out because in my mind that sport is neutral, I wonder what other people will think.
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Section Two: Breaking it down
A) Title IX
Exercise 5: Notebook Prompt
In a longer version of the interview excerpted in the video above, Leah Thomas states “Trans women competing in women’s sports does not threaten women’s sports as a whole because trans women are a very small minority of all athletes and the NCAA rules around trans women competing in women’s sports have been around for 10+ years and we haven’t seen any massive wave of trans women dominating”?
Do you agree with this statement? See also the image above suggesting that the issue may be overblown by politicians and influencers who don’t actually care that much about women’s sports.
Please share any thoughts you have in your Notebook by clicking on the audio button above or writing a few sentences.
| This question is difficult for me because I can see a variety of contradicting views on this topic. To start, I think the natural makeup of sport itself promotes major competition and intimidation between athletes in general. When we discuss the threat to women’s sport I do not think trans women should be at the forefront of that discussion. Rather, I think the deep rooted misogyny and sexualization of women athletes in the media is more of a threat. Now, if I were to put myself in the position of an athlete who had to compete against a trans women in a sport such as boxing for example, I will admit I would likely be intimidated. However, this intimidation would only be heightened if my competitor had an extreme biological physical advantage over me. Cases like these, where maybe a trans women transitioned later in their life and still hold some of their biological physicalities that would give them an advantage are very rare. Furthermore, I agree that there is not a large enough impact on women’s sport that trans women athletes can be considered a “threat”. It would be interesting to see how this conversation would go if both women and men were never split up into categories when competing in a sport. Overall, I do agree with this statement however can see how certain situations may bring up differing opinions.
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B) Unfair Advantage?
Exercise 6: Notebook Prompt
What does the host and writer, Rose Eveleth, have to say on the issue of unfair advantage?
Can you think of other examples of unique biological or circumstantial advantages from which athletes have benefitted enormously that have nothing to do with gender?
| Rose Eveleth brings up a variety of good points throughout the podcast, however, a few in particular stick out to me. First, she questions why some biological advantages are allowed, while others cause new rules to be put in place to avoid letting people with these biological advantages compete in sports. This is something that I too have begun to wonder throughout this module. Naturally, some people are born with different physical features that may make them more successful in certain sports. For example, as discussed in the podcast, Michael Phelps was born with an extremely long torso and short legs, the perfect swimmers body but still he is allowed to compete despite this significant advantage. In addition, Rose Eveleth discusses a few studies conducted by World Athletics which claimed that women with higher testosterone had an unfair advantage in several track and field events. This study was later found to be unreliable, with the researchers fabricating data to skew it in favour of those who want regulations on women’s sports. Overall, I think it is quite interesting that there are no sport restrictions for men with biological advantages, yet women’s sports are constantly being addressed in regards to this topic.
While some of these were briefly mentioned in the podcast, some other advantages include economic and family support. For example, those who are born into a family that has a high socioeconomic status may have an advantage when it comes to paying for equipment, enrolling in practices, leagues, hiring coaches, staying in hotels and any other costs that come along with playing sport at a high level. This could be considered a major advantage because without money, it is nearly impossible to keep up with the demands of a sport, no matter how physically fit or skilled you are. In addition, when I look at this topic through a psychological lens, ones home environment may have a huge impact on their involvement and success in sport. For example, someone who grows up with very supportive parents will have someone to drive them to practices, cook them meals and even pay for their involvement in sport. In addition, this support system can help the athlete mentally, if they are struggling to stay motivated or are unhappy with their performance, their support system will be there to help them get back up and keep trying. On the flipside however, those with no support may struggle to find time to practice and develop their skills and sadly may suffer with their mental health if they do not have anyone to lean on during tough times.
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Again, let’s turn to Katie Barnes who points out that we tend to forget amidst all the debate that “sports, by design, are not fair” (235), that “the reality of sports is that we accept unfairness all the time” (235).
Do you agree? Why? In your experience, how fair are sports? Feel welcome to add a video response in the padlet and provide an example if you’re willing. Make sure you include a screenshot of your response in your notebook.
| I do agree with this statement. I have been playing and watching sports since I was about six years old and the first lesson I ever learned was that in sports you should never expect anything to be given to you. Success in sport comes from hard work and talent which takes a long time to develop. In addition, I was always told that there will always be someone who is taller, faster, stronger and more skilled than me and that is “just the way it is”. These lessons that I was taught by parents and coaches from a young age demonstrate the understanding that sports are inherently not fair. In my opinion, if sports were fair then it would defeat the whole purpose of competition and grit. Speaking from personal experience, I have always been an undersized athlete. When I first started playing volleyball (a sport in which typically tall people excel) I always felt super defeated because of my height. A lesson I had to learn quick is that I would have to work harder than my peers if I wanted to excel in this sport. Sure, that might not be “fair”, but that is simply the nature of sport and has made me the person I am today. I am sure the same can be said for many other athletes who have felt they have a disadvantage over something that is out of their control. But, the way I see it is if you choose to be an athlete at a high level, you simply have to understand that sports are never going to be fair and that some things are out of your control. With that being said, I 100% agree with this statement by Katie Barnes that the natural design of sports itself are not fair and that is the reality that must be accepted no matter the circumstances. However, I would argue that certain “unfair” situations can be more difficult than others. For example, as Rose Eveleth discusses in her podcast, some women are born with more testosterone in their bodies. As mentioned in her podcast, these athletes are often punished for this natural phenomenon, being forced to reduce their testosterone through medication or simply being forced out of competition all together. In my opinion, this treatment of athletes is more unfair then it would be to just allow them to compete as is. This example demonstrates how unfair sports can be. No matter what, someone is going to have to accept the unfairness and move forward. The question is simply who will experience the unfairness. Often, it feels as though women in sport receive a lot more unfair treatment than men do. I have never heard of a man being disqualified for having too much testosterone in his body. Overall, sports are definitely unfair, however, I believe some people in the world of sport experience more unfairness than others. |
