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Section One: The Fundamentals
A) History and Context
Exercise 1: Notebook Prompt
Within this podcast episode, Rose Eveleth recalled a story about Maximila Imali and the many injustice experiences she faced. What surprised me was the fact that she was an athlete who was told to change her body or give up racing. I was surprised by this because the Olympics allows athletes to have surgery or take medicine as a way to improve hormone levels based on their gender (given at birth) however, someone who is trans and needs to either take hormones or hormone blockers is not allowed and told to “change their bodies.” In my opinion, that is a completely unfair and discriminatory attack towards trans people.
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 case I would add is in 1968 chromosome testing which the IAAF implemented more scientific methods to determine an athletes sex.
I feel like this is important to add to the timeline as it was unable to account for athletes who had VSD, including those who may have atypical chromosomal patterns which makes it not a beneficial approach to determine if athletes had two X chromosomes that is seen in biological females.
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?
For myself, I would say that it has never had a constraint on my involvement in sports, but I certainly know people where it has been. It can lead to the feeling of exclusion or pressure to abide by specific societal norms that are not the reality for everyone. This not only affects who can participate in sports but also their experience playing as well. I was lucky enough to not have any issues participating in a sport that I wanted to play and the majority of the sports I played growing up were the ones that were considered more masculine such as hockey, and lacrosse. Unfortunately, I know this is not the case for other people wanting to play sports which is why I strongly believe there needs to be more advocation for sports to stop being gendered so that no one feels like they cannot participate. In doing so, there needs to be increased awareness and even policy changes because one thing that I do notice is that for some sports, rules are different for women than men and that is to “protect them” which only emphasizes the existing stereotypes that women cannot handle aggressive, competitive sports.
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?
Hockey: Male, Gymnastics: Female, Volleyball: Neutral, Football: Male, Soccer: Neutral, Powerlifting: Male, Softball: Women
Sports that conform gender binary involve sports that have separate categories for gender athletes. Many sports are gendered which is associated with with one gender being favoured over the other. This has to do with the way people perceive the sport as well as how it is marketed. Sports centered toward males include sports such as football, basketball, hockey, lacrosse, etc. This is because they are considered to be more masculine and competitive and require physical strength and aggression that is stereotypically not catered towards women.
On the other hand, sports that are centered towards women include sports that are considered to be more flexible and feminine such as figure skating and gymnastics as they are graceful, and aesthetic which for a long time is how people felt women should present themselves. Though these sports are targeted at a specific gender, there are leagues in these sports for both genders, however, this foundation is typically established in youth leagues and there are never any cross-overs with having co-ed leagues because of these narratives. Similarly, in professional-level sports, this is also seen in the media coverage for these sports as many of the “male” sports listed above are only televised for them and not women. Though progress is being made, there is still a lot to be done as gender coding remains an ongoing issue in sports and the responses in the padlet from my classmates confirm my assumptions
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.To be honest, I have mixed opinions with this statement and that could be because I am not understanding it correctly but as of right now the amount of trans women is considered to be a small minority but the amount of trans individuals participating in sports is rising, it could cause greater concern for women’s sports. Also mentioned was how the NCAA rules have been around for the past 10+ years, meaning they have not been updated to accommodate the ongoing changes that have occurred within the past 10+ years just like no one will know how much things will change within the next 10 years. Many politicians are males and do not recognize or understand the issues surrounding women’s sports, which is why many ongoing issues are overblown by them. If more cared, more would see the impacts and take appropriate action. On the other hand, I believe that a lot of people are against trans individuals in sports which is why they make statements of keeping them out as a way to protect women and their sports, but rather than creating a more inclusive society, they are making it more uninclusive based on a fear with no facts behind it.
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 discusses the “unfair advantage” of how sports organizations have implemented sex testing as a way to determine athletes’ ability to participate in competitions specifically focusing on DSD athletes who often experience greater discrimination. She also discusses the many genetic mutations that many athletes have that benefit their ability to perform in their sports. One example she provides is of Michael Phelps who has unique characteristics such as a long torso, and a wide wingspan, which allows him to be an excellent simmer by his natural advantage. Overall, she explains the many challenges that athletes face as well as the divide that exists between both males and females, and the lack of accountability for the diversity of the human body. Not only does this lead to policies that impact certain athletes, but it also affects fairness as well.
I believe flexibility and range of motion is a biological advantage in many sports, and specifically, Simone Biles has shown significant advantages from it as she has set the bar for many gymnastics records as her immense flexibility and range of motion allow her body to twist in ways with such great precision and accuracy that only she has been able to do.
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.
In Favour:
I completely agree with this because sports have always been not fair. Sports display a lot of bias and discrimination as seen through the ongoing issues of racism, and sexism experienced by athletes through their treatment, as well as lack of opportunities. Also, cheating is very common within sports, whether it is noticeable or not, it is there through unethical behaviour from coaches/athletes and as well as performance-enhancing drugs which has been the center of some past controversies in the Olympics. Lastly, bias from officials and refs in the game also creates a level of unfairness as calls may be missed which can have major implications on the game, essentially changing the outcome of the game altogether.
