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The Skewed View of Women in Professional Sports

Women have been looked upon by society in a domesticated light since America’s inception. Women, however, began to shift their role in society by performing tasks that were previously thought to be exclusive to men. One example of this shift is the emergence of women in professional sports. The view of women in professional sports has been heavily influenced by the presence of the media, as well as the male opinion in modern society. While women have managed to enter a predominantly male work field, the old, domesticated narrative still surrounds women in the modern age.

Women’s sports are viewed differently, and less often, compared to men’s sports due to the media’s portrayal of their femininity and athleticism in articles and on television. The media uses different techniques to undermine, oversexualize, and discriminate women in sports. The media utilizes overly feminine depictions of gender as well as task relevance to portray women in an overly feminine light. The phrase, “The slender 6-foot 5-inch center with a modeling contract in her purse”1  is a prime example of how the media uses the “stereotypical female” image to undermine female athletes. The mention of the player’s modeling contract was not relevant to the fact that the woman the article was describing was a basketball player. The inclusion of the detail about modeling only serves to make the woman appear more feminine and distracts the readers of the article from the actual sport the woman is playing. The media also distracts the public from the athleticism of women in sports by choosing to describe their athletic feats through the feats of a man. This is observed in an excerpt that says, “She’s the Shaquille O’Neal of women’s basketball.”1 This comparison to a male basketball player undermines the female athlete’s ability. It also shifts the spotlight away from the woman and onto the male athlete. Comparing the woman to an NBA superstar accomplishes the opposite effect of giving attention to the female athlete. It causes people to instead focus on the superstar player that is Shaquille O’Neal. 

The media uses women and their femininity against them. The comparisons of women to men extend to the bodies and gender identities of women. The media body shames women in professional sports by attributing male qualities to them. This is seen in the criticism tennis superstar, Serena Williams receives about her body, regardless of her national success in tennis. “People would say [Serena Williams] was born a guy, all because of [her] arms, or because [she’s] strong.”6. The portrayal of Serena as more masculine serves to undermine her outstanding success. The media attributes Serena’s skill to her “man-like” body, essentially saying that Serena is only successful because she possesses the physical qualities of a man. The comparison of Serena’s physical appearance to a man’s only serves to push the idea that men can only be successful in sports even further. This also illustrates an ongoing double standard for women. Billie Jean King says, “When a woman is emotional, she’s ‘hysterical’ and she’s penalized for it. When a man does the same, he’s ‘outspoken’ & and there are no repercussions.”7. A woman being attributed with a man’s attributes is seen differently compared to a man himself. Even though the media describes women, like Serena Williams, like men, these women are viewed as beasts and ostracized for their behavior. Social media, in addition to traditional news outlets also contribute to the undermining of women in professional sports in a much more blatant fashion. 

The above images were taken from a video about the newly added WNBA in a game called NBA 2k. These images exemplify the way social media undermines women in sports. Collectively, these images illustrate the sexist beliefs that plague society’s view of women in sports. They compare a woman’s athletic ability to the female stereotype of being caretakers of the home. The first image has a caption of “corner specialist”2 which, in NBA 2k means that a player is known for their ability to make corner three point shots. The actual image depicts a broom in a corner to symbolize a woman’s ability to sweep the corners of a room. This image, while it is a parody, illustrates the inherent sexism that exists in women’s sports. This belief that women aren’t meant to be athletes is one of the reasons why female professional sports are viewed so differently. This discrimination against women is also seen in the second image. The image has a caption titled “putback king”2, meaning a player that is known for their ability to score after getting an offensive rebound, with a person putting a slice of bread back in a toaster. This is supposed to be a joke about how women are skilled in the kitchen, while also serving to diminish their ability to play basketball. This image says women are only meant to play a domesticated role in society.  

The three images above depict two basketball players, each with their own rating. The female basketball player has a 99 overall rating and is shown making a layup at the basket. The male basketball player has a 55 overall rating and is shown shooting the basketball with a terrible shooting form to signify his lack of skill. Despite these ratings however, the third image shows the 55 overall man dunking on the 99 overall woman, indicating that the male player would easily beat a female player regardless of how good the woman was or how poorly the man plays. Social media has spread this sexist idea that men dominate sports because they are physically superior. This discrimination against female athletes has resulted in a lack of respect for said athletes. This is illustrated in the fact that the 55 overall rated man was shown dunking, while the 99 overall woman was only making a layup. The large difference between the two players’ ratings only serves to say that the worst NBA player is still better than a top player in the WNBA. 

Misogyny and the prevalence of male dominance in professional sports creates misconceptions around female professional athletes. Misogyny in professional sports has created a narrative that women can’t play at the same level as men. The way men describe women in sports has created a false narrative around women and their ability to play sports. This misogyny is seen when “…Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton smugly dismissed a female reporter’s technical question about football with, ‘It’s funny to hear a female talk about routes.’”4 The blatant disrespect shown against women by this player is one of the principal reasons women are looked down upon in sports. Cam Newton does not acknowledge the women’s ability to analyze sports simply because of her gender. It is interactions like these that generate these narratives about women and their ability to succeed in professional sports. Men have promoted this kind of discrimination, and with professional sports being dominated by men, there leaves little room for women to make their place in sports.  Misogynistic comments surround women in sports everyday. These comments, usually made by men, are a primary reason why women are not treated with the same level of respect and not taken as seriously and male athletes. The way men describe women in the media influences the public perception of not only women, but their athletic ability as well, which furthers the sexist narrative that women are not athletic. UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is someone who pushes this false portrayal of women when he says that aspiring female fighters should, “‘Be a fighter inside your home. All the time, finish your husband.’”5 Khabib says that female fighters have no place in the octagon and should, instead, stay at home and perform caretaking duties. This traditionalist idea that women belong in the household undermines women and their position in pro sports. 

The portrayal of men being at a higher level than women in sports is seen in other forms of media, in the form of film. Sports movies place an emphasis on the femininity of women who are in the movie, usually depicting them as overly emotional or obsessing over a man. The movie “Love and Basketball” is a prime example of these depictions. In the last twenty minutes of the movie, the main female protagonist, Monica talks to the male protagonist, Quincy, about why she stopped playing basketball. She professes her love for Quincy, and explains that he is the reason she quit basketball, because it wasn’t the same without him8. This interaction between the two characters illustrates the narrative that movies portray about women. Even though Monica was a professional basketball player, and champion, she stopped playing because of her emotional attachment to a man. The movie frames her to be this overly emotional character, even though she has accomplished more in her career in basketball than Quincy ever did. This is also seen in the final act of the movie where Monica challenges Quincy to a one-on-one game of basketball for “his heart”. This in itself is further evidence for the way movies attach the overly emotional troupe to women in pro sports. However, as the game progresses, Monica becomes increasingly distraught as she begins to lose the game. At one point, she looks to be on the verge of tears, while Quincy, in comparison, looks unfazed and determined to win. This portrayal of women in comparison to men pushes the idea that a woman cannot succeed in sports without being attached to a man in some way. Illustrated in the fact that Monica drops basketball in pursuit of a man’s affection. 

In conclusion, the male gaze, as well as modern media, in the form of social media postings and videos, as well as film, push the narrative that has surrounded women for centuries. These factors skew the way women are viewed in professional sports by influencing the public that women are not as fit as men to be in a professional sports setting.

 

Works Cited

 

  • Jones, Ray, et al. “Pretty Versus Powerful in the Sports Pages: Print Media Coverage of U.S. Women’s Olympic Gold Medal Winning Teams.” Journal of Sport & Social Issues, vol. 23, no. 2, 1999, pp. 183–192.
  • Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem. “Hollywood and Sports: A Cauldron of Sexism.” Hollywood Reporter, 2017, p. 40.
  • Love & Basketball.

 

 

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