Disability in Sports

            Disability in sports is a controversial topic that is constantly brought up in the media. One particular and recent story was that of Tatyana McFadden, a paralympian athlete who was once at the center of a media firestorm in 2006 surrounding her desire to compete in county track and field competitions. Born with spina bifida, McFadden is paraplegic yet is a juggernaut athlete who has clearly proven her ability – totaling six gold medals and holds many records on the track (Gamer). As the article from the Washington Post explains, McFadden wanted to compete in track and field events for her high school, Atholton – a school located in Howard County, Maryland. However, officials within Howard County balked at the situation citing safety concerns – expressing worry that McFadden may drift out of her lane and injure another competitor – and a lawsuit filed by McFadden and her mother ensued shortly after (Gallo and Otto). It was ruled that Howard County was in violation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and therefore had to allow her to compete (Gallo and Otto). This quest for equality has led to changes within the county, however, McFadden would be scored differently than able bodied competitors and had to perform alone on the track. Although McFadden made huge progress within the county for equality for disabled athletes, she was still marginalized because she was not in the norm of able bodied competitors. At the time, McFadden was a four time gold medalist at the Paralympic Games in Athens, setting multiple records that still stand to this day. She has even added two more gold medals to her collection in Bejing, and is currently training for the Summer Games in London (Gamer). For all that she has achieved, McFadden was still pushed into the margin by Howard County’s officials simply because she does not meet the norm. It seems odd that Howard County officials would cite safety concerns requiring McFadden to compete on her own – one would think an athlete of her caliber can easily stay in her lane without endangering other competitors – perhaps it was their attempt to desperately enforce the norm upon an individual. However, they further ostracized someone who just wanted the simple desire of competing along with other people.

Word Count: 377

Gamer, Nikki. "Tatyana McFadden: Howard County's 'Lady Velocity'." Explore Howard.com. The Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2012. Web. 7 May 2012. <http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/howard/publications/howard-magazine/bs-exho-tatyana-mcfadden-howard-countys-lady-velocity-20120328,0,5289617.story>.

Gallo, Jon, and Mary Otto. "Wheelchair Athlete Wins Right to Race Alongside Runners." The Washington Post.com. The Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2006. Web. 7 May 2012. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/17/AR2006041701886.html>.

To Be Or Not To Be A Mother

In our previous blogs, we have discussed the many roles that women play as athletes. We have also discussed the discrimination and prejudice that takes place in the sports world. But what about the women who are off of the field? Not every individual is able to participate in the actual game. There are many tasks that are done behind the scenes. As the new Proctor and Gamble ad exemplifies, that role is delegated to women and more specifically, mothers. As said in the article by USA Today, “being a mom is the hardest job in the world. But it's also the best job you'll ever have” (Hanashiro, 2012). Simply put, this is what society tells us is the norm.

In this short film, women are shown waking up their child, washing dishes, doing laundry, making meals, providing transportation, and being personal cheerleaders. If you had not yet noticed, each woman is performing these tasks on her own. Where are the men? It appears that being a mother means adhering to society’s norms. Across the world, a mother’s role is unanimous. It is not a shared responsibility but instead a full time job held by the mother. 

It is important to notice, that this standard is held in all social classes. The Proctor and Gamble advertisement shows families in many different countries, cultures, and sports settings. Different sports, such as gymnastics, track, swimming, and volleyball are shown. Each of these sports conveys a different level of social class, particularly the knowledge and Proletariat. The knowledge class includes individual sports such as gymnastics, performed by an American child. The Proletariat sport is a team sport, in this case, volleyball. Although there is a difference in social class, the mother’s role remains the same – supporter and nurturer.

The media guides woman in a direction of motherhood. Motherhood might not be every woman’s forte or desire. However, as the Proctor and Gamble ad shows, women who do not conform to this standard are excluded and ostracized. There are many more roles that women have in life and the media must show these as well. Every woman has a different mindset, different goals, and different dreams. 

Word Count: 362

Bibliography

Hanashiro, Robert. "Video: Sports Moms Have Hardest Jobs in World." USA Today. Gannett, 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. <http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/04/video-sports-moms-have-hardest-jobs-in-world/1>.

Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden - GOLF

In 1932, the Augusta National Golf Club was founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts. The club is exclusively male, and up until 1990 it was exclusively white as well. Recently, the club has received much scrutiny in the media for its apparent refusal to accept new IBM CEO Virginia Rometty, simply because she is a woman. Over the years the club has held the Masters, the Super Bowl of golf where the premier golfers in the world compete for the coveted green jacket.

Unfortunately, women have not had the opportunity to even compete. One would think that in 2012 this issue would no longer exist. Golf is not a contact sport; therefore it would be possible for women and men to compete on the same level. This is a classic example of sexism in sports, a war on women. This reinforces the idea of women being marginalized from the social norm.

Is this a power struggle? An attempt for these men to remain above the rest of society? Virginia Rometty is an extremely knowledgeable and successful woman. She has clearly proven herself a capable individual in the business world and in some cases more prosperous then her male counterparts that are members of this exclusive club. So why the discrimination? The past four CEOs of IBM were invited to join the Augusta National Golf Club. All of them having one very important characteristic in common, they were all male. Bobby Payne, the chairman of the club is using body politics to assert his masculinity as power over Virginia Rometty and all other women who wish to be members.

Payne was extensively questioned about the matter. As he dodged the topic his response was, "I guess two reasons. One, we don't talk about our private deliberations. Number two, we especially don't talk about them when a named candidate is part of the question." As of now, Virginia Rometty still has not received an invitation to join this exclusive, all male club. Perhaps with enough pressure from the media, Payne and other members will alter the club's long standing bias towards the female gender. However, would it even be worth it at this point?

Word Count: 363

"Masters 2012: Augusta chairman quizzed over no-women policy ." Sport. BBC, 5 Apr. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17622150>.

The Contradictory Role of Women in Sports

Rachel and Sara have had their own experience with feminine masculinity. As former college athletes they have dealt with many different expectations placed upon them by men and fellow teammates. Particularly in high school the thought of feminine masculinity was extremely prevalent. For example, on game days female athletes were expected to wear dresses and heels. Along with this dress came make up, push up bras, and any other necessary assistance to make the girls look more feminine. When the school bell would ring at 2:10 Rachel and Sara were expected to transition from delicate flowers to tough broads. Any girls who did not follow the standards in dress and behavior were ostracized or seen as other.

Although the girls were expected to be powerful players on the field they were also expected to maintain some sort of feminine persona. After sprinting down the field to clear the defensive territory, it was necessary to wipe the mascara away before running into their eyes. This small scale example shows the extent to which girls must maintain two contradictory roles in sports.

In the article, Disrupting Standards of Beauty and Redefining Womanhood, the author hits the nail on the head. Women are expected to fit into a certain mold; if she does not, she is not desirable to a man. However, if she does not act as a strong athlete on the field, her sports career will not be successful. Fellow teammates and coaches will not respect her skill and dedication. In order to be fruitful in both worlds she must be able to turn one switch on and the other off at the appropriate time.

In professional sports each role is magnified a great extent. In women's tennis, Serena and Venus Williams are incredible athletes. Defying many stereotypes placed upon them as women competitors, each woman has amazing strength and talent. Serena Williams has earned more money than any other female competitor. She is at the top of her game. Tennis is their profession; being a woman is also their profession. As shown above, Serena Williams has two very different lives.

Will feminine masculinity ever be accepted as a norm in society? This issue affects women on a small scale and a much larger scale. From our example, as high school players and division 3 collegiate athletes, the expectations were clearly impressed upon us. On the larger scale it is even more obvious that, to many, a woman's feminine side completes her.

Word Count: 411


Citations
Rubel, Rubel. "Top Player." Blogspot.com N.p., 3 Dec. 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2012.  https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgn5Qrds13WaTPaiqJ-_ay1cyEcgHkFkCLv72BYXmArefVFTnxywEj8GJJ-VxtpsE0bsa3xgksRCvdgFvCAVoGxYhPeBd1FKnHypeg-_nRXU5gSrsBPREPvwQbw2qgx9gxcU0_0ehKNsw/s1600/serena-williams+%25281%2529.jpg

"Serena Williams Upset In Tennis Finals; Calls Game Judge "Unattractive"." 6Minutz.com. N.p., 11 Sept. 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2012.  http://6minutz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/serena-williams.jpg