The featured image displays an example of a biased opinion society has formed about female athletes. (This comment garnered nearly 6,000 likes).
When we talk about giving women more platform, more opportunity, more gear, more money, we are constantly bombarded with the notion that because men currently dominate the sports world, then that’s the way is should be — that the free market has played out and landed us where we are today. And that it is because men are biologically stronger and faster.
But the truth is, it’s the centuries of gender bias, discrimination and patriarchal ownership of professional sports (and literally everything else) that have forced us all into thinking that the market for female sports will not only always be less than their male counterparts, but that women don’t even deserve a livable wage, equal opportunity, facilities or equipment.
I challenge you all to think beyond what you know now. Dare to envision a world where women have been allowed to play sports for as long as men. A world where women have had leagues for as long as men. A world where men have had dinner on the table for their wives when they come home from practice. A world where little girls know that if they work hard enough, they can be professional athletes for a living when they grow up. Or, become Vice President of the United States, for example.
The market is there for women’s sports and the market will continue to grow as investments are made and time passes. But we cannot reap what we do not sow.
Women’s tennis is the only sport that places women on the top 100 highest paid athletes list, not just because they are equally paid — thanks to Billie Jean King in 1973, almost 50 years ago — but because tournaments are “structurally set up to give women an equal opportunity at drawing a crowd”(TIME).
We also know that male gymnasts require different strengths and less artistic routines, yet no one really questions why female gymnastics get the same, if not more coverage than the men, during Olympic and non-Olympic years. Or recognize that the US women’s Olympic team may be consistently winning because, “women’s gymnastics enjoys certain material and structural advantages [and].. is much more popular and as a result, there is much higher level of participation. This means a deeper talent pool out of which to find those unique specimens who become champions”(TheGuardian).
Let’s choose not continue to accept the same stereotypes for generations to come.
Let’s choose not to engage in the argument that women biologically will always be slower and weaker than men — don’t even dare. Because the truth is, it doesn’t matter — proven by professional tennis and gymnastics.
The best female athletes and teams have finesse, play making, creativity, communication, grit, and brains on par with the best in the world. And just like the men, women are truly beautiful to watch. The best part is, there is room for both; sports fans deserve to watch and to love both.
The question really is if there is enough resolve on the part of investors, owners, media outlets and fans to change the social narrative around sports and give women the same platform, facilities and opportunity as their male counterparts for the first time in history.
When are we going to prove to the world that we want the same for our daughters as we do for our sons? That’s what Kobe wanted.
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Check out my TikTok on equal pay in Professional Tennis: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRmAaGNR/
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