Sports

At the end of the day, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that John McEnroe, Tennis' infamous bad boy, probably just wanted to say something inflammatory to get attention, but he completely and utterly crossed the line in

his comments to reporters

. Not only does he speak with derision of female athletes, he condescendingly remarks upon the state of the female athlete today as if they are children in need of his advice.

Pathetic.

Even though McEnroe undoubtedly speaks for himself, I think his words speak volumes of the way female athletes are perceived in a larger context throughout our society. Said McEnroe:

They shouldn't be playing as many events as the me. The women have it better in tennis than in any other sport, thanks to Billie Jean King. But you shouldn't push them to play more than they're capable of.

A personal reflection on the allegations against Indiana Pacer Lance Stephenson

Lance Stephenson is a New York native, attending the same high school as Sebastian Telfair and Steph Marbury. He was a decorated high school athlete, winning numerous accolades and awards. By every measurement , his future was and still is bright. He even starred alongside the Blazers’ own Jerryd Bayless in Gunnin’ For That Number 1 Spot.

During those years one could argue that “culture issues” - as we in Portland have come to understand that phrase- began to arise. He got in a bit of trouble and was accused of groping a girl at school. The details of that incident are hard to find, I don’t consider that a coincidence.

Now Stephenson is an Indiana Pacer, a high risk rookie and who , if everything were to work out, was considered by many to be a steal. His troubles suck for the team , and really suck for those who worked so hard to get the guy, because he’s talented on the court . But nothing , of course , is as important as the injuries, both internally and externally , of the victim.

The “alleged” actions are the most detrimental for his “alleged” victim, but in our culture, in the sports universe- an inherently sexist world that mostly uses women shamelessly- the victim of an “alleged” domestic violence incident doesn’t even cause a shred of concern.

I rode on the Blue line, Westbound toward downtown and beyond. My dad gave me a seat next to the windows and I gazed in wonder toward the glowing ball surrounded by blinking car lights and stop lights.

"What do you think about Sabonis?", he asked.

"I can't wait to see him, dad" I replied without looking away from the window.

"The paper said we have to wear red, I guess I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb."

"Do you think I look okay with this sweatshirt on? It has ST AGATHA GIRLS BASKETBALL on the back, I look ... nerdy , or something."

My dad smiled at me and with no small measure of pride,"you look like a good fan, and a good student, and an athlete."

I smiled and we got off the train to check into our seats. Arvydas Sabonis had a mediocre game, but I cheered, and jeered, and probably screamed some profanities. My dad and I high-fived, we drank expensive soda and left high off the energy , the game, the experience. The max ride home was boisterous, as they normally are after a Blazer win. I returned home and wrote in my diary:

"This was my best night ever!"

The Max Train carried me to my first game at the Rose Garden that night. Of the numerous father-daughter moments to occur later in life, each important and monumental in their own way, this night, this trip, sticks out in my mind as the most memorable, the most important and the most special.

I first want to preface this post by stating that I am indeed, obsessed with shoes. My son (at the age of 6) has more than 100 pairs, three fourths of which are Nike/Jordan brand. I own several pair of Nike's myself, although I ultimately prefer 5 inch+ heels. The point is, although Nike apparently hates women, I still love Nike. I couldn't boycott them even if I should totally start doing just that. It just isn't in my nature, I cant throw away my Dunks or custom "Princess" Forces,  and my son will be wearing LA Gear  over my dead body.

Seriously though Nike, this recent ad campaign you all  have conjured up is just blatantly sexist. More so than Dove Brand 's attempt to appeal to "normal" women, because although Dove's advertisements are ultimately sexist and depict harmful images of women, at least Dove pretends to care about the way women in the media are portrayed. No such luck for consumers of Nike, for it is now really clear Nike is capitalizing on the current pop culture trend of big booty-ness.

So many reasons to complain that Title IX isn't good enough, so many instances in which segregation of sports based upon gender and continued unequal funding have hurt young, female athletes. But today isn't about that. I wanted to list out plainly why Title IX is awesome.

Because women and girls deserve equal access to sports and sports education.

Because women are physically , mentally and emotionally capable to compete in athletics, just like men.

Because girls deserve to learn they truly can do anything a man does.

Because athletics promote health and enhance learning.

Because athletics provide confidence- women and girls deserve access to confidence building activities.

Because women and girls can make friendships or connections to lead them to successful career paths.

Because college and high school scholarships should be equally available to girls and boys.

Because taking interest in things other than what society deems "girly" is necessary for gender equity.

Because women and girls deserve money for college.

Because equality in sports , at least the inklings of it, lead to great social gender equity.

Because sports and athletics are fun and exciting.

Because gender norms and stereotypes can be dispelled when more girls and women become involved in traditionally male activities.

Because even those who don't excel physically at athletics (me!) , can learn an appreciation and love for sports.

Because Title IX is a major crack in the glass ceiling.

(Posted at Women Undefined)

Hey Women's Studies majors, no need to take those extra sociology courses - If you watched last night's Super Bowl and the accompanying advertisements, you're an expert in sexism and misogyny!

You can now say with confidence and pride: " I aced Sexism and Misogyny in Society 101". Well, you can only say that if you didn't break your TV after the whole shibang was said and done, no doubt some of us failed the course, myself included.

If you haven't taken this course or are interested in applying please see course features, prerequisite requirements and goals of the course below.

The cost of this course is monetarily free (cost upon society unquantifiable and unaccountably negative-for certain reverberating for generations, as the course will be reenacted every day.  )

The Time and Date of Course: Super Bowl 44 - but if you missed it, there will be another Super Bowl next February!

Does America really like the female athlete? Pop culture to the rescue! This weekend, I’m certain we'll find out.

Most sports, for women, are truncated versions of the male sport. I'm sure someone has written why female sports aren't as lucrative; why the allure of a female sup-ah-stah isn't there. For goodness sake, there's a multi-billion dollar business that is conducting it's Finals series right now; profiting big off the notion that this female version of that sport is feminism gold. They pretend this means men and women ballers are the same and equal: "Look a pro league for women! BE HAPPY BITCHES! LOOK WHAT OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS DID FOR YOU!” But we know the true message is: "these chic's can hoop, but just not quite good enough". Most of us know that when a "women's" section of a male activity is created, separately, from the male version, this isn't equality, its sexism. So what happens when, using the stereotypical male sports-movie script, women are the athletes?

Pop music, heavy on the bass, easy on the lyrics, blare from the speakers as the players exit the court. Their heads hanging low, sweat pouring off their bodies, they are spent. Behind them, bolting out from the sidelines like fourth graders just let out to afternoon recess, come the dancers. They wear the standard: tights, knee-high boots, and a sparkly bra. They convene in some clever alignment at center court and begin their routine: Hip thrust left, leg kick right, pirouette, hair toss front, turn around; repeat.

In sharp contrast to the action of the basketball game, to the NBA’s massive “make it better” campaign, the attempt to diversify the sport’s audience, to the politically correct world of the athletes themselves; these cheer “leaders”, dancers if you will, provide a distracting dance routine, forced and contrived, whose display is nothing close to that of the competitive dance squads across the country. NBA cheerleaders have been reduced from the uber-athletic, diverse and competitive teams we see up through the collegiate level and ‘Bring It On 7’, to a blatant sexist display, devoid of athleticism and any dignity. What is more disturbing, we are expected to accept that this is just "part of the experience", a normal and respectible part of the modern professional world, which ultimatly insinuates that degradation of women is ok.