Women, News, and Sports


Like in Beowulf, the authors fail to give the female sportscaster a name. Dr. Herbert Lubash, a sportsologist news contributor, refers to her as “sweetheart” rather than by her name. “Sweetheart” belittles her as a newscaster and woman. Women, in general, would never refer to men as “sweethearts.” Sweetheart has a more feminine connotation and should remain a nickname for referring to a significant other, not one of your colleagues. Men and women deserve equal respect in the professional world even when women enter male-dominated fields such as business or the news. Additionally, Lubash’s position as a “sportsologist” likely signals that he takes himself and his position too seriously. Derrick Karr, one of the athletes, expresses his opposition to women playing in the upcoming game alongside men: “It’s dumb. Look, somebody’s gonna get seriously hurt. I don’t know what they’re trying to prove.” Women do not need something to prove to play a sport. They should be given the same opportunities to participate as men. Injury is a possibility for everyone, men and women alike, when they play sports. Dr. Lubash provides possible explanations for why women want to participate in this game: “One credible scientific theory is that these women do suffer from hormonal, sometimes even chromosomal imbalances.” These women likely want to participate in sports for enjoyment and exercise. Something should not have to be “wrong” for women to have an interest in sports or any other predominately male interest. Lubash also contributes women’s behavior to possible “unnaturally aggressive impulses.” Society praises men for aggression and many consider this energy a signal of leadership potential and power. Whereas with women, society typically considers aggressive women angry and exhibiting abnormal behavior. Society holds different expectations for what activities men and women should participate in and what emotions are appropriate for them to display. Overall, women and men should have the same opportunities to participate in activities that pique their interest.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 27, 2017 at 7:23 PM

    This is a great post! I was in a Women and Gender Studies class last year and we talked a lot about Women within more male-dominated industries such as sports news. I agree with you, it is unfortunate that females are not given a chance when participating in a male-dominated field. They are immediately labeled as not good enough or failing. It is annoying and upsetting that women and men are labeled to sports. For example, Men are better at ice hockey, women are better at ballet. I read an article on Sex-Role stereotypes within men and women that have mental health problems. It was interesting to see the differences between male and female mental health situations. I agree, hopefully soon male and females will have equal opportunities within activities. Well written post!

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