Throughout the past 100 years, gender roles of men and women have started to change greatly in our society, and especially in the world of sports. Recently, female athletes have made great strides in gaining equal representation, and media coverage, in comparison to the past, where there was little coverage of female athletics. In addition, women have begun to participate in many sports that have previously been male dominated. Some of these sports such as MMA, and hockey have been perceived as “manly” sports, and many feel that women should not participate in them due to their physically demanding nature. However, even though many female athletes have been discouraged from participating in male dominated sports, women have continued to break
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Mitchell as a pitcher, played for the AA Chattanooga Lookouts, which was an all male team. During her tenure on the team, she had the opportunity to play in an exhibition game against the New York Yankees. At one point in the game, Mitchell was able to strike out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in succession while pitching. After Mitchell achieved this astonishing feat of ability, she was pulled from the game, with no reasoning or explanation. A couple of days after the game, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the commissioner of baseball at the time, decided to void Mitchell’s contract, preventing her from playing professional baseball. Stating that baseball was “too strenuous for a woman” . This reasoning seemed to be backed by many male players and baseball analysts, who felt that women are too delicate, and that it would be extremely difficult for them to play baseball every day. However, many not only saw a woman striking out two of baseball’s greatest players as an embarrassment to the MLB, but also as a display of the great athletic abilities and talents that women athletes possess. Even though women would eventually be banned from participating in professional baseball during 1952, Jackie Mitchell’s outstanding performance was never forgotten. Many female athletes viewed …show more content…
A prominent example is professional auto racing driver Danica Patrick. Patrick, who holds many notable achievements, including being the first woman in history to win an indycar race. In addition to racing, Patrick has also participated in modeling and acting. Many feel that Danica Patrick’s involvement in auto racing has shown how much gender roles have evolved in our society. NASCAR is often seen as one of the most masculine sports in America due to its large male fanbase, and the fact that almost all the drivers are men. However, Danica Patrick has left a large mark within the sport, as she has stepped into a sport completely dominated by all men, and has been able to succeed. Auto racing and cars are a large part of male culture in America, and by allowing a woman to compete and participate in professional auto racing; it has shown how females have started to gain more respect from men for their abilities as athletes, and are not stereotyped based on their gender.This shows how even though women may have their own league to play in (golf, softball,basketball,etc…) they should still have the opportunity to compete against men, due to their increase in skill and athletic
Mitchell as a pitcher, played for the AA Chattanooga Lookouts, which was an all male team. During her tenure on the team, she had the opportunity to play in an exhibition game against the New York Yankees. At one point in the game, Mitchell was able to strike out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in succession while pitching. After Mitchell achieved this astonishing feat of ability, she was pulled from the game, with no reasoning or explanation. A couple of days after the game, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the commissioner of baseball at the time, decided to void Mitchell’s contract, preventing her from playing professional baseball. Stating that baseball was “too strenuous for a woman” . This reasoning seemed to be backed by many male players and baseball analysts, who felt that women are too delicate, and that it would be extremely difficult for them to play baseball every day. However, many not only saw a woman striking out two of baseball’s greatest players as an embarrassment to the MLB, but also as a display of the great athletic abilities and talents that women athletes possess. Even though women would eventually be banned from participating in professional baseball during 1952, Jackie Mitchell’s outstanding performance was never forgotten. Many female athletes viewed …show more content…
A prominent example is professional auto racing driver Danica Patrick. Patrick, who holds many notable achievements, including being the first woman in history to win an indycar race. In addition to racing, Patrick has also participated in modeling and acting. Many feel that Danica Patrick’s involvement in auto racing has shown how much gender roles have evolved in our society. NASCAR is often seen as one of the most masculine sports in America due to its large male fanbase, and the fact that almost all the drivers are men. However, Danica Patrick has left a large mark within the sport, as she has stepped into a sport completely dominated by all men, and has been able to succeed. Auto racing and cars are a large part of male culture in America, and by allowing a woman to compete and participate in professional auto racing; it has shown how females have started to gain more respect from men for their abilities as athletes, and are not stereotyped based on their gender.This shows how even though women may have their own league to play in (golf, softball,basketball,etc…) they should still have the opportunity to compete against men, due to their increase in skill and athletic