Sports can have many positive effects on society. They have the power to unite nations and communities and let hem forget about their differences. When these undeniable differences are put aside groups of people of various cultures, ethnicities, gender and races can come together as one. Sports can also bring to light larger human issues that are not obvious to society. This paper will address gender barriers in US sports and how difficult it is for women to succeed in a “man’s” role. By using Sally Jenkins and Pat Summitt’s book Sum It Up (2013), I will demonstrate how one woman not only broke gender barriers in coaching but also shattered them. Another major human issue this paper will shed light on, is the racism in American sports and how
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Typically women are looked upon to take care of the kids, cook, clean and take care of the household chores. Men commonly are looked at as the breadwinners, protectors, and they are supposed to be physically superior to women. Where we see this most frequently, is in US sports. Men are supposed to be the coaches, the athletes, and women are supposed to support these coaches and athletes. It only takes one extraordinary sports career or moment to break these so called “gender barriers”. One incredible woman who was able to overcome gender barriers of coaching was Pat Summitt. Her autobiography Sum It Up shows her tough and criticized rise into the basketball coaching hall of fame, while showing us her hard work to become the winningest coach in NCAA Diviosn I basketball, men’s or women, and her role in bringing national attention to women’s …show more content…
She didn’t care if you were a man or a women, she would not be intimidated. With her mindset, she played a huge part in sports becoming equal for women. Summitt never though of herself as a “woman” coach, she only though of herself as a coach. She had an intimidating coaching technique that sometimes would be called abusive. Summitt demanded perfection from every player that stepped foot on her court. She was known for pushing players to their breaking point and over exhausting her players. With her tough coaching tactics, she was able to bring multiple championships and wins to the University of Tennessee’s basketball program. Ironically when she first got the job she was forced to make due with what she could. “She was given the job because no one else wanted it. Pat Summitt earned a salary of $250 a month and her coaching duties included washing the players’ uniforms, driving the team bus and organizing doughnut sales to help pay for travel”. (Baker 2). Instead of giving up and letting gender barriers get her down Pat continued her push for equality in sports. Summitt used her huge rivalry with the University of Connecticut to gain national broadcasting for women’s basketball. For the first time in women’s basketball history the US looked forward to watching Tennessee and Connecticut face off. Summitt’s Lady Vols were always so prepared, that the competition knew they had to perform perfectly to win. This
Typically women are looked upon to take care of the kids, cook, clean and take care of the household chores. Men commonly are looked at as the breadwinners, protectors, and they are supposed to be physically superior to women. Where we see this most frequently, is in US sports. Men are supposed to be the coaches, the athletes, and women are supposed to support these coaches and athletes. It only takes one extraordinary sports career or moment to break these so called “gender barriers”. One incredible woman who was able to overcome gender barriers of coaching was Pat Summitt. Her autobiography Sum It Up shows her tough and criticized rise into the basketball coaching hall of fame, while showing us her hard work to become the winningest coach in NCAA Diviosn I basketball, men’s or women, and her role in bringing national attention to women’s …show more content…
She didn’t care if you were a man or a women, she would not be intimidated. With her mindset, she played a huge part in sports becoming equal for women. Summitt never though of herself as a “woman” coach, she only though of herself as a coach. She had an intimidating coaching technique that sometimes would be called abusive. Summitt demanded perfection from every player that stepped foot on her court. She was known for pushing players to their breaking point and over exhausting her players. With her tough coaching tactics, she was able to bring multiple championships and wins to the University of Tennessee’s basketball program. Ironically when she first got the job she was forced to make due with what she could. “She was given the job because no one else wanted it. Pat Summitt earned a salary of $250 a month and her coaching duties included washing the players’ uniforms, driving the team bus and organizing doughnut sales to help pay for travel”. (Baker 2). Instead of giving up and letting gender barriers get her down Pat continued her push for equality in sports. Summitt used her huge rivalry with the University of Connecticut to gain national broadcasting for women’s basketball. For the first time in women’s basketball history the US looked forward to watching Tennessee and Connecticut face off. Summitt’s Lady Vols were always so prepared, that the competition knew they had to perform perfectly to win. This