Stereotypes Of Women In Sports

Football isn’t for girls. People say the heavy tackling will only crush a girl’s bones. People say girls simply cannot handle the intense weight lifting that boys do. People say the running is too much. Why is it that we are always quick to assume girls cannot play sports such as football? Our biological predispositions? Our expectations? Or simply that it is a man’s game? Men often believe that women are physically not as strong, and there has been little change to deviate from that statement. As shown in various different medias, Superman is often depicted with clearly chiseled muscles, while Wonder Woman seems to lack any physical sign of strength, although they are both considered superheroes. It has been determined that men are generally …show more content…
Although many forms of media contribute to this stereotype, Nickelodeon created a show, Bella and the Bulldogs, which contradicts the previous ideas. The show is based on a girl who becomes the quarterback of her school football team, despite various protests. She transforms from a cheerleader to the quarterback, which are two extremes on a scale of sports since cheerleading is often seen solely as a female sport and football is often seen solely as a male sport. Bella, the main character of the show, outshines the previous male quarterback with her skill and strength, which is followed by resentment from her teammates since she is a girl. Eventually, she proves herself worthy of the position, gaining the acceptance of her team and the school as well. Throughout the show, there are occasional appearances of individuals that undermine her skill and strength due to her being a girl, but she always rises above the obstacles, coming out stronger than before.
The idea of women’s strength is applicable in reality as well. As a runner, I have had the pleasure of watching amazing runners on various teams such as Leah Roter and Rachel Banks. Both of these runners have exhibited an indescribable strength that many strive for. These women have ran times lower or equal to the average high school boy’s time in a five kilometer race. It is impressive to see women training with male runners because we have always perceived …show more content…
Coordination and endurance can be used in different manners, which can depict a gender to be weaker or stronger. Although men usually have more upper body strength than women, women are often more flexible and have more lower body strength. A biased perception can be formed on which gender is stronger due to the different manners in which strengths are used. In reality, the different strengths of men and women cannot be compared on one scale since they involve different muscle groups, but they are often grouped together in physical education standards. Since a woman’s body is generally more flexible than a man’s, a sixteen year old girl in the healthy range should reach about twelve centimeters on the sit and reach test, while a sixteen year old boy only needs to reach about eight centimeters in order to be in the healthy zone. However, in the push ups, curl ups and pacer test categories, standards for men are significantly higher. To be in the healthy zone for push ups and the pacer test, sixteen year old boys must do approximately two times more than sixteen year old