Summary: Female Athletes And Self-Esteem

As is evident in Sports Illustrated Magazine, female athletes are clearly sexualized. By putting these women on the cover of the magazine in a way that highlights their bodies rather than their athleticism it makes it acceptable for men to view them as entities. The media is responsible for female athletes wanted to be thin. L.Monique Ward, Department of Psychology at University of Michigan, examined the links between mainstream media use and students’ self-evaluation. Ward states, the viewing on sport programs was negatively associated with performance self-esteem. “Looking to successful athletes for social comparisons can have a negative effect on a youth’s self-esteem because they will see how these athletes are framed and feel inadequate in comparison” (Ward,6). Based on their exposure to sports media, young fan’s interest in the female athletes then becomes about their body shape and appearance, not the …show more content…
Adolescent teens have a desire to be connected to professional athletes, feeling a need to resemble them. Many teens improve their self-esteem by envisioning themselves as the respective athletes they look up to. Adolescents can construct their identity through a parasocial relationship—one sided relationship—where one individual is densely knowledgeable about someone else which is usually common in sport teams. The teens imagine being praised and exalted just like the professionals. Teens picture their prosperity before it ever occurs. The young athletic players attempt to take after the pros by upgrading their athletic capacities to become greater, more grounded, and quicker. They even pick their jersey numbers to copy the most dominant players, who live as the teens’ heroes, esteemed for their astonishing achievements. For many athletes in high school, professional athletes tend to have a real impact on their everyday