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Paintball - The Gender Difference in Sports
The introduction on Title IX in Education Amendments in the
United States has seen some excellent reaps from the increased
participation of women in sports and greater results achieved by
women at the world level competitions from year to year. The
effects are visible beyond the sporting achievement. The
increased number of women in sports opened up new markets in the
sporting goods, sports facilities and commercial exercise
entities. To put it in one simple phrase, it could have doubled
the market and the money.
With such benefits to the economy, one may wonder – Does gender
discrimination in sports still exist? If you ask me, I will say
YES. That was not a typo error but I put it in capital letters
just to express the decibel that I am saying that. While one can
say that the world is now modern and progressive and blah blah,
people are still bounded by traditional ideology of men is the
stronger, faster and better species. If one puts such
traditional ideology and men’s ego together, it spells doom for
women in sports. Death.
Level-headed legislators and commercial entities drive the idea
of equality to the world for the most obvious benefits. They
speak, they strategise, they implement. But there are two things
that are yet to be conquered – mindset and ego. The day that
equality is possible not near yet. Far from it. Determination is
the key to success, very much so in this case, as this is a long
battle. Not battling of just the male species but also the
female species. When put down by hare-brained and egoistic
comments, the women need to be able to survive the insult and be
become better. These insults will be hurled again and again. Can
women survive the insult over and over again? Some might have
enough of it and drop out of the equality race, taking over the
kitchens and childcare once again. Some might ignore and just
prove with results. Other hurled the insults back to the cavemen
brain.
Discrimination exists very much in sports. It cannot be denied
that male athletes get better pay than their female
counterparts. The celebrity status of women athletes cannot
match that of the men. The media in sports cover more of male
athletes and male dominated sports. The opportunities for men
are greater than that of for women. The participation rate of
men in sports is also higher than that of with women. Going into
a game, one that the team needs to emerge victorious, the common
first thought is that the team needs 5 men to do the job. On the
field, in a typical game lost by a team with women athlete
participating alongside male athletes, the usual comment is to
the winning opponent could be, “You all are playing with 5 men.
We got a girl in the team you know.”. In a team which has both
women and men participants, any outbursts or outcry is perceived
differently, depending on the gender of the person with
outburst. If it comes from a male athlete, the perception is
that tends to be that he is aggressive, outspoken and has
leadership. If it comes from a female athlete, the perception
tends to be that she is in a bad mood, just let her rant on and
she is probably having her menstruation (often linked to mood
swings). That is how real reality is.
Besides what the men has to contend with in sports such as
personal best, medals, salaries, the women, in addition, has to
contend with all of that and men’s insult, gender bias claims
and second looks. Fine. Blame it on the fact that women were not
allowed to participate in sports. Blame it on the fact that
women were only allowed to participate in sports openly two
centuries ago. Women athletes have to suffer that now. True
equality will come one day. On that one fine day, those who
abused, insulted, discriminated the other species will eat their
words. Apologies will come? I doubt so. It will be against men’s
ego to say ‘the S word’. Since that is so, they will just be
beaten at their own game. If it hurts their ego, perhaps they
can inject some estrogen to sooth their poor, hurt, diminished
egos. But their parents will still love them for he is and she
is the reason for their existence.
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