Recreating the Norm in Single-sex Sports :: Sports Essays

Recreating the Norm in Single-sex SportsWhen investigating the costs and benefits of an individual competing in a mutant considered non-traditional for their gender, we must first answer the question of what makes the single-sex status of these sports so important. We know that much contr everyplacesy often surrounds the assimilation of a certain gender into a sport not traditionally considered their own, but we might forget to ask why this is the case to begin with. First, it is important to acknowledge that the answer to this question allow most likely vary a bit between genders. For men, I believe much of the drive to keep certain sports single-sex, stems from a dominance/ ply struggle. Most of the male sports mentioned focus mainly on pure strength, and in the case of boxing, agility. The idea that a woman can excel, or even fall out her male counterpart, in a sport relying so heavily on muscular prowess, seems to me like an issue that could be fundamentally threatening. When I mention superpower struggle, its mostly in reference to a struggle for dominance, but I believe that many of the men who look down upon women who enter sports primarily relying on physical strength, may smelling threatened in both respects. On the opposite end of the spectrum, much of what might drive them away from traditionally womanish sports, is the fact these sports are often considered too feminine to justify male participation. Its almost as though the masculine element of a sport implies some sort of ingrained difficulty, while a sport deemed feminine is not necessarily thought to be quite as challenging. As for females participating in more male prevail sports, it seems as though they run into similar issues. Most women shy away form participation in male dominated sports in fear of approach path across as too masculine. This also plays into the power dynamics that have defined men and womens roles for far too long. Women are either afraid to, or no longer even cons ider the idea of, pushing back against their stereotypically defined roles. There are obviously many men and women who have challenged these roles over time, and who continue to push these somewhat intangible boundaries. I believe the benefits of abandoning the gender roles in sports strongly outweigh the costs. The biggest benefit seems to me to be, quite simply, the opportunity for both males and females to feel comfortable participating in whichever sports they may feel drawn to.