Feminism

And how can women's sports get a larger fanbase if the media devotes most of their coverage to men's sports?

who on earth doesn't know about womens sports? and yet they still have a smaller fanbase. not because of the media attention. not to mention the WNBA is on after the NBA, and the NHL seasons and before the NFL season. so it's all by itself, except baseball.

 

who on earth doesn't know about womens sports

Plenty of people. Or they sneer the entire concept of women playing sports.

not because of the media attention.

Yes because of the media attention, or rather, the lack thereof. They aren't given nearly the same coverage as men's sports.

 

Shelley

And you're absolutely right. I got married when I was 22, ten years ago, and if I had five dollars for every time someone asked me "When are you going to have children?" or "Why don't you have any children?", or treated me like a freak because I prefer a quiet home and freedom to travel ("You don't know what you're missing!"), I could retire now.

How often does my husband get asked these questions? About one-tenth as often as I do, and he never gets the rude comments like "Don't you like kids?"

 

Yes because of the media attention, or rather, the lack thereof. They aren't given nearly the same coverage as men's sports.

ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC. they are going to be playing their games all season long, i've already seen about five commercials for it, and i only watched sports center twice this week. this is just the WNBA, womens tennis get's just as much coverage as mens. i don't know about golf cause i don't watch any golf, all i know is they show everything on sports center. so i don't know what more you want.

 

But you can get four tickets to a WNBA game for $25. They charge a hell of a lot more than that for men's games.

And don't say "because people will pay it"--that's exactly what the problem is. People will pay more for the NBA.

 

But you can get four tickets to a WNBA game for $25. They charge a hell of a lot more than that for men's games.

And don't say "because people will pay it"--that's exactly what the problem is. People will pay more for the NBA.

yeah well i hate to tell you this but it's because they can fly. and that somehow is more exciting.

 

Male basketball players can fly?

 

anakin_girl, if the sport gets the crowds, the pay will increase. Women's tennis has good rates of pay and/or prizes. That's because people are interested. Spectators wish to see the elite of the sport, which is usually the men's competition. They don't go and watch the female version of the game in most cases.

You don't see hockey or badminton sportspeople getting paid what football, soccer or basketball players get either. The reason? Not many people are interested in the game.

Get the crowds and you'll get the money.

 

Male basketball players can fly?

yes


Get the crowds and you'll get the money.


and it's not because they don't get any media attention, becuase they do.

 

Spectators wish to see the elite of the sport, which is usually the men's competition.

But why is the men's competition considered the "elite of the sport"?

My opinion is that it's because of society's attitudes towards women as the "weaker sex". If there's another reason, I'm open to hearing it.

 

But why is the men's competition considered the "elite of the sport"?

because they are better. maybe not at every single thing. lets stick to basketball, how many female players are over 6'5"? how many are well over 225 lbs? not many if any, and that would give many of the male competitors a huge edge if they were to play with females. that's reality.

 

No, men are not better at sports. That's one of the stereotypes that needs to disappear, and quicker than a Harry Potter wizard disapparating.

lets stick to basketball, how many female players are over 6'5"?

Who cares? "Tall" does not equal "good basketball player". Look at Alonzo Morning (sp of last name?). He's shorter than I am--about 5'6" if I remember correctly. He plays a hell of a lot better basketball though--and no, it's not because I'm a woman.

 

No, men are not better at sports. That's one of the stereotypes that needs to disappear, and quicker than a Harry Potter wizard disapparating.

at most things yes, they are. or they are capable anyway. being tall has alot to do with basketball. mainly on defense. Alonzo wouldn't stand a chance against Yao Ming in the post.

 

anakin_girl, you are in denial about sports and gender. Males are on average are more athletic than women. That's all there is to it. Simply saying no all the time doesn't change the fact. Women can play sport to the best of their ability, but the standard of women's sport is generally lower than that of men. A group of elite male athletes are better at their sport than a group of elite female athletes. The only sports that men and women compete with each other are those of skill, not athletic ability. There's a reason for that, women can't compete at the physical level men can.

Even in golf, the women who try to compete against men don't make the cut. That's not due to incompetance or lack of skill, it's due to the physical diferences between the genders. You can't argue with biology.

 

No, men are not better at sports. That's one of the stereotypes that needs to disappear, and quicker than a Harry Potter wizard disapparating.

Let's look at some cold, hard facts, then. World records.

Look at this page. It has a chart showing the world record marathon times for both men and women since 1900. Notice something about them? Then men's record has always been better than the women's record (by a significant amount).

Or compare this chart of various world records in running (something integral to almost any major sport). Uniformly, the men's records are better than the women's records. Again, this shows a systematic result. If they were truly equal, then you would see a much more even distribution.

And no, it is not a matter of discrimination against women. In the past 20-30 years, practically anyone with the talent/ability and the desire have been able to get any level of training that they need.

If men and women truly are equal at sports, why are there such differences in world records?

Kimball Kinnison

 

Look at this page. It has a chart showing the world record marathon times for both men and women since 1900. Notice something about them? Then men's record has always been better than the women's record (by a significant amount).


thank you, i was looking for that.

 

Males are on average are more athletic than women. That's all there is to it. Simply saying no all the time doesn't change the fact.

Assuming that is true, the operative words here are "on average". Using blanket discrimination based on so-called "averages" is unfair to those who don't meet the "averages".

That is no reason to either exclude women from sports or to fund their sports less than men's sports.

I don't have a real issue with separate teams for the genders, as long as the separate teams are treated equally, as opposed to sending the women's teams to the back of the bus.

 

Then it all comes down to bums on seats. Women need to attract more spectators before they get more funding/pay/prizemoney.

The reason they don't get more spectators is because the level they compete at is below the level of men.

 

The reason they don't get more spectators is because the level they compete at is below the level of men.

I've been to NBA games and WNBA games. In the WNBA, the players actually play basketball. In the NBA, it looks like a football match--they bloody tackle each other. It's sad.

I hope that isn't the level we have to stoop to in order to get more coverage and spectators. That would be a sad commentary on the state of things.

And I don't blame this on the fact that the NBA contains men--I blame it on the fact that the NBA allows players like Dennis Rodman to get away with their crap.

 

I don't have a real issue with separate teams for the genders, as long as the separate teams are treated equally, as opposed to sending the women's teams to the back of the bus.

But how do you determine what is "equal"?

For example, in DC, we have a NBA team (the Wizards) and a WNBA team (the Mystics).

They are owned by two different people. Should Michael Jordan not be allowed to spend any more money on the Wizards than Abe Pollin does on the Mystics? What about if the Wizards bring in more money than the Mystics?

For example, for a Friday night game at the MCI Center, floor seats for the Mystics cost between $60-$100. For Wizards tickets, some floor seats can easily run over $150 (also at the MCI Center). If one of the organizations is bringing in more money, it has more money available to spend on itself and its players. That's just basic economics.

Kimball Kinnison

 

Alonzo Mourning is a 6'10 center.

With sports, I think it just comes down to guys wanting to see the competitive nature of other guys. It's easier to relate to than watching females compete. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

 

I've been to NBA games and WNBA games. In the WNBA, the players actually play basketball. In the NBA, it looks like a football match--they bloody tackle each other. It's sad.

Exactly; this is why the gender situation in basketball frustrates me. Men put on a show. Women play. Now I'm not a big one for watching sports, but I would much rather see some women playing their hearts out than the three-ring circus that is the NBA.

-Paul

 

pro sports is a show. that's what you go to see. if it wasn't a show noone would watch it.

oh wait, you just said the WNBA doesn't put on a show.

i guess that answers it.

i'm not one for basketball either, but i'd much rather watch them get in eachothers faces than play nicely with each other. as a fan you get to hate the other team, and when (in football for example) the guy on the other team get's his head knocked off, it's great. (not literally getting his head knocked off, but when there's more pushing and fouls it gets more personal.)

 

How often does my husband get asked these questions? About one-tenth as often as I do, and he never gets the rude comments like "Don't you like kids?"

Yeah, and I bet he never gets those condescending digs-framed-as-compliments like, "Oh, it must be so nice to be able to jet off to Paris whenever you want!" either.

When people ask me the kid question, I reply:

"I don't want children."

Like as not, they reply: "You'll change your mind."

Me: "No I won't."

Them: "Well, you haven't found the right man yet."

Me: "The right man for me won't want kids either."

Sometimes I get: "You'll regret not having kids when you're 55 and can't anymore."

Me: "I would rather be 55 and regret not having kids than be 55 and regret having them."

 

when have you heard any 55 year old say they regret having kids?