Every March the world comes together to celebrate and acknowledge the accomplishments of women, recognized as Women’s History Month. Women have reached many milestones. Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead the U.S Navy. Kamala Harris, The first  female U.S Vice President. Olivia Pichardo, the first woman to play D1 baseball. 

Across the globe, people come together to celebrate all the obstacles women have overcome to make their impact on the world. Despite this month dedicated to women, there’s a constant debate on whether their accomplishments are really accomplishments. Instead of  solely honoring a woman’s accomplishments, there is a constant need to justify the accomplishments of women through the comparison to men. One area where this issue is the most prominent is in the sports world. 

One of the main issues in the sports world women face is media coverage. Women’s sports are competitive and interesting but when searching up March Madness or the World Cup, the first thing that appears are men’s competitions and games, not women’s. People stereotype women’s sports as slow, unskillful, and even “painful” to watch, resulting in female athletes being less recognized.  Male sports are described as more exciting and statistically produce more revenue which is why media outlets are less focused on women’s coverage. This factor of entertainment is one area that women’s sports needs to improve in order for recognition can expand.

Another constant issue in the media is over-sexulization. Instead of being asked about preparation for a big game or feelings about an upcoming meet, they are asked about their outfits, diet, love life, ect. When women’s sports are covered, rather than covering the performance, the media highlights unnecessary factors. This creates a delicate situation for female athletes. They are subject to misconduct, sexist comments, and the diminishment of their work. Female athletes face questions like “Who would you date?”, “Any response to comments about your ‘girlish’ figure?”, “Can you tell us about your outfit?”. These questions would never be asked to a male athlete, but are standard when interviewing a female. A particular commercial by #CoverTheAthletes highlights this. Male athletes are asked odd, inappropriate, and uncomfortable questions. At the end, the video reveals that these questions are originally prompted to female athletes which is considered normal.

“People stereotype women’s sports as slow, unskillful, and even “painful” to watch, which is why female athletes are less recognized.”

This issue is not only present in the media but also in the rules. Teams find themselves having to wear uncomfortable and even revealing uniforms that feeds into the cycle of over-sexualizing female athletes. In one instance, a Norwegian Beach Handball team was fined 1500 Euros for wearing shorts instead of the standard bikini bottoms. Forcing female teams to wear revealing uniforms that show more skin than normal. These arbitrary rules compel competitors to participate despite their desires to alter the tight and revealing clothing. . They are seen like figures, not athletes. This is not only a problem for participating athletes but also for the young girls who look up to them. It focuses on body image instead of performance which changes the goal and creates insecurities for young athletes.

Despite these issues, female athletes have found a way to make their mark. Simone Biles, multi gold medal winner and creating her own skill. Caitlyn Clark, beating both the men and women record of the most games with 30 points scored. Aitana Bonmati, 3 awards naming her best player of the year.

While women still have many obstacles to face, their impactful progress shows the light at the end of the tunnel. Athletes continue to protest and vouch for more equality in the sports world and change is being made. As female athletes continue to fight for their recognition, viewers must join them to progress.

Works Cited

Baker, Sinéad. “International Handball Is Changing Its Dress Code after a Women’s Team Was Fined for Wearing Shorts Instead of Bikini Bottoms.” Business Insider, Business Insider, www.businessinsider.com/handball-changing-women-dress-code-after-norway-fined-wearing-shorts-2021-11#:~:text=The%20Norwegian%20women’s%20beach%20handball,players%20breaking%20the%20dress%20code. Accessed 26 Mar. 2024.

Elsesser, Kim. “27 Historic Firsts for Women in 2023.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 20 Feb. 2024, www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2023/12/13/27-historic-firsts-for-women-in-2023/?sh=4697c67843c5.