Women in Professional Sports: Struggles they are Facing

 In sports today the power women are fighting for is equality and their just due to be considered athletes. The times are changing from a century ago, but there are still many that have their doubts about women playing sports. Women were introduced to sports just like their counterparts which are men over a century ago, but it was not ladylike to play sports. Many felt that they could get hurt easy and mess up their reproductive system. This made women all over the world fuming. They felt “Why can’t we play sports”? This was a great question to ask.

Now let’s look at today with the WNBA and this incredible sports league. Women have come a long way from the stone ages of no support to play sports, but they still are missing the fan base piece. They aren’t coming out to the games and being in the stands. The WNBA is averaging fewer than 9,000 people in the arena a game. These are terrible numbers! It isn’t the fault of the players or the league itself, it’s the people that don’t feel that women players are as competitive as men and some don’t want to see an attractive woman sweat. I tend to disagree and believe that there are many women players that can compete at a higher level than some men out there in professional sports. Just a thought!

Experts from around the world put in the minds of so many people that if women play sports they would damage their organs from physical play. Women athletes even started making their dissatisfaction about their pay and salaries. Through the decades of women’s sports, women weren’t paid the same or even close to men athletes. This wasn’t a fair practice and it still goes on to this day. Let’s look at a player in Tiger Woods who cashes in on golf tournaments and I mean cashes in. Tiger is making a couple of millions from the tournaments but most of the money in endorsements. Many women players could barely break the bank in endorsements like men athletes.

I’m even going to bring you guys back to a time in when President Richard Nixon was in office, he signed Title IX of the Educational Amendment of 1972, which states that any educational program receiving Federal assistance can lose its funding if it discriminates on the basis of sex (River deep, 2000). This was a strong turning point for women sports. With many stereotypes facing women decades ago someone had to do something about this issue and make changes.

Here is the biggest problem and issue in women’s professional sports. Many people want to support the athletes and the leagues they play in but they need to ultimately win. For instance in the LPGA there are many attractive women golfer and they are good, but you have players from other countries coming in and winning the championship. This has been going on for years and when this happens you lose your audience (ESPN, 2009). Women sports have come a long way from the old charm school for proper etiquette with hair being put back together neatly even through a rigorous game. Women are strong and here to stay. How do you think women’s professional sports will get more exposure and have equality?