Let me start by saying I grew up in a household of eight children, four of them sisters, and a mother that sat on the proverbial stand with the gavel and judges gown. My two older sisters used to beat me up so bad when I was younger I was more scared of her then the male bullies around the corner. I used to be scared on the bus ride to school because sometimes my oldest sister would decide to put me in a headlock in front of all my friends and wouldn�??t let go until I started crying. I pride myself in taking these childhood memories and events, and having them shape the non-bias, non chauvinistic personality I have now in my adult athletic and social career.
Are girls more athletic than boys? Some surely are, but it is dangerous to judge males against females on such a basic scale as who is better across the whole genre. Like any other subject there are so many various situations where in some cases it can be seen that males are more dominant, and others where females clearly are better equipped to succeed.
An anomaly that I feel is the perfect representation of sport, occurred during my 8 year old brother�??s pee-wee football game. The running back on my brother�??s team got tackled out of bounds and was headed right towards the cheerleaders. Most of the girls tried to clear the area as quickly as they could, but one girl was right in the line of the boy�??s path stumbling out of bounds. She simply stuck her arm out and flattened the boy instantly. Lawrence Taylor in his prime could not have executed such a perfect display of football dexterity. The whole crowd went dead silent for a second, until the girl�??s mother screamed like a banshee in approval and delightfulness of the action her daughter just partook in. The rest of the crowd too was behind the cheerleader, singing her praises.

Some people argue that girls know less about sports than boys do. And then people think how is this possible are boys born with the sport gene and girls are not? When in fact women are just as knowledgeable, passionate, and well connected as any other sport personality out there. This argument always gets me a bit heated on the topic. Since I was young I was what I like to call a sportsaholic, especially when it came to watching baseball and football. I still remember having to prove my knowledge of sports to boys. It was like I had to prove that I was a true fan as some would say. This always led me to thinking that women were looked down upon as sports fans. So what makes a woman less of a sport fan? People sometimes question if they are less athletic then boys but do to scientific research we know that this is not true. It just happens that the people who have the power to decide what sports matter in our society, men, choose to show and publicize sports that other men are. And I must say I find myself amused with the male Indy Car drivers that team up against Danica Patrick just because they fear that one time they will get beat by a girl and because she is more talented than they are.
Being a female in the sports world is always a different experience as opposed to the male sports world. Growing up I did play in some sports that society would view as traditional a female sport such as dance, cheerleading, swimming, and track. In those it was obvious males were not as accepted, not discouraged by the coaches or the others involved in the sport, but by their male peers. Once again, acceptance is male powered. But I also participated in sports that were more masculine such as softball (even though this is a female generated sport from baseball).
As described in the Title IX article, �??Gender equity in sport has not been reached. Males receive more participation opportunities than females�?� (Shakib 2003). This is shown in softball, which seems to be accepted for both genders once out of the high school. That is yet another example of how men, the power holders determine what is accepted and what is not. I play in the summer for my company�??s softball team. While it is suppose to be fun and co-ed this is not always the case. The rules say that there must be at least two girls playing to make it a fair game. Sometimes more than two girls will show up to play which then leads to the issue who is going to play? However this is only an issue because most of the coaches feel that the women are not as talented as the men so they will only play the minimum number of women needed to participate. This angers me every time because it is suppose to be a fun event but is not once our sex is a factor into the game. Sports have a long way to come before everyone is given an equal chance and society�??s perception is altered.
Schools are an area of the sports world which has also come along way since the past. While schools are not required to provide athletic programs for either sex, most of them still do. However, if a school offers opportunities, it is subject to Title IX. Title IX states: �??No person in the United States shall on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance�?�(Shakib 2003).

I honestly do not feel that my experience in sport would be drasticly different if I were of the opposite sex. As I have said before the three sports I played were baseball, basketball, and soccer. Yes, baseball is a sport that is only played by men and the female counterpart would be softball but the fact of the matter is I did not play baseball for the majority of my sporting experience so that part of my sporting life is basically insignificant. Basketball and soccer are both sports that have a large number of participants by both male and females. Probably the most notable difference in my sporting experience would be fan or crowd support because in general more people watch men�??s sports.
Actually the more I think about it as a female basketball player I would have to deal with questions about my sexual orientation because it is often assumed that if a girl plays sports such as basketball or softball that they are homosexual. These kind of stereotypes do not apply to female soccer players. It is more acceptable in society for girls to play soccer because the sport is not really classified as masculine or feminine. Soccer is not part of the Televised Manhood Formula as mentioned in the reading. �??The most popular televised sports with boys, in order, are pro football, men�??s pro basketball, pro baseball, pro wrestling, men�??s college basketball, college football, and Extreme Sports. Therefore it does not carry the masculine or feminine connotations with it so it is ok for a boy or a girl to play.

All of the many sports I played while growing up could be played by females. Soccer, lacrosse, golf, baseball/softball all have female leagues and even when I played football, one of the teams we played had a girl on the first string. It was kind of an awkword feeling to go against a girl when playing organized football because as a kid everybody is tought to think that football is a masculine sport and is only to be played by males. I was the one who individually went up against the girl on the offensive live(she was on D-line). I bet it was not easy for her to be the only girl on any team in the whole league. She was treated different by our team and prabably her coaches.
In every sport before I played golf in high school, I was always told and tought to be as aggresive as I could be. The more aggresive you could be, the better player you would be on the field. I think males are more aggresive by nature. Females are more gracefull and can be pretty aggresive when they want which makes leagues like the WNBA sometimes just as exciting as the NBA. If I were a female, I would have most likely have played sports still, but maybe not have been emphasized to be so aggresive. I don't think my experiences in sport would be the only differences if I grew up female.

I also agree with julie ondrako and her statement how many people consider track not to be a sport, but on the other hand these runners are in amazing shape and can run hours on end with out great difficulty.

Growing up as a young boy the sports that I played were the same sports many young boys played, Baseball, and Basketball. I never thought about how my experienced would have been different if I was the opposite sex, but I do recall a couple of times in my youth when females were treated very differently in the sports that I played. One of the sports that I openly saw differences in male/ female treatment was little league Baseball. Looking back now, I remember a couple seasons early on in my baseball career there were a few teams who had one young girl on the team. I remember the negative attitudes that were placed against her because she was a young girl that wanted to play baseball instead of softball. All of us young boys would tease each other, and make fun of each other if they were struck out by her, or even thrown out by her on a groundball. Another time when I saw how the sport of baseball was very different for the opposite sex was when one year a child�??s single parent mother decided to be the head coach instead of the team instead having another father take on the position. I remember the negative attitudes that were directed towards her because she was a female and knew �??nothing�?� about baseball and how to coach a team to be successful. Looking back now I can see how inaccurate these opinions of women/females actually was. I do however see why we grow up and have these views. In the article �??The Televised Sports Manhood Formula�?� it explains how �??Sports is a Man�??s World�?� and women are rarely if ever present in the sports programs that young boys watch. Women�??s sporting news and coverage are often overlooked by male sporting events, such as football, baseball, and basketball. Another important point that backs up this notion of sports being a �??Man�??s World�?� is the fact that women only appear in sporting commercials if they are along side male athletes. Growing up as a young boy my sporting practices, and attitudes placed upon me were very different then females who took part in the same activities.

Overall, it is very interesting to look at the responses given by both males and females. It gives a very different perspective on the same matter, which let you see the other side of things.

Marc Ingerman makes a good point about the no contact rule in girl's lacrosse. Are women really weaker and unable to tolerate pain if they were to be checking?

I completely agree with Francesca Terrano�??s comment that probably every female has been discriminated against when it comes to sport. And it frustrates me as much as it does her. Just because we are females doesn�??t mean we don�??t know as much and don�??t belong in that world. People really need to be more open-minded about females and sports.

This week�??s discussion hits very close to home with me, being a female in a �??man�??s�?� world is an uphill battle for me everyday. As the article 'The Televised Sports Manhood Formula' states, �??The idea that sports is a man�??s world is reinforced by the gender composition and imagery in commercials. Women almost never appear in commercials unless they are in the company of men.�?�

I played soccer for most of my young life and I began playing on a co-ed team (which is when I had the most fun) but quickly had to switch to an all girls league because that�??s all they had. It didn�??t really occur to me �??where I fit�?� while I was in my soccer career but it certainly smacked me in the face once I started to get involved in basketball.

I have been a basketball fan since I was little when my dad and I would watch basketball for hours. So, when I went into high school I decided that I wanted to be as involved as I could with our high school team, and I quickly enrolled as a manager (which is something I have continued to do at the college level). That wasn�??t something that was highly uncommon, but the amount of dedication I put in definitely was. One of the things that really frustrates me to this day is people continuously question my motive for being a manager. They of course think I do it to be around the guys, it couldn�??t be because of my love and passion for the game. I not only dealt with that from the people outside of the team, but also many of the coaches and players thought that when they first met me as well (until they actually sat and talked with me about the game). Everyday I have to prove myself to show that I know just as much as the guys do about sports. Just yesterday in practice I was about to do stats for our scrimmage and one of the guy managers picked up the stats to do them himself and asked me to do clock because of course I wouldn�??t know what everything was; like the difference between a block and a deflection or what is actually considered an assist. Only a few people believed me when I told them that I wanted a career in sports, they thought it highly impossible that I could actually make it. But here I am, about to graduate in May with a degree in sport management with two job offers and a tremendous amount of connections that will help me throughout my career in sports.

Now I�??m not saying that every male is the same because I have had coaches who truly believed in me and treated me as if I were an assistant coach and players who would call me after every game to ask what my opinion was of the game and what they could do better. But most of the time I have to prove myself day after day that I belong in sports world.

I agree with Marc Ingerman coaches in football will taunt players by calling them a girl or they hit like a girl. No male player wants that title in a masculine sport. I agree it is very negative. Many male athletes will play hurt just to show that they are not characterized as weak or feminine. Women can be just as tough and play aggressive as any male. I feel that some sports were created to show how masculine a male can be and to separate the men from the girls

I think that Ingermans statement about playing hurt is true in womens and mens sports. I think some athletes just want to play through the pain, because sometimes your addreniline rush kicks in and your body just takes over. I think the coaches should be more concerned about injuries, because an injury can stay with you later in life.

I agree with what francesca terrano said in response to mglenn. As I said in my response, I played "rough" when I played lacrosse, of course that is by rule standards. It was the way I played and I have actually run into a few males who have a lower pain threshold than me. How we all deal with pain is different from person to person and just because I am a girl doesn't mean that I can't handle pain as well. How we play sports depends on how we were brought up, which we've already discussed.

I give credit to Kat Keenan for playing rugby. Rugby is very rough and competetive. It is not right for people to stereotype a girl rugby player as homosexual, just because she enjoys the game. Obviously, it doesnt matter what sports or what gender you are, if someone has enough motivation he or she can do anything they want.

After reading many of the replies I've noticed that a lot or most of us can come to agreement that when it comes to the sporting world men and women really are not that different. I stated in my first post that a young girl in Anne Arundel county did more than just prove that girls are just as good as boys are, she went to a Maryland State Tournament in wrestling and took home silver...no easy feat. Impressive none the less, so to stick with the steady stream of responses I'll stick by my original message and say I strongly believe women have just as much a right to compete in any sports they wish.

I agree with T Kuhls comments on how football players look down on soccer players because it isn't as masculine a sport due to the lack of hitting. Our society glorifies someone getting "jacked up" because it is rough and manly to hit people that hard, but one can argue there is more sport in being able to control a ball with your foot than simply running into someone as hard as you can.

I agree with retz23, women do not get the respect they deserve. An athlete is someone who physically competes in a sport whether it be man or women. They practice and play just as hard as everyne else, so they should be respected a little more than they are.

I agree with Mark Ingerman's statements about playing hurt. I played 4 games with a broken hand at a lacrosse tournament because I did not want to back out of playing and look weak. The amount of time people play injured in sports is absurd, especially considering that it takes away from you future capabilities and health.

Growing up, I never considered playing any sports outside of the typical sports. I wanted to play football, but I was big for my age and it was way too involved for my parents to keep up with, so that got cut down early on. Over my life, I have played soccer, lacrosse, baseball, basketball and I ran track for several years. My dad hoped that baseball would be my sport of choice, mostly because that is what he did growing up and he even played in college. However, baseball was boring and slow. Lacrosse eventually became my sport of choice, which is fairly masculine when you play by men�??s rules. Hitting, checking, calling out �??Weight Room!�?� or �?�Yard sale!�?� every time someone got the stick checked out of someone�??s hands. Those things just make a sport feel manly. Soccer, basketball, and track are similar when played by a woman or man; the rules and how you play are the same, so those don�??t really make a difference. If I had grown up in the opposite gender role, I would have most likely felt slighted by that fact that females don�??t get respected enough as athletes to play the same way. An athlete is an athlete regardless of the gender and the fact that the rules are differ looks like something that came down from the sixties in a pre-civil rights era thought.

I think Kat Keenan holds a very valid point. Playing Rugby is probably one of the toughest and most physically demanding sports. It's empowering to see that she and the women's rugby team went against all odds to prove they too could play. It reminds me of when I was in High School and you heard of the few girls that decided to tryout for the football team. Slowly but surly females are finally gaining the opportunities they deserve.

I think the point that Marc Ingerman brings up about playing with pain is the case in every sport for guys and girls. Everyone is expected to be able to play through a certain amount of pain, especially if they are an important part of the team, no matter what sex they are. I also agree that I know a few girls who would be better than some guys at contact sports.

I liked Marc Ingerman's post and agreed with it mainly because of the fact that I play college women's lacrosse here at Towson. It is extremely frustrating that we are hardly allowed to hit and can barely touch our opponents without the whistle blowing and having it be a call. I'm not saying that I want to gear up with lots of padding, but I would like to be able to be more aggressive without being called for it, simply because refs think they need to preotect us girls. We lift lie any other teams and we are plenty tough. I just wish they would be willing to let some more calls go so our gmae could run more smoothly without so many stops.

I agree with Mike V in that you go through many things as a child that are gender oriented and don't really realize it.
Verina

I completely agree and can relate to TKuhl's response. I also remember in high school, the football players were the ones making the most fun of the soccer players (myself). The battle between the two sports is still present; just open a Eurosport magazine and look at the soccer t-shirts they have making fun of football. I also watch sports for the great plays. I dont have a favorite team in any sport. I also like watching sports with the opposite sex. I enjoy when a girl can call out a foul or penalty in football, and the overall atmosphere is much more enjoyable.

For this week post about your experience in sport as a male or female, the types of sport you played or didn�??t, and/or how your experience in sport may have been different if you were of the opposite sex.

I played sports from 3rd grade all the way through high school. When I was younger, I would always beat the boys at everything. I was faster, stronger and better than all of them. This continued through most of elementary and changed once i got into junior high school. Boys became better and faster than the girls. However, this never inabled my desire to be the best at the sport I played.
I played every sport that was offered to me at the time: basketball, volleyball, track, and even a cheerleader. I continued my sports careers all the way through high school. It never occurred to me that I had any disabilites because I was a female. We were pushed just as hard, if not harder than any of the boy's teams. We worked hard, played hard and enjoyed being apart of the teams we were on.
The biggest differences between genders came in high school. it was apparant, simply by crowd size, which sports were important. In our school, boys basketball reigned supreme and would pack the gyms at everygame. Many of the school's support and enthusiasm surrounded mostly the m,ale sports, such as pep rallys for the football team.
I do think my experience in sports would have been different if I were male, but probably because of the expectations placed by society. However, I think that as a female athlete, I have had a great experience in sports.

From my early childhood years to my graduating year of high school, I played soccer competitively. Since high school, I play indoor soccer for two leagues, somewhat competitively but mostly for fun and social aspects with friends. I also attempted football, but the coach clearly turned me away from the sport, and I also engaged in tennis during my high school years. In the early childhood years of soccer, I played for rec-leagues. This encompassed a co-ed league, which was fine at the time because most of the girls were better than some of the guys. However, that transition phase kicked in once I started travel soccer. Girls and guys were split into separate teams. The differences I experienced being a male playing soccer was very evident compared to the female teams. The complex we played at had four soccer fields, and on each night we would have one girl team and three guys team (of different age groups) practicing. No matter what, the girls would always finish practice way before any of the guys teams were finished. Secondly, the girls did very little conditioning compared with the guy teams. Thirdly, when comparing the games, the coaching styles (way they related to the players) were very different. This may not be the case everywhere, but was in my situation. It was always typical for my team to make fun of the girls team and joke with one another stating, �??maybe you belong on the girl�??s team.�?� My coach even made jokes of the same nature, presenting the idea that girls aren�??t as good as guys or maybe that girls shouldn�??t be playing soccer. This is a mind-set that coaches try to use in order to drive male athletes and have them become determined. This comes at the cost of females, who are poked fun at for playing male sports. �??As a result of Title IX, immense improvements in the situations of women and girls have occurred in the last thirty years. Prior to the statute�??s implementation, females were overtly discriminated against in activities traditionally benefitting men�?� (Title IX: Facts, Figures, Myths and Realities). Although, improvements have been made, equal treatment has still not been accomplished in today�??s sports. The views I had when I was younger playing soccer, changed when I began watching the Women�??s National Soccer Team, and seeing how great of athletes they were. Although, women�??s soccer is played at a much slower pace, I would prefer watching a game of theirs�?? on television over an MLS game. Women�??s soccer entails much more then men�??s soccer in terms of passing and overall working as a team. I now find myself playing indoor soccer for a co-ed league with girls who have played collegiate soccer and are extremely great players. So, in my soccer career I have made a complete circle and are now again playing on the same team with girls.
If I were of the opposite sex, I think I would still possess the same desire and determination for soccer as I do as a male. The desire and determination I possess now were derived from my family, so, although some things may have been different because I was of the opposite sex, the overall picture would still entail me playing soccer and loving the sport just as much.

I agree with bigcougar0000 any sign of emotion is a sign of weakness to todays standards. In some cases its true. If you are afraid to catch the ball because you hear footsteps or know your going to get it, some people let up which is a weakness. If you are going to get hit you might as well catch it. feelings and emotion mess witht he mind sometimes and cause the athlete to not do as well . and stereotypically women are believed to think about it more but men do but hide it.

Many females are tough if not tougher than males. Some can withstand harsher conditions better than guys can. as you stated g-force is one of them. Everyone mainly has as an even playing field and are dealt different cards. But usually males are better at somethings and women at others, and sometimes that changes

i agree with frank bowen as it is true females are just as good athletes as men it just is not put in the media as much. Some women trying to be football players ,nascar drivers or what not.

On average most guys know more about sports because they are brought up with it and it has been a part of their life since they were born, where girls were taught other things usually. Some don't find it interesting and even though it may be around them they try to ignore it. Some girls love sports and may know more about them than most people. It all depends on the upbringing. I mean most women in sports were discouraged against it until recently. It is more acceptable today for women to know about sports. I mean some girls are used to hanging with guys or as one of them even if they are good looking and would suprise ppl about how much they know. Sometimes women are stereotypically ooked down upon as fans as some jump on the bandwagon or like a team becuase family does, or like the colors or something like that which may not be justified to most real fans. Personally I know i am one of the biggest sports fans and wil not wear another teams colors beacuse it looks good or whatever. I hate people that have a "2nd team" no when your team loses thats it your season is over. I don't like how most guys get away with it too. I personally hate people when they think they know sports because of statistics but don't have the ethics or knowledge of a team. Women are generally are fans but arent die hard fans. Some like sports but usually not as much as guys. And once again i think it has to do with how much sport has been involved in their life. Girls aren't less athletic than boys and in some cases better. Sometimes men are better built for a particular sport but women are closing the gap in equality despite being built slightly different. Female athletes are better at things than guys but it isn't publicized as much as throughout history the powerful group likes to hold onto it then give up some, and that may be why it itsnt a well known fact. Sports is sometimes a way to get away from women and enjoy quality time with the guys. People similar to them who like the same things, where feelings and demotion dont really get talked about. Some guys hang with each other and hardly know each other but enjoy hanging because they like the same thing and don't get involved in their lives. (they also escape girlfriends or wives asking questions that may be tough to deal with when you just want to enjoy the game.) Sometimes hanging with guys can seem gay but sometimes its what someone needs to not be bombarded with questions or the rest of life and can refresh and live and die with their team.

I played sports to stay in shape and have fun, and meet friends and possibly get attention from the ladies as well. I ran cross country,winter and spring track freshman year to stay in shape. I wrestled, played football, baseball in high school. I ran to stay in shape and get me ready for following seasons. Girls liked guys that were tough or looked good and like wrestlers, baseball players, and football players as well as lacrosse and soccer. I could only play a few sports but on top of learning stuff and meeting people you ended up hopefully getting the attention or breaking stereotypes. I got i am a short guy who cant be tough, but it changed when i played the sports. If i was a girl i would do sports to also get the same goals done but would do things like running, maybe cheerleading,tennis,field hockey, or whatever that makes guys recognize them. The goals are the same just what society finds attractive changes per sex.

I grew up playing primarily baseball, football, and soccer. In high school I continued to play football and was on the wrestling team in my sophmore year of high school. To end my sporting career in high school, I ran track in the spring of my junior year. I have to say that when I was playing sports on the all male teams of baseball, football, and wrestling, I experienced more �??male bonding�?� than I did on the co-ed teams I participated in (soccer, bowling, and track). However, I will say that on those co-ed teams I had a more enjoyable experience being social and more concerned about having fun than winning. During football and wrestling the coaches and my teammates were far more aggressive and had only one thing on their mind: winning. No matter what the cost, especially during wrestling (cutting weight, exercising until you couldn�??t take it anymore) all anyone wanted to do was win. I once went to a pre-season wrestling tournament where a girl was entered in the competition. Everyone was doubting her, but by far that match the crowd was the largest of the event. She eventually went on to win the match, and when the pin was declared the crowd went wild. As glorious as it was for her, it was humiliating for the boy she had beaten. I�??m sure that to this day he still hasn�??t heard the end of it.
There is obviously sexism in sports today, just as there has always been. Men dominate the sporting world, in every aspect. From ownership to broadcasting to the athletes, sport is a man�??s game. I believe that women have made a lot of progress in the sporting world, and that some of the best athletes in the world are women. I think if I had been born the opposite sex my sporting experience would have been very different. I probably would have stuck to soccer and played softball, but that would have been it. Maybe still have ran track, but highly unlikely. I don�??t believe females aren�??t as good of athletes as men, I just think they aren�??t put in the spotlight as much as men. I think the example of the girl wrestler is a great way to show that women can be just as good as men in the same sport. And after all, it does draw a larger crowd and adds excitement to the sport.

After reading some replies I beleive in the fact that many females are as tough or can be as tough as many males. Where I feel the line is drawn is in the physical to mental aspect. I feel that males are more physically strong but when it comes to aspects like mental toughness and controlling emotions, females have the advantage.

As a male, I have always noticed a strong influence from sports based on my sex. The typical masculine image that is exemplified by athletics and the pressure to act in this manner is a very powerful force. Growing up, I was pushed into �??manly�?� sports even in my young childhood. I never chose a sport to play out of a complete spectrum, but was only given a choice between baseball, basketball, and soccer. Had the sports not been categorized by gender, then I might have made a choice besides baseball. Even within the sport, I was taught to be very aggressive in my performance. Even though good sportsmanship was encouraged by my coaches, my teammates encouraged and practiced harsh behavior against our competition. Vulgar insults were tossed between our teams, trying to out-do each other with the most foul-mouthed comments. On the field, any �??feminine�?� emotions were not tolerated. Crying and whining were completely unacceptable and would result in complete alienation from the other boys. Off the field, we would display similar characteristics when we were around each other in school. Our masculine dominance would be held above the other, less athletic kids in an attempt to maintain our alpha male statuses. If it was not for all of our parents�?? pushing us into the sports that they thought that we belonged in, all of the males in my peer group growing up could have potentially grown up as very different individuals.

I agree with mgenn1 when she says male sports are more exciting than female sports. I think this is so becuase everyone is just so fixed on the male dominant sports they dont get to sit down and watch women sports. I know a lot of girls that are more competitive than me and are entertaining to watch if you give them your time.

I also have high respect for women who goes against what society believes and plays football, hockey, rugby and other rough sports. It shows that those stereotypes are false and there are girls that cane be stronger and more tough than the average male!

Growing up, I played many different sports including basketball, volleyball and tennis. I feel all three are very versatile when you think of what sex plays them. Tennis is the only sport I still continue to play. In high school, no guys in my school ever played volleyball but I knew of private school boys who did. Volleyball wasn�??t even offered to guys at my school. Volleyball and tennis may be looked at as more feminine, yet there are many professional players who do more then well for themselves playing them. I feel from personal experience, girls do not feel as much pressure to play a certain way as boys do. Guys would be teased for not playing hard enough and would be put down being called a girl or other degrading names that don�??t need to be said. I feel girls aren�??t as harsh to each other as guys are. Yet men also think girls don�??t play as hard as they do which I think is completely ridiculous. I play my heart out and am just as competitive as men are. Men think women do not like full contact sports and although I do not prefer them, there are many girls that crave the roughness of sports. All girls are different, just like men are. I think if I was male, I would have the same passion and drive as I did/do. If I was male, I might be treated differently when it comes to sports by others but the overall thought and feel for sports would be no different. Many guys think they have a higher threshold for pain and I laugh because it is so absurd and false. Many girls ply lacrosse and hockey and get hit just as hard as men do. Just because women are generally smaller than men, we are seen as weak. It�??s quite the stereotype. I also want to add I think it all depends on the person what kind of contact they feel comfortable with in sports. Some girls crave full on contact while I do believe some girls choose no contact sports like golf. I actually even think some girls choose to act extra feminine because of the way they are brought up, to act womanly. I honestly think it all depends on the person.

When I try to answer the question of male dominance over females when it pertains to sports, I feel very mixed in what to say. I really truly feel that it depends on what sport we are dealing with when dealing with this delicate situation. In my response i will explain my thoughts about the three main sports that I grew up playing in my life; hockey, baseball, and golf.
First is ice hockey. Ice hockey is a game containing everything. One must have speed, agility, aggressiveness, physical strength and an extremely competitive attitude. Yes, it is true that women have all of these qualities and some qualities may be higher than the guys, but it is also true that the totals fovor the men more than the women. From my experience in the hockey world I have witnessed first hand that mens hockey is far more appealing (and in a sense harder to play) in the public eye than womens and when it comes to the equal talent issue, males will always dominate, sorry, but it's just how it is. It is not like in racing where a Danica Patrick can most certaintly compete with male drivers.
Second is baseball, and I feel that this is to hard to make an accurate decision on because of the segregation of boys into baseball and girls into softball correlation. Yes, girls are now playing in little leagues across the country but it is still to early to make a serious opinion on sexual dominance in that game. I would beleive that males would always be dominant because of physical strength but that would be jumping to conclusions now wouldnt it?
Last is golf, and this is where my views change a little. In hockey if the USA womens olympic team (or and womans team for that matter) scrimmaged against ANY minor league male ice hockey team the results would come out the same, an enormus loss for the females. This is just the physical reality of the game. Many other sports may follow closely along those lines too, but in golf's case, I beleive that in my sporting experiences this is the one sport than can come the closest to equal play by both men and women. Golf is comprised of great technicality, strength, accuracy and extreme mental capabilities. Mostly all of these can be equal charecteristics in males and females, enabling equal participation. This is where i feel a bit of sexism comes in. The best players (pro's) play from the blue tees, the "males" play from white tees, elderly people play from gold tees and inbetween the whites and the golds are the red (might as well be pink) womens tees. Yes, in general women do hit the ball less distance than men, but that does not mean that they cannot score better than men. There is way more to the game than just distance as many males know and women may own some of the better qualities such as accuracy and a better shortgame. How can one say that because your a woman means that you are less equal in the total game than a male. What if a woman in a scratch golfer and a male is a first timer. Does this mean the women should have to hit from the red tees and the male from the whites? If you say yes, your and idiot. If anything the male should hit from the red tees and the women from the whites. The way the tees should be set up are by skill level (i.e. pro, advanced, intermediate, beginner, etc), and not by what sex one is.
In conclusion, I feel that classifing all males to be dominant over all females because of a gender issue is crazy. Yes, in many sports it is true, but for many others there needs to be equal acceptance when is comes to the better athletic sex.

First of all, looks like you are going to continue writing because those bum pitchers you were talking about ended up pulling out and helping the "Sawx" win the series. All the sports I played growing up are available for girls to playin baseball, golf, basketball, soccer, and the occasional game of tennis. In a sport like football is where you could most notice a major difference if I were a girl. I dont think girls are weaker than guys, but girls just dont want to take the beating guys get pumped for. In football, a coach wouldnt feel he could scream at a girl if she made a mistake, In baseball, basketball, and most of the sports I played there is more room for mistakes and it is easier to make up for the mistakes made, When it comes to being interested in sports, honestly I dont like listening to girls talk about sports because it is in my head they dont know as much about sports as guys, but I know there are girls that in fact do. I grew up where the sports I played were always extremely competetive and the coaches would do anything they had to for the best of the team. Things like benching players, being hard on players, getting in their faces, etc, I feel girls might get more emotional during times like these. I did witness competetive girls sports at my school, but the coaches werent as hard on the girls. Overall, I think it would be different if I were to be a girl playing the sports I did, and even more playing football, but not as big of a deal as it seems it would be,

If I were born a boy my name would be Luke, I would have played football and not cheered for it, and I would have played hockey on ice and not on grass. Of course I would not have been introduced to ballet and cheerleading as a little boy because these are not considered to be �??masculine�?� or �??tough�?� sports. What boy would want to be considered �??girly�?� for dancing? Not only the child, but the father and or parents as well. It�??s not only not accepted with peers but with the community also. But who and what determines what sports are �??wimpy�?� or �??tough�?� enough and what determines that girls play �??wimpy�?� sports and boys play �??tough�?? sports? Just recently I was talking to my trainer, Dana, about what the differences are in being a trainer for a women�??s team versus a men�??s team, and the differences in injuries. She actually stated that the football team that she used to be a trainer for at her old school would come complaining to her about the littlest injuries. She said that some of them would just come her saying that their leg hurt, when it really did not, just so they could be pulled out of practice for a day. Dana actual said that she knows that girls are truly hurt when we come to her for help because we rarely come to her in fear that we will not be able to play for one day. Usually she has to come seek out our injuries before we come to her. So how much different are male athletes to female athletes when it comes to pain and injuries? In the article �??The Televised Sports Manhood Formula�?� it was said �??Athletes who are �??playing with pain,�?? �??giving up their body for the team,�??�?� were consistently framed as heroes.�?? (8) So in the case that I mentioned above, is it the male or the female that is considered the hero? Males may be considered to be more �??tough�?� and play and be more successful at �??tough�?� sports, but who really is more �??tough?�?�

I really admire the fact that Kat Keenan plays rugby, which I think is the roughest and most contact sports out there today. The fact that she went against the "norm" and is playing a "mans" sport is awesome to me. It is sad that as a woman she is still being judged and considered as a target of being homosexual just because she plays a manly sport. This is similar to the stereotype that is given to some women's teams like softball, that all players are lesbians.

When I was growing up we always had a few girls in the neighborhood that would join in with different sports. Normally the girls would stay out of football, but any other sport they would try and get involved. I dont think some of the girls were as passionate as the guys, but it looked like it was more of a bonding or maybe they didnt want to be left out.
Its a lot more different now, because you see girls teams that are much more passionate than some guys. I work at the towson center and I see how much time some of the teams spend their practices, and I will tell you that girls basketball spends more time on the hardwood practicing then the guys do.
I have met a few girls that knew more about sports than most people, but you dont see it as much as some of the guys I know. There still is a majority of girls that have just been getting into following some sports. My sister still doesnt follow any sports except for tennis, but doesnt follow players or matches. I think some people just play sports to stay active, but thats not always the case. I have started to see more and more girls watching football than before. I can remember years ago going to the games and the majority was guys. We are all seeing a difference in the amount of girls going to the games, but I think its better to see that kind of fan base.

Growing up I was always playing sports with my older brother and all his friends. I was definitely considered a tomboy and loved competing against the boys in gym class and at recess. I was never one that was afraid of contact sports like football and played pick-up games all the time with friends. I was not one to let gender affect the sports I played and how I played them until I got older and the rules forced me to change my style of playing. Growing up I played soccer and lacrosse mainly due to the fact that those were the sports I excelled in. Playing lacrosse at a young age it all seemed the same whether you were a boy or girl but I quickly realized as I entered middle school that they were two completely different sports. Not only do boys play with pockets in their stick and helmets, but their field and rules are poles apart from each other; literally, boys play with long poles. I don�??t think my experiences in sports differed that much from any of my guy friends. I�??ve broken multiple bones and either played through the pain or got right back to the sport after recovering.

I also disagree with what mglenn discusses about why certain sports are more appealing to women. As a women�??s lacrosse player here at Towson, I can tell you first hand that the overwhelming majority of girls on the team do not play because of the lack of contact. We would rather wear helmets, be able to push, and body check like the guys do, but that is just simply not out sport. While women�??s lacrosse does not have all that much body contract, it is still an aggressive sport with lots of speed and finesse. It may not be as physical as a sport like football but that is not a reason for it to be considered a �??women�??s sport.�?� The last time I watched a basketball game, there was a whistle blown more than in women�??s lacrosse game for fouls. The majority of girl�??s that play sports did not choose their sport because they did not want to get physical and dirty. This is just another example of the generalization of how all women can not play contact sports or handle pain yet, there are plenty of girls that I have seen play injured; not just males.

In response to the reading for this week discussing whether or not it is appropriate for sports teams to have Native American mascots; I found this topic very interesting. In a popular youtube video, �??My new haircut�?� uses the term �??chief.�?� I have recently found myself referring to people as chief and never thought anything of it until reading the Price article where a man who was Lakota was offended by someone using this term. A lot of surrounding high schools had Native American mascots such as the Lenape Indians and Cherokee Chiefs. I do not really have an opinion on whether or not it is appropriate for teams to have Native American mascots, simply because I am not Native American. It is definitely something to consider when you are talking to different people because you never know what type of background they are from.

For one, I love proving a guy or two wrong when I know more about sports, or am better at sports then they are. I think I have spent my entire athletic career (beginning at age six) making sure that I was good enough to beat the boys. So what if I was called a "tomboy," I just wanted to make all the boys feel stupid to know that I could beat them at "their own game." I think it is absolutely ridiculous that sports and athleticism are looked at as a mainly male past-time. I am so glad that I had the idea in my head at so young of an age that I could be the one to show the boys that girls were just as good. I remember when I was in second grade I was the only girl to play soccer at recess. Although I played i a skirt, which had shorts underneath, it was myself and two of my best buy friends versus the rest of the boys in second grade. They figured out at a young age that they knew they only needed my abilities to be able to beat the entire class with just three people. Needless to say, I began a revolution and got girls to finally join. Some of the girls that played with me then are some of the best athletes I know to this day. I like to think I had a little something to do with that.

I love being a sports fan. Of course there is much more I would like to know and brush up on, but I do know my fair share about all aspects of many different sports,but there�??s always more stats and players to know. As I sit writing this watching Monday Night Football, I wonder how many other girls are doing the same thing. I think it is an admirable quality in a woman to be able to keep up with the guys, and make sure that we keep them on their toes. We are just as smart and maybe more athletic. Hopefully they will figure that out soon enough.

If I were a man and didn't know a lot about football or baseball, I'm sure I would be looked down upon by other guys. Honestly, as a woman I like when my boyfriend or a guy in general knows a lot about sports. For some reason that knowledge is a turn on, and I guess that is what society has done to us. Maybe it's just my "type" or commercialism at its best. Either way, heterosexual men are expected to care about sports and hanging with the guys to oogle at the athleticism of professional players. Like Ryan said, it seems a little weird to me too if you sit back and really look at the situation.

During my childhood, mainly, my gender didn't make a difference in what sports I participated in. I played just as good as the guys if not better, and I was given a hard time by the players about it. I was also classified as the "tomboy." I played in a little kids baseball league because they didn't have any softball leagues at the time I could play in. I was the only girl in the league, and I got teased by the boys about it. It got to me, but I continued to play. After that came soccer, and I got asked to play on an all boys club team, in which I did. It was different though because I wasn't teased and stereotyped as much. In a way the stereotypes gave me an incentive to play even harder than usual.
During my high school years, I went to an all girls high school, so the experience was different already as opposed to going to a coed high school. However, the sports I would have played, had I been the opposite sex wouldn't had differed. I've always had a passion for soccer regardless of what sex I am, I still would have played it. I never got into the girly sports like cheerleading or dancing, etc. I always enjoyed the more physical contact sports. If I was the opposite sex, I would have played the same sports I did because it is available to both sexes. I think that there will always be a segregation between men and women sports just because of politics and societal views on them. Women will never be as fast, strong, aggressive, etc. as men. Also, womens sports will never flourish as much as men sports do, simply because of the fact of our gender. I think anybody, regardless of gender, should be able to participate and enjoy any sport they want without fearing the thoughts of society in the back of their mind; what others such as peers will think of them. I think that women are just as potentially capable of playing a sport they love, and admire as men are.

Now being a girl who�??s older brother is only two years older herself, I�??ve played all sorts of sports. I�??ve played football and street hockey with the boys in my neighborhood. I�??ve played softball, soccer and lacrosse with the girls at school and in the community. I don�??t know a ton about sports, but I know more than some girls. When I played with the boys, I had to be perfect and never mess up. I had to earn respect just to get a pass thrown to me. It didn�??t matter that I was fast, or taller than some of them, I had to prove myself. If I was a boy, I would have been thrown to so much more. I took experiences I had from playing with my brother and took it into lacrosse. I was a defender and I played rough. I was always and still am very competitive and take my sports seriously. Another quality I picked up from my brother and dad. I wouldn�??t have been as good as a defender if I wasn�??t. But if I was a boy playing lacrosse, I wouldn�??t have gotten trouble or penalized as much for my rough play, in fact it would be rewarded. Although I received many yellow cards, I played fair and was still rewarded for my willingness to do whatever it took to defend our goal. This was a big deal since my lacrosse team was not very good, so any help we got was amazing. I was even told once that while I was up to bat in softball, my stare at the pitcher was really intimidating. As I said, being so competitive is often looked down on with girls and encouraged with boys. But I can�??t see me being any other of a sports fan or an athlete.

In response to Francesca Terrano, The story about the guy who chooses to go to a football game rather then be with his wife while she was having their child. Is sport that controlling over our live? Well yes, in many cases I do think that sports take control of some peoples live. Me for example, I watched every Monday night football game for that past three years. Its like I�??m addicted to it, I�??m watching it right now.

Growing up playing sports, I played soccer, football, lacrosse, and wrestled. In each of those sports I worked hard to do as much as I could and perform to the best of my ability. Being a male athlete especially in my high school years, it was ritual that if you were a guy on a sports team you�??d better be in the weight room after school and you better do as much outside training as possible. Now if I had been a female athlete the stress on hitting the weight room just wouldn�??t have been there. I would have been expected to bust my ass, yes but no coach would say I needed to be in the weight room daily. But to talk about a problem which I see raising more for women in my sport of passion is that �??she shouldn�??t be out there, there�??s no place for a girl on the mat.�?� Girls now more than ever are getting in to scholastic wrestling programs. And the general public seems to reject them. I know an individual, Nicole Woody who wrestled at Arundel high in Anne Arundel County, MD. and had more success than most of the boys. Wrestling at 103lbs she competed in the state tournament for 3A-4A schools last year and placed 2nd I believe. How can you tell her she doesn�??t belong? Why is she discouraged by her peers and many others to compete in the sport she loves and is good at? In my opinion, women have just as much right to compete in any sport as men.

I played football in high school at an all boys�?? school. The experience I had was probably different than most people, because it was all boys. The school I attended was full of athletes and jocks. Everyday was a competition in someway on the field or in the cafeteria. Mostly everyone worked out in between classes because we had time available. Working out with your buddies is a lot more fun than sitting in study hall. Everyone wanted to get bigger and stronger. I think it was due to high level of competition that was promoted. On the field you never wanted anyone to say you hit like a girl. I played football because I love the sport. I like hitting people and making hard tackles. I enjoyed the strong team work ethics and winning and losing as a team. If I were a girl I probably would not have attended an all boys high school. I don�??t think I would have played football. I do agree sports created this environment of what is masculine and what is not. I met a girl this weekend that has 2 fantasy football teams and 2 fantasy baseball teams. She could tell me more about a team and it�??s players like no other guy I have ever met in my life. I have to admit in a way that was kind of sexy. At the same time I was just amazed because that is not normal. Girls can play sports and know as much as any guy. I think your knowledge and participation as a female in sport has a lot to do with how culturally, politically, socially and economically you are raised as a child.

Growing up, sport was always a big part in my life. Participating in sports growing up I never looked at it in respect that I was a male; it was always just a fun activity to pass the time. In hindsight I now see that my sporting experiences were typical of any male growing up my age. I played football and baseball, and as I got older and started high school I became more pressed toward football. I think the reason for that is because my high school was a power house in their division for football. Being a part of that team meant a lot to me, my family, my friends and the community. Well it meant a lot to the community it we brought back a championship. Football is seen as one of the most masculine sports participated in, in today�??s society. I mean when you watch a football game on T.V. what kind of commercials do they air? They air beer ads with men deciding what brand of beer to choose, and truck ads showing viewers how tough their trucks are. As a male my I choose more masculine sports because that�??s what I was interested in playing. Hitting other people and being aggressive was natural for me growing up.

If I had grown up as a female my sporting choices would have been very different in the face that I would have never played football in high school or I would have been made fun of and probably been called a lesbian. Females are more focused toward sports like cheer leading and gymnastics and things of that sort. If I had grown up as a female I would have tired to play soccer because my high school was always know for having a great girl�??s soccer team. If I had grown up as a female and tired to play football, it probably would have been a living hell. I would have been made fun of everyday and to deal with people on my team probably thinking that I was a lesbian or something.

Growing up as a male on Long Island, I played all different sports. My school and along with me were very competitive. It was not until high school that I found my niche in specific sports. In high school I played basketball, track, cross country and baseball. I never played football, lacrosse or any other team orientated sports not mentioned. Each of these sports I played with my all and my teams were competitive within the division. Every year we had chances to contend for championships and were either ranked or talked about in the newspaper.
I do not think my experiences in sports with be that vastly different if I was a female. I believe that I would play the same sports, since the sports I played weren�??t the most masculine. My high school had each sport for male and female that I participated in. For basketball there was girl�??s basketball, for baseball there were girl�??s softball along with track and cross country. The only thing that I would say that would be different if I was a female playing sport would be not as much exposure. As I mentioned before the teams I played for received a lot of attention and were praised. On Long Island girl teams didn�??t receive nearly as much attention as the male sports. The male athletes and teams dominated the newspaper and radio, while the girls got praised from their individual high schools. The sport that would be vastly different for me if I was a female would be track. Since track is mostly an individual sport, there would be no recognition for me. I received little recognition compared to team orientated sports when I was running track. However that little recognition did get me into college. Now for me to be a female and running track on Long Island would be no where near for a male running track. Girls never received any attention in individual sports and barely got anything to go to college with. There were some girls in my high school that were better than some of our best male athletes, but since they were females they never got seen. To sum up with what I believe about female and male sports is that the recognition and attention highly favors the males.

Now that I look back on it, of the sports I played as a kid, only soccer had the same set of rules and guidelines for both boys and girls. The others, baseball and lacrosse, had similarities but in the end, especially lacrosse, seems like a completly different game. I feel like it wasnt because I was a boy that I wanted to play the sports I did but instead that they seemed the most appealing to me. I got into lacrosse in elementary/middle school because it's a fun "boys" sport to go run and hit kids while trying to score goals and win the game. There doesn't sound like a better game to a young boy brought up seeing all over TV that men are apparently supposed to run fast and hit hard whereas women are supposed to be gymnists and tennis players, athletic but much more graceful and feminine. Going to an all boys, catholic high school also put's alot of pressure on the kinds of sporting activities you take part in. There was no cheerleading team and I cannot think of anyone who was a cheerleader outside of school but you can imagine what kinds of comments and ridicule a student would subject himself too if that was something he did. Even though a sport like field hockey is played by men in Europe and from what I have heard is fairly popular, the thought of playing it never crossed my mind because here and in nearly all places across the U.S. field hockey is a girls sport and whenever boys want to and/or are allowed to play, you always hear about it and some type of controversy is brought up.
Had I been born a girl I'm sure the sports I played and my experiences would be completly different then they are now. I can imagine that like so many kids I would have still played rec. soccer and maybe lacrosse and softball but I feel as if there would have always been someone saying try dance or cheerleading. I also would not have gone to the high school that I did and would have had a completly different sporting experience for those four years.

I am the type of person that is very competitive and aggressive when it comes to sports. The rougher the sport and more contact, the better in my opinion. I love to watch hockey, football, lacrosse, and soccer. I played soccer all through my youth and come high school I held the record of getting a yellow card every game for fouling or over aggressive play in one season. Now I play rugby the toughest contact team sport there is. No helmets, no pads, and full contact. The problem that I face as an athlete though is that I am a woman.
According to society I am not acting in agreement with my gender. If I were a man there would be no issue and I would be praised for my athleticism. . In Title IX: Facts, Figures, Myths, and Realities by Shakib that stated �??Males receive more participation opportunities than females.�?� The reading reminded me of an instance in high school when I had a very sexist teacher for my gym class that happened to be the football coach, he told me that he would never let a girl play on his team because women couldn�??t be as tough as his boys. Females are not encouraged to or given the opportunity to participate in historically male dominated sports and prove their �??toughness.�?� However, now that I am female participating in a masculine oriented sport I am considered a lesser athlete than the male athletes or a lesbian only interested in getting to touch other girls. I am heterosexual and get tackled and tackle others just as hard as the men do. The men�??s rugby team here for a while did not support us and ridiculed us for even trying to play rugby as women. That now thankfully has improved since our team has also become better. That even took our record to progress before they would acknowledge us. The prejudices of females in sports need to change which can only be done by women proving themselves as equals or better than their male counterparts. However even then I fear narrow-mindedness will still exist as it always has.

I really like TKuhl's point on how sports should be for entertainment purposes, and not to exclude anyone. I feel with today's society we were just forcing everyone into certain roles/sports and this is distancing ourselves from each other. Like Tony, I have the best time at sports events when everyone is having fun, even if both girls and guys are around.

I never thought about my experience in sport, in regard to the fact that I was a male. I just always viewed it as just playing sports do to the fact that it was a socially accepted practice. Now looking back on it, my experiences in sports have been much like the stereotypical male experience discussed in class. I played sports that are traditionally labeled as male dominant sports like, hockey, lacrosse, football, and basketball. Although, I do believe that I played those sports because I was influenced from society I do think there are other factors. For instance, those sports appeal to me, I liked to play sports that have contact and are highly competitive. I know some may argue that is the case because that is what society has said, but I don�??t believe that is the only reason why we, as individuals, enjoy a certain sport.

This is also the first time I have tried to look at sport from the perspective of the opposite sex. The traditional answer would be that I would probably be interested in things like cheerleading or figure skating and that very well might have been the case. I think now about when I played hockey and there was this one team had two girls on their team. When we used to play them the whole team would say things like, �??we can�??t lose to girls�?� or �??they must be lesbians.�?� Now thinking about it, those two girls probably fought through a lot more than any of the other players in the league did (who were male), which is pretty impressive.

My experience in sport has been pretty average for a male. I played the �??physical�?� sports that guys are expected to play, like soccer and basketball. I was raised to think that sports like dancing and cheerleading are for girls and are feminine. The sports I played are also considered team sports. This quality was important because it showed that I was not arrogant or trying to show-off. I was humble for working with others to achieve the goals of the team, not my own. Eventually, soccer became my main sport and in high school I ran into some problems with �??masculinity�?� in sports. Because I did not play football, some people considered me less tough or masculine. This primarily came from the football players who called us soccer players �??lawn fairies�?�, which also brought sexuality into the fray. They thought that just because their sport was built around hitting people they were tougher, but they got pads where we didn�??t. The only reason they felt this way was because that is how society has built up these two sports. So I guess you could say that I have been a victim of the issue of gender and sport, although I do not consider myself a victim in any sense of the word. Even though I played an accepted sport, it still was not �??manly�?� enough.
Now as for how things would have been different if I were of the opposite sex. I probably would have still played soccer when I was little because it was very popular where I lived. I probably would have also been a cheerleader because there were a lot of football teams around. And I think that as I got older, I would have ran into difficulty with whichever sport I played, for different reasons. Most people do not even consider cheerleading a sport, so I would not have even been considered an athlete. And I would have been considered �??mannish�?� if I played soccer, which I think is weird since I was considered �??feminine�?� for playing soccer as a guy.
My experience in sport as a spectator is much different. I either watch sports alone or with members of both sexes. I don�??t get too into sports as to who wins; I just like to see great plays, so I don�??t need to be around people. But when I go to the Raven�??s games my guy and girl cousins go to tailgating. In fact, one of my female cousins in more intense then most of the guys are that go to the game. Even my mom and girlfriend like to go to the games. And I have to say that having women around does not make me feel like less of a man. I think sports are more enjoyable when people aren�??t excluded and everyone can get involved. Sports should not revolve around gender; they should be about entertainment for everyone. I agree with the teacher that it is kind of counter-intuitive that it is more heterosexual to watch sports with people of the same sex. You usually want to do things with the opposite sex to be considered �??straight�?�, so I don�??t know what makes sport the exception.

I completely agree with L. Palmer. The only thing that is important is what makes somebody happy. Why should you have to think twice about playing a sport because of a stereotype. We all have one life to live and if we worry about what other people think all the time, we will regret many of the decisions we made. If sports is what makes somebody happy, no matter what sex you are, you should play and have as much fun as you can.

Throughout my childhood and adolescence, I have played Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Lacrosse, and Volleyball. I know that it was very acceptable for me to be playing all these sports. I had great experiences playing all of these different sports. I was able to be with my friends, get exercise, stay busy, and most importantly have fun. I think that if I did not play sports as a male, friends and other guys would look me at differently my age. Usually, if you didn�??t play sports, guys would consider you more feminine. On the other hand, if I were a girl playing sports I would be looked at as more masculine, or as most people would call it, a Tom Boy. If I were a girl, I would assume that my girlfriends would make fun of me or look at me differently because I was acting like a guy. In my opinion, I think it is ridiculous that sports are considered a guy thing. Sports are a way to get in shape, move around, play a game, have fun, and be active. Unless girls are not allowed to be active and have fun, I'm not quite sure why a girl is looked down upon if they play sports. I wish that people didn't think of it as a "guy" thing. Why cant girls or guys play or not play sports if they want to. It should not be looked at any differently no matter what sex you are. And if girls can play sports they can certainly watch sports. There are plenty of guys that watch women�??s college basketball, as well as women�??s professional basketball. If guys can watch women play, it makes sense that girls can watch men play. It is one big generalization that girls only care about beauty and not wanting to get hurt or run around and play physical. Although this is true for many girls, it is also not true for many. Each individual is different and some like sports and some do not. Some men love sports and some do not. So instead of making one big generalization about girls and their lack of sport skills and knowledge, people should accept everyone for who they are and what makes them happy. In my opinion that is all that matters.

Growing up I would definitely classify myself as a tomboy. I wore boy�??s clothes, had a short haircut and all my closest friends were boys. At Elementary School recess I wouldn�??t be playing �??Red Rover�?� or �??Four Square�?� with the girls I would play wall-ball or basketball with the guys. At a young age I didn�??t know the difference between what was considered masculine or feminine, I just did what made me happy. One of my best guy friends lived right next door. Everyday after school we would go in the backyard and play catch or kick around a soccer ball. Not only was I involved in playing sports but I raced remote control cars, and constantly played Playstation. I even collected MLB baseball cards. Basically I did everything that was stereotypical to what a boy would do but my parents never forced me to do anything less.
Getting into the middle school years was when I started to realize that maybe being competitive with the boys would scare them away. All the girls always acted like that didn�??t know the rules of any game and would do anything to sit out. I questioned myself and wondered was I supposed to act the same, or compete like I�??ve always done in the past. It didn�??t take long for me to recognize that the boys would get irritated at the girls who would make a scene, and protest how much against they were against participating.
Since my Middle and High School years I found my niche in soccer and my closest friends are athletes. My best friend plays soccer at Maryland and my other really close friend play lacrosse at Maryland. Even at the Towson it�??s the exact same. I can only name a handful of people I know that don�??t play a sport.
I can�??t say that if I were to be of the opposite sex my experience would be any different. Seeing as I lived the life of a �??boy�?� when I was younger. I think everyone should be free to participate in any sport whether that�??s Football or even Ice Skating. It�??s unfortunate that we have to attach stereotypes with everything.

I have to agree with dyee223, where some women dont help the image as how they portray sports, when they wear pink yankees hats, and ask questions repeatedly during football gams. There are alot of girls out there that know more about sports then me(which isnt saying much) but there are so many more that dont know what position the quarter back is.

I agree with marc when he says that there are plenty of girls out there that can play just as hard maybe harder than some guys. I know a few girls that are just as aggressive as I am when playing sports and some of them might be better than I am. So does that make me less masculine because a girl is better than me?

The only sports that I played that did not have an equal (meaning same rules and guide lines as men�??s) sport for girls are lacrosse and football. Now there is not women�??s football but there is women�??s rugby, and well rugby is much more rough then football. So that then begs the question why is there no women�??s football. As for lacrosse there is both men and women�??s lacrosse but yet even though they are the same sport the rules are so different there are almost two totally different games. I also know many girls who play lacrosse and hate that there is no contact and with that they could just strap up and play like the men do. So why do they play with no contact?, and why do they all still have to wear skirts?, and why is there no women�??s NFL? Since I am a male and was able to play men�??s lacrosse and football, I was able to play full contact and love that I can. The main reason people love to watch football, and lacrosse, along with playing it is for the hits and the full contact. If I were a girl I would not be to happy playing lacrosse with no contact. I also played soccer, baseball, and basketball, these are all non contact sports so the male and female versions are the same, being a girl and playing them wouldn�??t bother me at all. Given all that, my sporting experience would be extremely different if I were a girl and playing those sports. Since soccer and baseball would still be the same sports women are still treated differently and aren�??t expected to play at as intense of a level as guys, and well I would not be happy at all to play non-contact lacrosse. It�??s really hard to say how different my sporting experience would be as a female because I wouldn�??t know any better then how females play sports. I can only imagine it would be very different, both physically, and mentally.

Growing up I played many sports such as soccer, baseball and basketball. If I were the opposite sex I still think id play the same sports because both genders can play those sports. But I think the way that I played or was expected to play those sports is different. Men are supposed to play with aggression and if they get hurt there not supposed to show it. I remember one time I got hit by a pitch in the arm and it hurt pretty bad. My coach told me to get up brush it off walk down to first and stop being a wuss. That comment got me pretty mad. He was pretty much saying that if I showed my emotions, I�??d be acting like a �??girl�?�. I think our parents and coach�??s mold their children into what is expected of society. If you�??re male, you should act masculine and if you�??re female you should act feminine.
Not only does our parents and coaches determine our choices of sport, but the media has a big influence as well. I agree with the article, by Michael A. Messner, titled the �??Televised Manhood Sports Formula.�?� The article mentions how males and females should behave in society. A lot of what we watch on television shows us how males and females should act. TV programs such as ESPN, WWF, NBA, MLB, and NFL are mostly watched by males. It�??s in those programs that males learn how to behave. It teaches us what is right and wrong for both genders. Women are portrayed in more of a sexual way, while men are portrayed as dominating. The sports broadcasters are mostly men, with a few exceptions of female reporters. ESPN and NFL have more female broadcasters than the others, but I�??ve noticed that there are no females hosting a game, such as being in the commentating booth. Females are usually found on the sidelines giving a 10-second injury report instead of actually analyzing the game. They usually tell us things that aren�??t really related to the actual game that is going on. I�??m not saying I agree that they should be portrayed in that way, but viewers see that and think that women are inferior in the land of sports.
I used to watch a lot of WCW and WWF wrestling growing up, and now I can�??t stand it. It kind of shaped the way that a man should act towards other men and other women. Women of wrestling are only they�??re for sex appeal. No one wants to see two ugly women in the ring, wrestling each other. They hire young hot women, dress them in barely any clothing and have them play around in the ring for 5 minutes. It is a male dominated business and that�??s what men want to see. They would have matches for whoever won the match got to have the girl. Its like the girl is a rag doll that they�??re passing around and the girl has no choice in the matter. I think this gives off a bad stereotype to the young kids out there that watch wrestling or any other male driven sport. Its up to parents to teach there kids right from wrong, but the media has a big influence on how we act towards our self and others.

Throughout high school I did Varsity Lacrosse, Soccer and Indoor track making myself a tri-sport athlete and participating in a sport every season possible. When I think back to my soccer playing days I remember being in elementary school and the earlier years of middle school when we still had recess. I was always 1 of maybe, at the most, 3 girls who played soccer with the boys, instead of sitting on a rock and gossiping in the sun. Interestingly enough, the boys were extremely accepting, happy to have some girls playing and never treated me differently than the boys while playing. The boys didn�??t take it easy on me or the other girls simply because we are girls, and would push us around just like they would anyone else. On the other hand, the people who would criticize me for playing would be the other girls in my grade. They would ask me about being worried that I might sweat, or say that I shouldn�??t be playing because the boys play sports at recess and girls shouldn�??t. In this situation I was happy to be accepted by the boys and didn�??t care at all what the girls thought, because playing soccer made me happy, and born an athlete, I always like to be active. When I ran track in high school the times that I would get teased by my friends would be when they would make fun of the boys I hung around with that also ran track with me. The boys from my track team in high school were made fun of often times, because track isn�??t seen as a �??manly�?� or �??masculine�?� sport because you aren�??t using physical force to tackle someone or knock someone over. The funny thing is, I think running track is one of the most physically demanding sports, because while other sports run as punishment, they constantly run and ONLY run. People see �??trackies�?� as wimps and not athletes. Strangely enough, I watched the Minnesota football game this weekend and a guy ran something like 70 yards and was winded for a good 10min after; he was kneeling over, had to get a cold wash cloth on his head, and had to get help from the trainers. This is what we call our major athletic sports? A guy can�??t run 70 yards without being exhausted while someone doing track can run for 3 hours and be perfectly fine? (and we say those people aren�??t athletes)

I think to be honest every female has been discriminated against when it comes to sports and it drives me nuts. I have always been very athletic and into sports. I not only love playing sports and being active but I love watching them as well. With my guy friends I always remember being put down and challenged by them day in and day out. When in season, the guy�??s basketball team would want to scrimmage us each year before starting off the season to prove that they were better than us. My last year playing basketball in high school, our guy�??s team was supposed to be this amazing team and soar through everyone and supposed to be state champs and so on. They always had the support of the girls team. Whenever they had a game and we did not we always were there support them. Their season ended rather early and they did not make it as far as they wanted. However our team was on our way, victory after victory. It wasn�??t until we won our conference and division and made it to the state tournament that we got support and recognition to them. As soon as we were at state level, they were present at all of our games and supporting us 110%. It was almost like we had to prove something to them to just get their support.
Still, years later, I still see the separation of women and men in sports. My guy friends always say that they know more this and that, to be honest they do, because men eat, sleep, and drink to sports. My best friends have a roommate who isn�??t into sports. He doesn�??t know much about it and it is just not his thing. He is know as a �??fag�?� to them because he isn�??t interested in sports. Not so much that he isn�??t interested but he isn�??t a fanatic. I heard this story once on the news about a women going into labor and calling her husband who was at a division championship NFL game. She was having THEIR baby and he asked her if he could stay to the end of the quarter and then meet her. That is not OK. THAT IS REDICILOUS! Is sports that controlling over lives?
I hate how our society is. �??With the exception of Sports Center, women and blacks never appeared as the main voices in authority in the booth�?� (The Televised Sports Man Hood Formula). This is most definitely shifting but it drives me nuts because a female can report and be just as knowledgeable as a male. I enjoy sports, I watch them each week, attend them whenever I can, it doesn�??t even have to be a collegiate or professional event, I just enjoy watching whatever sports I can. Because I am a female, that doesn�??t mean I cannot hold my own when it comes to sports. I may not have the whole roster memorized and know every past, present and future player but that is only because I have better more important things on the brain, things that will eventually get me somewhere and not just be used on the trivia calendars in a few years.

Playing sports has always been an important aspect of my life. With never letting a day go by without having some sort of sporting activity I have gained experience in sports as a male athlete. These experiences have come over time through the sports that I have played. The majority of sports I played are known to be male dominant; these consisted of baseball and basketball. Golf, was primarily the other sport that I played, but it is not considered a male dominant sport. From playing these sports, it was easy to recognize that the more male dominant sports had more body contact, more aggression, seemed more competitive on the field, and lastly were played with fancier and technical body movement which developed from having more skill. As mentioned in class, in dealing with the sport as a male preserve the traits of the sports consisted of �??strength, aggression, and violence�?� (8). This, on the other hand, is different in golf and also women�??s sports. I felt golf only had one similarity to the other male dominant sports, the competitiveness on the field. Otherwise, golf is played in a different atmosphere. Some of the aspects of other sports are that one can communicate with a loud tone on the field, which is not tolerated in golf. Another difference is it is an individual sport that does not involve body contact. Playing golf doesn�??t involve brute force, but it does take strength. That is a key reason it appeals to both women and men. But the major difference between the other sports and golf is etiquette. That is the most important aspect in golf. Golf is grounded in etiquette - this is why it�??s considered more of a �??gentleman�??s�?� sport and skill can overcome sheer strength.
As I mentioned before I have played sports my whole life. As a male athlete I played baseball and golf in High School. I then was lucky to continue to play baseball at a college level my freshman and sophomore years until an injury pulled me away from baseball. I feel if I were the opposite sex my concentration would have been on golf or lacrosse, the latter which I enjoyed but did not play much of. The main reason these would appeal to me as a woman is because there is less body contact involved in these two sports. All around I feel male sports are more exciting mostly because of the innate aggression and skill that is in the games. Women�??s sports are starting to develop and become more popular on television. As of now though, men�??s sports still dominate on television, in the media, and are more popular in contemporary society.

My experience in sports has always been full of highs and lows. I started out playing lacrosse and basketball when I was younger. These were my two sports and will going to the high school that I did they were both very competitive both with the teams that we played. Along with the competition among peers for the limited amount of roster positions available. Growing up in Maryland especially Baltimore county and going to the so called top school in the state and country for lacrosse was a tall task to handle. I played lacrosse all my life, but as soon as I step foot onto that field my freshman year it was a totally different atmosphere.
The players were all just as good as me and a lot were better. The same thing happened in basketball which ultimately made me some playing the sport that was my first true love. As I look back on it now I realize if I would have worked just as hard at basketball as I did lacrosse I probably would have turned out to be better at basketball then lacrosse. That not what happened I put all my time and effort into lacrosse and it started to pay off as I move on in high school.
However my junior year was pretty good getting playing time with a very senior-laden team. I was poised for a breakout senior year and was very excited for it, then can the news that our head coach had some relations with a faculty member. Being at a catholic school this was not looked a pond very highly and he was asked to set down. I found this out the summer going into my senior year and I was not happy because the assistant coach, who was appointed the head coaching job, did not see me in the way my old head coach did. Politics got in the way of me playing the amount that I worked so hard to get to my senior year because that was how this coach ran things. I also got hurt and when I came back stronger then before I didn�??t get my chance or sport back.
I look back on this and have realized that this all a part of sports and life for that matter. You don�??t always get the things that you work hard for and feel that you deserve. As I sit and think about it being in the family that I am and going up in the class I did my sporting experience wouldn�??t have changed if I were the opposite sex. I would have just been sent to one of the private girls schools, which are built on the same structure as all the only private schools. Growing up in this area of Maryland is very different then anywhere else I know off. Private schools are what runs the academic and especially sports world. The society that I grew up in was very distinct and is not found anywhere else. The pressure for sports especially in the two sports that I picked to play is high around here which means that people want to win and will do whatever it takes to do so.

The gendered role society has imposed has affected my sports as in what I played and how comfortable I was in the sport. Playing little league baseball was accepted until about age seven or eight when playing baseball was a sport for boys and girls played softball. Continuing to play a male gendered sport was not easy with coaches making it clear girls were not welcome. This was done so by allowing girls to play only the minimum amount in a game, gearing practice towards helping the boys and the girls would just do what everyone else was, but was not given anything constructive to improve. Girls were in general overlooked and unwelcome. Eventually by age ten, there were not many girls if any involved in baseball. As described in the Title IX article, �??Gender equity in sport has not been reached. Males receive more participation opportunities than females.�?� This is shown in softball, which seems to be accepted for both genders once out of the high school. That is yet another example of how men, the power holders determine what is accepted and what is not.
The other sports I was involved in, dance and gymnastics are female-based sports. In those it was obvious males were not as accepted, not discouraged by the coaches or the others involved in the sport, but by their male peers. Once again, acceptance is male powered. The studio at which I danced, the owner�??s son was highly involved until about high school when your peers have a high influence. Our most involved male influence decided to switch to soccer instead of ballet and tap, a more acceptable sport for both genders. Sports have a long way to come before everyone is given an equal chance and society�??s perception is altered.

Very few times in my life have I thought about being the opposite sex and loving the game of football the way that I do. In high school I participated in football and loved every minute of it, even practice. All throughout my life, since 5th grade, I have lived, breathed, and dreamt of football. I played inside linebacker and fullback. Many times I was asked to changes offensive positions to play guard but I just felt more comfortable at fullback and did everything in my power to not have to play on the line. All of my hard work paid off and I was able to remain a fullback throughout my career even though I didn�??t play much varsity football as a fullback. On the other hand I was somewhat of a defensive guru due to my lengthy studies of opposing team�??s game film. It was like I knew what every play was going to be before the snap of the ball and most of the time I would have been standing in the hole or passing lane of what was supposed to be a nice play for my competition. Also I played baseball but it was more of a second sport varsity letter for me. As previously stated I had played baseball since I was 5 and have had experiences with numerous females that played on my team. This was just normal for me to play with girls in the league that I played in because softball was not as prevalent in my community. But as I grew older there were hardly any girls that played due to, in my opinion, the social norm of boys playing baseball and girls play softball. On the side of football I would have most likely had an extremely hard time liking football let alone playing it if I were a girl. I have never once played with or against a girl so it would have been way out of a culturally normal behavior. Thus this would have most likely led me to play what us as Americans consider the alternative to football in field hockey.

I agree in some regards to what mgenn1 has said. I do feel that men's sports are more exciting then women. Mostly because of the aggression and skills that are performed. However I can remember when the womens soccer team won the gold a couple of years back, and not just women were watching the games everyone was. I guess its not the excitement all the time that makes us watch certain sports, but what is occurring outside the sports like how soccer and women's sports were evolving in the US. Also what we watch in sports is also influenced by what our peers are watching.

I agree with francesca terrano when he says there is still a seperation between womens and men sports

Francesca makes a good point about sports consuming lives and how females appear not up to standard because they aren't as knowledgeable since they engulf their lives in sports. I am a huge baseball fan and think I know a good amount about the sport but anytime a guy hears of this they challenge my knowledge to find out just how I compare to them in it. Females do have to prove themselves in the sports world to even be viewed seriously.

Not all women are not in tune with sports. Sure, there are the few girls you see that wear the pink Yankees hat because it matches their shoes, but I know several girls who are very knowledgeable about sports, most of which were athletes. I�??ve noticed that if women do not participate in sport, they don�??t find it too interesting. They are interested in what their friends are interested in. I don't believe that there are any more females that don't know too much about sports than there are men. I know a good amount of men that know nothing about sports. Some guys I know will come over and watch the game with us knowing only the main objective of the sports, but that�??s as far as it goes. It�??s kind of like when my mom and my sister sit down to watch football with my dad, my brothers, and I. They watch because they enjoy watching. My family has always been Redskins fans. If my mom and sister were to go out and get Redskins�?? shirts or jersey, is that acceptable? Is it okay for them to support and follow a team without being knowledgeable of the sport? I believe there are a lot of men who do this also. Another thing is I feel that sporting events are being used as a social event nowadays. The women I see at game are there to hang out with their friends and to tailgate, not to support their favorite teams. Does that make them true sports fans?
Society portraits men as the dominant athletes. A majority of the sports televised are male sports. �??Males receive more participation opportunities than females�?� (�??Title IX: Facts, Figures, Myths, and Realities�?� Shakib.) It isn�??t that girls are any less athletic than boys, it�??s the fact that girls don�??t have too much of an opportunity to be involved in sport. Not that there aren�??t a lot of female sports, but male sports are shown to be more physical and difficult. I�??ve seen girls lacrosse before and I believe that it is way more difficult than men�??s lacrosse. There are a lot more rules and the sticks have smaller pockets which makes it harder to catch and throw. Another thing is that there are some sports that females are more athletic than men in, such as gymnastics. Women are better in some sports just as men are better in others.
Watching sports with the guys is just another guy thing like grilling or fishing. There aren�??t females around because it is our time to get away. I know when my girlfriend is a around when I am doing any of those activities, it�??s just annoying. So, it�??s not about being a homosocial settings for me, it�??s about being able to sit back and enjoy what it is that I am doing.
I played football and lacrosse in highschool. If I had been a girl, lacrosse would have been less physical, and I probably would not have even played football, though we did have a girl play for our team. She was a senior when she joined the team. The coaches did not think it was the best idea for her to play with us on varsity so she played JV, and she wasn�??t too bad at it. She was a third string reciever, but she could make some plays. The other teams would say that we had an unfair advantage because they were afraid they would hurt her.

I disagree with mglenn when saying The main reason golf and womens lacrosse are more apealing o women is because there is less body contact involved in these two sports. Body contact does not bother all females. I do not mind being ruffed up, thrown around, bleeding and hurt but playing through it. Men do not have a painless gene. We all feel pain. It is just another generalization of females not wanted to break a nail, get dirty or play dirty but there are plenty out there!

Looking back on my sporting experience in a more gender associated perspective; I definitely see things a little differently from the usual recounts on my childhood. I remember when I was in elementary school, where if a teammate wore a pair of soccer shoes that were maybe a lighter shade of blue, he would be chastised and humiliated by being called a girl or a girl�??s name. Other similar situations were rampant even to today, where if I came to class and complained of a recent injury, my friend would mock me by pretending to cry and maybe throw in a few jokes questioning my male fortitude or toughness. This relates to �??The Televised Sports Manhood Formula�?�, where the authors explained their research on televised sports is a �??...master ideological narrative that�?� discipline�??s boys�?? bodies, minds, and consumption choices in ways that construct a masculinity that is consistent with the entrenched interests of the sports/media/commercial complex.�?� I definitely noticed as a kid that boys mimic what they see on television by either using a particular athlete to model against or by using themes from the media to help influence their own thoughts on sports.

In particular, a lot of young boys form their thoughts on individual sports from what they�??ve heard from another source (i.e. an older brother or a sport commentary program). In regards to my choice to play soccer, I have definitely felt criticism from others who stated that soccer is a �??wimpy�?� or �??girls�?� sport due to its perceived lack of contact. Jim Rome is a fine example of a single minded man who lambasts soccer whenever he can, and in no doubt his trivial thoughts have influenced many a men. Luckily, I and a lot of my friends know the difference between an opinion of a sport and reality, and this has helped me remain level headed when looking at a given sport.
If I was born of the opposite sex, I am not certain to how my experience would�??ve been as a female. I�??m sure my Greek father would�??ve tried to have me play soccer, but like my sisters experience with sport, I could�??ve ended up cheerleading after losing interest in soccer like she did. I�??m not sure why she lost interest in soccer, but maybe it was due to the lack of opportunity she had to move on to a competitive team, or it may have been due to pressure from her peers to not be a �??butch�?� girl and play something not as aggressive or rough. In all, I�??m positive that if I was of the opposite sex my choice of sport would�??ve varied almost completely from my present situation, due to outside forces affecting my desire to play certain sports.

Well I played lacrosse and football throughout my life and these are two of the most comtact sports you can play. In both these sports it is about showing how masculine you are how hard you can knock the crap out of someone. It is also about how much pain you can tolerate and play with. It was always the coach saying come on your fine. You always play hurt becasue you do not want to be called a girl. What is it girls feel pain more than guys do or girls will call it quits earlier. I have found out that girls in sport are just as tough as we are. But when your coach puts you up to the challenge by calling you a girl if you sit out. No guy wanted to ever be considered soft in these sports I played so most everyone played hurt. These were also two sports that women could primarily not play. they were to rough and the girls could get hurt. Hpw come in girls lacrosse you cannot hit anyone or even barely nudge them. Are girls weaker than guys or something can they not take alittle pain. Would a girl be considered a tom boy if they wanted to play football and get dirty, bloody and roughed up. Girls have been discriminated against in just about every aspect of sport. They had to play in skirts. This is crazy I know plenty of girls that are tough enough to take some hits and deleiever some bigger hits.