Modern Sports, Still Stuck in the Past

With the addition of the first female referee in the NFL, professional sports are under more scrutiny then ever. This comes after a time when a female referee was berated by NBA players for being emotional or trying to prove herself. The issue of females in men's sports is becoming more prominent as there are those who are very strong willed and reject women in their sports. For them, the only place women belong is on the sidelines as cheerleaders, which is where women were for decades when it came to sports. This type of representation is potentially harmful and perpetuates a stereotype of women as "cheerleaders" in life. The men do all the heavy lifting and get the glory, while women just have to cheer them on from the sidelines. For the first time, women will now play an active role in men's professional sports and it's about time. 

I'm not going to sugarcoat it; women's sports are more boring to watch then men's sports. They don't typically have the athleticism and explosiveness that makes men's sports fun to watch. This doesn't mean that women can't be more involved in sports though. As Ward, Day, and Epstein discussed in their article, women who watch gendered content or sexist media often endorse more sexual stereotypes. Many girls like watching sports even though it is a "boy" thing to do, but they'll adopt that idea that the only thing they can do is look sexy and cheer. These new female refs offer a new view for women which has never been seen before. You still don't see a woman coach, but a woman ref is the next best thing. They challenge the authority of the male players and hold a position of power. 

The journey for these women is going to long and hard, but it's going to be worth and hopefully it will bring a change to the stagnant world of professional sports. I'm nervous because the first few referees are going to be looked at and scrutinized closely and the media will often blow things out of proportion. An interesting exchange between NBA player Chris Paul and rookie referee Lauren Holtkamp. Though she's not the first female NBA referee, her and Paul were getting a lot of heat over controversial calls (I personally think she was in the wrong). There were many debates that centered around her gender which means that we are still a long way from seeing this as normal.  It's going to be interesting to watch and see how they are received as the years go on, but it seems that men's professional sports is taking a slow step in the right direction.