"There are definitely inequalities. As a female I don't get to run less, I ran 400 m just like my male counterparts but we do get lower appearance fees and prize money."
Sanya Richards-Ross, 4 time Olympic Gold Medalist
As one of my volunteer activities I was approached by my favorite coach from when I was an active athlete to help him get companies who would support young female basketball club he is now coaching. I took it as a project, put together a presentation in English and Croatian presenting this perspective and charismatic team and their families trying to get more financial support for their program in order for these young girls to lead a healthy lifestyle and play the sport they love.
Next, I approached several friends (man and women) who have their own companies or work for different multinational companies and as soon as I said it was a girls team, I got similar answers "but no-one supports women's sport" or "both men and women are in the same boat financially" which is as we all know not the fact. This left me quite disappointed as I can see that in my country sexism in sport is very much a harsh reality.
Next, I approached several friends (man and women) who have their own companies or work for different multinational companies and as soon as I said it was a girls team, I got similar answers "but no-one supports women's sport" or "both men and women are in the same boat financially" which is as we all know not the fact. This left me quite disappointed as I can see that in my country sexism in sport is very much a harsh reality.
Are men and women treated equally? Is there still sexism in sports? I think there is! Who is it to blame? Media, government and sports associations I think as they are the ones forming the opinions of public.
Here are a couple of interesting facts to support this:
Here are a couple of interesting facts to support this:
- WNBA lead minimum salary is 30,000 USD, mens NBA 300,000 USD
- Women soccer association was advised to make shorts tighter, worlds boxing association suggested women to box in skirts and beach volleyball to play in two piece suits to make a game 'more popular'
- It has taken just about 100 years for women to be able to compete in Olympics in all sport
- In 2012. it was the first time in history that every nation was represented by at least one female athlete on Olympics
- Women soccer association was advised to make shorts tighter, worlds boxing association suggested women to box in skirts and beach volleyball to play in two piece suits to make a game 'more popular'
- It has taken just about 100 years for women to be able to compete in Olympics in all sport
- In 2012. it was the first time in history that every nation was represented by at least one female athlete on Olympics
"Women's sport still gets just 0.5 per cent of all sports sponsorship money, a problem that links back to a lack of media coverage. Media coverage and sponsorship are two halves of the same coin – unless the media covers women's sport, sponsors won't support it."
Leora Hansler , WSFF
UNEVEN PLAYING FIELD
During the part of the month I stay in Budapest I watch CNN quite a lot, couple of days ago I came across amazing documentary called "Uneven playing field" ( which isnpired my post title) following last London Olympics which were known as 'Women Games' as it was the first time that every country had female athlete representing them. This documentary shares some of their stories. I highly encourage you to watch it.
Photo source: Vogue
MY STORY
I am naturally a girly girl. I always loved fashion and pink was always my favorite color. I also love to compete and most of all, I like to win. When I was younger (and today still) I was very hyper and my parents allowed me to take all extracurricular activities I wanted to try (at the same time) in attempt to get as much as energy they could out of me. That didn't work so well for them, but I had lots of fun ;)
Anyways, one of these activities was basketball. I was tall and thin, once local club team coach came to my PE class and asked couple of us if we wanted to try to practice basketball. I said yes even before I asked my parents. I thought it would be a lovely activity right after piano class and ballet-aerobics I was doing at the time. At the beginning I was quite clumsy, I liked to run and shoot the ball and I became good at it. Years past and I started dropping some other activities but continued with basketball. I went through many selections in a couple of club teams and national team in Croatia, enrolled to high school for perspective athletes and got offered a full athletic scholarship for Towson University in United States to study and play for the university team.
"Sport can build your confidence and teach you skills – such as working in a team and speaking in public in front of people. There are lots of little things it can help you pick up."
Nicole Adams, first women Olympic gold medalist
Years of playing and practicing in Croatia were at the time still manageable because we had amazing enthusiastic coaches and still functioning club to take care of our development and supportive parents who were driving us to practices and paying for our equipment, doctors and travel. The difference in treatment of men sports and female sports was always present and I started to notice that when we hear about men athletes we hear about their accomplishments but when we hear about women athletes most of the times we hear about their looks or how well fitting they are in their 'female role' of daughter of an ex-famous athlete but never about their athletic achievement only. On the other hand I admit, seems like we -women, gave up this fight way to easily as we accept to be seen as sex objects and embrace that they like us because of our looks and not our sports achievements.I regret to see female athletes in gossip or lifestyle news article photographed half naked rather then being (just like men) featured in sports sections in their jerseys.
Thus, society taught us that to be accepted as a men it means to 'achieve' and to be expected by a women it means to 'look'.
Thus, society taught us that to be accepted as a men it means to 'achieve' and to be expected by a women it means to 'look'.
CAN IT GET BETTER?
Olympic Skier Lindsey Vonn shoot by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue
In United States, I felt situation to be much different, not only in equal opportunity for female and male athletes which came as a result of 'Title IX' legislation in US which mandates equality in education for men and women and best training for talented athletes coming from federal funding. No wonder that US female athletes now have more Olympic medals then more then 200 other countries in the world in total!
When I practiced and play for my University I felt that I got the same care men's team got, furthermore they acted towards me as toward their fellow athlete or teammates not as towards a 'chic', 'shorty' or a 'girly girl' or a 'women who is hot or not'. I will never forget my first injury. After a hard pre-season couple of days before my first freshman game I twisted my ankle. I was crying in the training room with my ankle wrapped in ice and one of the guys from the men's basketball team - Tony came to talk to me. He was a junior already, he put his hand around me and said I would be ok, he told me about his first injury and how he felt at the time, he was talking to me as towards his teammate 'we-Tigers' he said, which helped me feel as part of the community and the team. Men's team came to watch our games, supported us and played scrimmage with us off practice. I felt as equal, not as a sex object or a lower class human being.
Today, five years later I am not an active athlete anymore and I get "thanks God that you are not an athlete anymore" from guys as if it would make me undesirable as a women. Personally, I didn't want to pursue sports further as my career, I developed a new love for fashion with overpowered the one for sports but I acknowledge and appreciate sport that formed me into a person I am today. I learned to be disciplined, a team player, to be a leader, to speak my mind, to be a lady athlete (which coach emphasized on every single practice calling us lady tigers), not just an athlete to go after and achieve my life goals and dreams and this is why I take pride into promoting women's sports and qualities they build into young women. I do hope for my children to be born into a healthier, more equal culture then the one we have today.
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
Eleanor Roosevelt
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