Women's Sports Research Articles

Perceptions of Credibility and Likeability in Broadcast Commentators of Women's Sports

Perceptions of Credibility and Likeability in Broadcast Commentators of Women's Sports

Sports press coverage of Polish female athletes during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro

During the last Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the Polish female representatives won sig-nificantly more medals compared to men. This fact made the authors examine whether female athletes received proportionate media coverage compared to men. In the course ofresearch, articles from the two largest Polish dailies were analysed (“Gazeta Wyborcza” and “Fakt Gazeta Codzienna”). With the use of content analysis, 197 articles were analysed in order to check whether any quantitative and qualitative differences can be observed in describing women's and men's sport. The results show underrepresentation of press coverage regarding women's sport. The results of qualitative analysis also point to a number of differences when portraying women's and men's sport.

Epidemiology of Injuries in Women Playing Competitive Team Bat-or-Stick Sports: A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis.

Team bat-or-stick sports, including cricket, softball and hockey, are popular among women. However, little is known about the injury profile in this population. The aim was to describe the incidence, nature and anatomical location of injuries in bat-or-stick sports played by women in a competitive league. This review was prospectively registered (PROSPERO CRD42015026715). CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, SPORTDiscus were systematically searched from January 2000 to September 2016, inclusive. Peer-reviewed original research articles reporting the incidence, nature and anatomical location of injuries sustained by women aged 18+years in competitive bat-or-stick sports were included. Two meta-analyses based on injury incidence proportions (injury IP) and injury rates per 1000 person-days of athletic exposure (AE) were performed. A total of 37 studies satisfied the inclusion criteria, and five had low risk of bias. The weighted injury IP was 0.42 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39-0.45]. The weighted injury rate was 6.12 (95% CI 6.05-6.18) overall, and greater in games [15.79 (95% CI 15.65-15.93)] than in practice [3.07 (95% CI 2.99-3.15)]. The ankle was the most commonly injured anatomical location, followed by the hand (including wrist and fingers), knee and head. Soft tissue and ligament injuries were most common types of injuries. Injury prevention in women's sports is a novel and emerging field of research interest. This review highlights that injury incidence is high among female bat-or-stick players, but little information is known about direct causal mechanisms. This review clearly establishes the need for enhancements to injury data collection. Without this information, it will not be possible to develop evidence-based injury prevention interventions.

For Us All?Nine for IXand the Representation of Women in Sport

ESPN’s documentary series Nine for IX is the most significant series of documentary films focusing on women in sport to date. Highlighting the accomplishments of female athletes and coaches, the series counters the erasure of sportswomen found elsewhere in media, and is further notable for being produced and directed entirely by women. Despite women’s controlling role in production, however, analysis of the films in the series reveals that they often reproduce conventional strategies of feminizing sportswomen. The series’ conventional representation of women in sport is particularly significant in light of its representation of Title IX legislation, in which the law is used to signify the empowered status of female athletes while erasing continuing inequalities faced by women in sport.

Barriers to Women Participation in Sports and Physical Activity in Southern Rajasthan

Women in sport can shape women's capabilities as leaders especially in traditional male areas. Women's participation in sport can create a substantial contribution to social life and overall development. Sports for women represent a fast growing area in India and it can be used as tool to empower women. Recent trends show that the knowledge and awareness among female towards sport participation is increasing. But as compare to other country and per ration of male and female, there is need to increase participation of female in sport and physical activities. Females of all ages generally have lower physical activity participation rates than males. Increasing physical activity levels for females is important for health and mental wellbeing. This Paper proposes to examine the situation of woman sports statuses in Southern Rajasthan.There are many factors which become barriers in women participation in sports activities. This paper highlights the barriers to women in participation in sports and physical activities. The paper is attempted to examine which barrier create more hurdle for females participation. The paper objective is also to find out the overall opinion of women toward sports activity. Final the researchers try to give recommendation to increase or motivate the women participation in sports and physical activities

“Olhos masculinos nascidos para a contemplação do belo”: a relação entre esporte e mulher na crônica esportiva brasileira

This article aims to analyze how the female athlete was portrayed by renowned Brazilian writers (men) and how women's sports, especially football, appears in some brazilian sports / literary chronicles. For delineation were selected those of Armando Nogueira and Nelson Motta. The research has historical character, centered in analysis of literary sources. By analyzing the chronic whose subject was the female practice was perceived overvaluation of body aesthetics. So, naturally, the chroniclers put their male impressions in words that should be aimed at the athletic performance of women.

Smart Fabrics for Women's Sports Apparel

Smart Fabrics for Women's Sports Apparel

REFLEXÕES SOBRE O USO DA LINGUAGEM E DA IMAGEM NA PESQUISA HISTÓRICA DO ESPORTE: A TRAJETÓRIA DE BLANCHE PIRONNET NA HISTÓRIA DAS MULHERES NO ESPORTE NO BRASIL

O presente estudo tem por objetivo propor uma reflexão sobre o uso da linguagem, através do discurso e da imagem como fontes para a investigação histórica do esporte. Para tal, a partir da História Oral e da Semiótica, apresenta a trajetória da nadadora Blanche Pironnet na cidade de São Paulo, no início do século XX (1910-1920), como uma referência no estudo da História das Mulheres no esporte no Brasil.

Leadership, Women in Sport, and Embracing Empathy

Leadership has frequently employed sport stories and metaphor to exemplify attributes and attitudes that leaders should embrace in order to succeed. Competitive sport entered educational contexts in elite British boarding schools for the very purpose of providing training for future political and corporate leaders. As such, the paradigms for leadership reproduced through sport metaphors have held on to traditional, masculine views of leadership. Yet, these paradigms are outdated and do not fit the values embraced by twenty-first century leadership concepts. New sport metaphors are needed. This article begins the task of shaping new perspectives about leadership from the sport world. Specifically, attitudes and practices of high-performance female ultrarunners provide prime examples of the new lessons for leadership, focusing on empathy as one of the

The Institutionalization of a Gender Biased Sport Value System

To develop tougher males while controlling wild ones, some school administratorsexperimented with an innovative plan. They co-opted the rough-and-tumble games boysplayed during recess and in their free time, and made these part of the official curriculum.(Sadker & Sadker, 1994, pp. 214-215)Sport has been a part of the "...official school program..." since the mid-1800s, and was originallyincorporated into the curriculum to serve as "...an important line of defense..." against the potentialfeminization of American males by a growing female teaching profession (Sadker & Sadker, 1994, p.213). As a part of the curriculum, sport provided opportunities for physical fitness and competition, aswell as a medium through which valued socio-cultural life skills could be learned and practiced.Grounded in ideals of masculinity, sport, more than any other part of the educational curriculum has been,and continues to be, a gender issue.This paper will explore how school sport has served to institutionalize a gender specific and gender biasedsport value system. First the socio-cultural context in which school sport emerged, and its history andevolution will be reviewed. Next the differential impact which school sport has on females and males willbe examined. The paper concludes that the development of school sport has, over time, marginalized anddevalued women's sport, and the women who participate. It is suggested that because of this, sportparticipation by women and girls has actually been suppressed.

Effective Mentoring Relationships with Women in Sport: Results of a Meta-Ethnography

Women continue to be underrepresented in leadership positions within sport. One of the most critical aspects of advancing women in leadership positions within sport is the mentoring relationship. As the number of women entering sport increases, a growing number of professionals recognize the inherent benefits and challenges between the mentor and the protégé. This study was designed to identify themes based on key elements of an effective mentoring relationship helping women to advance within leadership positions in sport. A qualitative methodology, meta-ethnography, allowed the researcher to synthesize 15 qualitative studies about mentoring women within sport. These 15 studies were selected by using both content and methodological screening. Each study was read, coded, and analyzed for themes based on the key elements of an effective mentoring relationship. The findings of the study revealed 10 themes and seven implications for female protégés, potential mentors, and organizations to consider when mentoring women within sport.

Androgens and athletic performance of elite female athletes.

During the last decades androgens have been used illicitly by athletes of both genders. Because of some obvious ethical limitations, mechanisms underlying the performance-enhancing effects of these hormone or drugs, as well as the magnitude of their effects, have been poorly addressed. This review aims to combine findings from field and from the laboratory to provide new insights into the ergogenic properties of endogenous or exogenous androgens on female athletes. Results obtained from recent neuropsychological studies indicated that testosterone, and not the sex chromosomes, is responsible for the sexual differentiation of visuospatial neural activation. These findings could explain how males and hyperandrogenic females benefit from androgens performance-enhancing effects in sports where visuospatial abilities are closely linked to better performance. Another study conducted on elite female athletes showed that, in some athletic events, where muscle power is of critical importance, individuals with the highest free testosterone concentration significantly outperformed competitors with the lowest free testosterone concentration. In some sport events, female athletes with high or very high androgen levels (whether it is from endogenous or exogenous origin) have an estimated competitive benefit of 2-5% over those with androgen levels within the normal female range. These findings are to be taken into account in the actual controversy about eligibility of females with hyperandrogenism to compete in women's sports.

Gain insight into intersection between law, ethics, and athletics

Title IX may have arrived too late for Jayma Meyer, J.D., to achieve her athletic dreams, but it helped shape her career as an attorney. After years of representing clients on antitrust and sports issues, Meyer brought her knowledge and perspective to her alma mater, Indiana University, where since 2014, she has been a visiting clinical professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. She is also on the board of directors of the Women's Sports Foundation and the National Women's Law Center.

Sex Testing: Gender Policing in Women's Sports

Ever wonder why so many female athletes wore so much makeup at the 2016 Summer Olympics? Lindsay Parks Pieper, an assistant professor of sports management at Lynchburg College in Virginia, provides a possible explanation in Sex Testing. Drawing on internal documents from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Pieper charts the impetus for and changing nature of sex testing in sports from the 1920s into the 2000s. Gender suspicions were first raised when women entered competitive track and field in the 1920s; sex tests became mandatory in the 1960s following the success of female athletes from the Soviet Union. The first sex tests were physical exams involving a manual component, which one athlete recalled as the “most crude and degrading experience I have ever known in my life” (p. 52). In 1967 international athletic organizations switched to chromosome tests and allowed only 46XX women to compete. Noting that “the presence or absence of sex chromatin … is a minor detail in the femaleness or maleness of the whole person,” medical authorities opposed such tests; nevertheless, international sporting authorities relied on them until the 1990s when they switched to equally problematic DNA testing (p. 66). As Pieper contends, “because no biological [sex] division existed, the IOC created its own” (p. 131).

Levelling the Playing Field: Discrimination Against Women in Sport in Australia

Historically, female athletes have received minimal recognition and inequitable remuneration in the male-dominated world of sports. Recent developments are promising but a deeper examination of the changes within sports such as the Australian Football League (‘AFL’) and netball demonstrate that these historical issues remain. This article will first outline the relevant legislative and policy background, and the basis of discrimination against women in sport from feminist perspectives. A detailed analysis of two specific and interrelated issues will then be discussed: lower salaries, sponsorship and prize money, and inadequate media coverage. The inaugural AFL Women’s (‘AFLW’) competition marks a significant step forward for women’s sport and will be examined with regards to these particular issues. Finally, recent developments and further recommendations for eliminating discrimination will be outlined, including legislative amendments, targeted policies, and the need for a change in the gendered assumptions that women are somehow inferior to men in sport and in society in general.

You Can Make the Difference: Women in Sport in Taiwan

This article aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of changing cultural norms that have enabled and constrained women’s sport activities. It aims moreover, to analyse the changing nature of women’s sport activities in Taiwan. I want to show that what men can do, what women can do – and what I want to, what I can, and what I will do. I also address how I became interested in sports history and the pursuits I have made in that field.

Audiovestibular symptoms as predictors of prolonged sports-related concussion among NCAA athletes.

We looked to determine the rates of audiovestibular symptoms following sports-related concussions among collegiate athletes. Further, we assessed the correlation between these symptoms and the time to return to participation in athletic activity. Retrospective analysis of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System (NCAA-ISS). The NCAA-ISS was queried from 2009 through 2014 for seven men's sports and eight women's sports across divisions 1, 2, and 3. Injuries resulting in concussions were analyzed for audiovestibular symptoms, duration of symptoms, and return to participation times. From 2009 to 2014, there were 1,647 recorded sports-related concussions, with athletes reporting dizziness (68.2%), imbalance (35.8%), disorientation (31.4%), noise sensitivity (29.9%), and tinnitus (8.5%). Concussion symptoms resolved within 1 day (17.1%), within 2 to 7 days (50.0%), within 8 to 30 days (25.9%), or persisted over 1 month (7.0%). Return to participation occurred within 1 week (38.3%), within 1 month (53.0%), or over 1 month (8.7%). Using Mann-Whitney U testing, overall symptom duration and return to competition time were significantly increased when any of these symptoms were present (P < 0.05). Duration of concussion symptom correlated with dizziness (P = 0.043) and noise sensitivity (P = 0.000), whereas return to participation times correlated with imbalance (P = 0.011) and noise sensitivity (P = 0.000). Dizziness and imbalance (odds ratio: 4.15, confidence interval: 3.20-5.38, P < 0.001) were the two symptoms with the strongest association. Audiovestibular symptoms are common complaints among collegiate athletes sustaining concussions. Dizziness and noise sensitivity correlated with the duration of concussive symptoms, whereas imbalance and noise sensitivity was correlated with prolonged return to competition time. 4. Laryngoscope, 127:2850-2853, 2017.

A Study on Empowerment Plans for the Activation of Women's Sports for All

A Study on Empowerment Plans for the Activation of Women's Sports for All

Against Women's Sports

This Article challenges the longstanding assumption that sports should be segregated by sex. Imposing sex segregation on sports is problematic for many reasons. It reflects and reinforces a long-disproven binary view of both sex and gender. It communicates that women are physically unable to compete against men, even though research indicates considerable variation among individual athletes and different sports, and further reveals that attributes other than sex are more important determinants of athletic ability. It reinforces unfounded gender stereotypes that harm both women and men. And sex segregation uncritically prioritizes athletic activities involving strengths typically associated with male bodies, without forcing us to ask why we view these strengths as the most important in the first place. Sex segregation should not be the default in sports. Rather, if the entity that regulates a sport believes the sport should be segregated by sex, that entity should meet a burden equivalent to intermediate scrutiny by articulating why sex segregation is substantially related to an important interest. If the regulatory entity is governmental, then relevant constitutional provisions and federal laws, including the Equal Protection Clause and Title IX, already reflect this obligation. And even when the regulatory entity is private, a test analogous to intermediate scrutiny should be required to justify sex segregation as a matter of policy. The Article does not claim that we should do away with all sex segregation in sports. Indeed, at times sex segregation is likely the best choice. But we should think carefully and critically about when and why we engage in such segregation. A thoughtful reexamination of the sex segregation norm we have too long taken for granted will improve sports for everyone.

'Pink Gloves Still Give Black Eyes': exploring 'alternative' femininity in women's combat sports

This article considers the gendered significance of women’s participation in combat sports, with a specific focus on the performances of femininity by female combat athletes. Against lines of argument which posit that women’s enactment of femininity is the result of restrictive, coercive, and ultimately conservative cultural pressures, respondents in two separate studies suggested that a purposeful, selective enactment of femininity, when understood in combination with their fighting ability, signified an important challenge to orthodox understandings of gender. As such, our data suggests that manoeuvring within normative cultural parameters of gender may, ironically, help to stimulate change in its structure of meanings, given that the feminine performances of these fighters ultimately posed symbolic challenges to cultural constructions of (‘normal’) women as inevitably weaker and inferior athletes compared to men. We therefore advocate that scholars with an interest in exploring the subversion of gender remain mindful of the possibility that such subversive impulses might occur via the appropriation, and re-signification, of some of its more orthodox norms.