The Unfair Treatment of Women in Athletics

The fight for equal rights has been present in our country for far too long. Race being one, sexuality being another and one becoming more common; the imbalance of equal rights between men and women.

Men receive higher pay, the stereotypical, “men work, women work the house” “boys can do this, but girls can’t.”

Allison is only 17. She goes to a small high school in the state of New Jersey, where she is a part of the cross country team.

“I wasn’t looking for the easy way out. It was a 100 degrees and I was running a workout on the track, reaching 10 laps. At that point, I physically could not get my body to move with the sun beating down on me.”

Although, that wasn’t Allison’s real issue.

“As I was running I noticed the boys team running with their shirts off, not breathing as heavily and not sweating in the same way I was,” Allison said.

There Allison was, in a short sleeved shirt and shorts where the weather was reaching 100-degrees.

“The boys ran proudly shirtless and in spandex shorts.”

Allison explained that her coaches and athletic director implemented one rule. It was that rule that ultimately led her to walk off the track, one final time.

The rule: Girls can not in any circumstances take their shirts off and wear sports bra’s, they must keep their shirts on at all times.

The reason: The boys will get distracted.

The story doesn’t nearly end there. She voiced to the coaches how unfair it was that the boys ran without shirts and in spandex. Although, it wasn’t the coach’s problem, they weren’t suffering.

Once Allison noticed her surroundings she stopped, and took her shirt off. She ran a lap, the coaches yelled, “shirt on now.” Allison ignored. Ran another lap, coaches yelled “get off the track and put your shirt on.” Allison paused and broke down. A person unfamiliar to being sensitive broke down in the heat of the moment, and walked off the track one final time.

In the attempt to pull herself together and put her anger aside, Allison knocked on the athletic director’s door. There stood the athletic director and assistant principal. This situation was meant to be between Allison and the athletic director. Allison asked the assistant principal to give her a few minutes, he refused to leave.

Allison began going over what occurred outside.

She was stopped, the assistant principal said, “well you know, my daughter plays soccer and has no issue in the heat.”

Allison said, “but soccer is stop and go, you get water breaks and are substituted, she is not running for an hour straight.”

Her reply felt like it meant nothing. She went back and forth trying to get those two men to understand a young girls point of view. Allison wanted the men to notice the unfair treatment she experienced based on being a female. To Allison, it felt like a lost cause.

Later that night, Allison’s mom got a phone call from the assistant principal. He said, “you know Mrs. Regan, Allison came in today very upset, we think you may want to make an appointment for her to meet with the guidance counselor. There are some issues she needs to get worked out.”

When this statement was brought to her attention, Allison explained that it made her feel “belittled” and like “she was crazy.” Allison questioned herself wondering if she just needed to move on. But now, as stories like this are frequent, Allison finds this particular story of importance and value, for every male and female to take note of. Allison’s point is that women need to be treated within athletics equally, in all aspects.

Sports bra’s are worn by olympic athletes worldwide. Across the country, female cross country runners wear sports bras and spandex as their uniforms.

“On June 23, 1972, the President signed Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, into law. Title IX is a comprehensive federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity,” according to The United States Department of Justice.

Assistant Professor of Journalism, at Quinnipiac University, Molly Yanity, worked within sports for many years. It wasn’t familiar for the female journalist to be put down for being a woman, but it has happened.

“The one area where I did catch some flak for being a woman was when I was an AP top 25 voter for college football and now this was in the mid to late 2000’s,” she said.

“Every week when my votes would come out, fans of certain teams who would be dis pleased with my vote. They would send me emails or call me in the middle of the night…that was the only time where people specifically pointed out my sex.”

But, when will some men realize women need to be treated equally, especially in athletics? A step in the right direction would include serious action.

“I don’t think men are just going to be like, hey come on, we feel like this is the right thing to do, that’s not going to happen. It’s going to be lawsuits and what the consumer decides they want,” Yanity said.

We are all the same, but women are still penalized within athletics in every aspect. Allison and Yanity experienced unfair treatment based on their sex in two different ways and two different times. Change is happening but we are not equal just yet.

 

***This was a class assignment***