When the WNBA’s Detroit Shock relocated to Tulsa last week as a result of economic challenges, sports columnist Rob Parker commented on the lack of support from women in the Detroit area .
Still, the saddest thing is that the Shock did get the support it needed from women. If enough women took their daughters to the game, the team would not have had to rely on men showing up. For whatever reason, it just didn’t happen in the type of numbers needed to make the Shock a successful organization at the gate.
Regardless of whether he could support his claim with facts, it’s a discussion that multiple women’s sports journalists have pondered – both why women don’t support women’s sports in larger numbers and how to be more proactive about reaching out to potential female fans .
However, in an email conversation with another women’s basketball blogger this past week, the relationship between women’s sports and feminism came up, which prompted me to return to a question posed by Feministing’s Courtney in late March (during March Madness):
What is our responsibility as feminist consumers when it comes to women's sports?
On the one hand, the question could be dismissed as presumptuous – there are many reasons why people don’t follow sports. People rightfully point to the hyper-masculine and misogynist sports culture in the U.S. and a good friend of mine describes sports as “a complete waste of human potential”. Furthermore, sometimes people just aren’t interested in watching sports – while I am an obsessive basketball fan, there are sports that I simply do not enjoy. For those reasons at the very least, I would never attempt to convert someone into a sports fan if they just aren’t interested.
Yet on the other hand, I find the question worthy of further discussion especially as the college basketball season nears because women’s college basketball is among the most visible celebrations of the cultural significance of Title IX, both to sports and to the equitable education of women in the U.S.
So as I revisit the comments on Courtney’s March post, a separate yet connected question emerged for me:
What is the value of women’s sports to present day feminism and feminist advocacy?
Honestly, one of the reasons I started following and writing about women’s basketball is that I take its value for granted – to me it is yet another domain where women work just as hard for less recognition, money, and respect. Perhaps more importantly, I think women’s sports are important because of the ways in which women are represented in the media – the images of female athletes can either reinforce heteronormative gender norms or be at the forefront of breaking them.
As it stands right now, a primary function of “sports in U.S. culture to reinforce gender norms ”, according to Dr. Marie Hardin of Penn State University who writes the Sports, Media, & Society blog . The increased visibility of female athletes has the potential to shift that. For that reason, it seems that there should be some sense of responsibility for feminist communities to pay more attention to women’s sports, even if individuals don’t become rabid superfans .
During last week’s University of Minnesota Tucker Center Distinguished Lecture entitled, “Facing off over Facebook: The impact of social media on women’s sports ”, Dr. Hardin described a need to create a cultural shift “in terms of empowering women’s sports”. That not only means shifting how women’s sports and female athletes are represented, but also shifting who is in control of those images.
A common refrain among women’s sports advocates is that women should support women, particularly those that work just as hard in male-dominated domains only to receive less respect. Regardless of one’s attitude toward sports, the argument exists as sort of a broader ethic in challenging the effects of sexism.
“Whether you work in an office or a doctor a lawyer or any other types of jobs, we as women have to learn to empower each other and pass on positive information,” said retired WNBA legend Lisa Leslie in a recent interview with Swish Appeal .
But another point made in the Tucker Center lecture by Dr. Hardin was that there needs to be a grassroots effort “to get more women to write about women sports”. Of course, that’s a dicey claim – female sports journalists shouldn’t feel forced to advocate for women’s sports when they unfortunately carry very little professional weight in a male-dominated profession. However, the premise of the argument makes sense, as stated by Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi who writes the One Sport Voice blog :
“…outdated gender stereotypes will only change if women rise within the ranks and launch new media of their own. So what are we waiting for?”
The core point of the Tucker Center Distinguished Lecture was that social media presents an opportunity for women to participate in the creation of their own image in new ways, especially when it comes to empowering women's sports.
A recent article in theRoot.com about Howard University’s women’s lacrosse team accentuates the potential value of women supporting sports as both observers and producers.
The women of the Howard University lacrosse team deserve respect as the nation’s only African-American lacrosse team, a sport that is not only predominately male, but also predominately white and upper/middle class. The story is not only an opportunity to honor the accomplishment of these athletes as women, but also to call attention to the intersectional implications one Howard player being “called the N-word” by an opponent. While it could be dismissed as “just a sports story”, what happens in both the activity and coverage of sports has “a real effect in the real world”, as described by Casey Gane-McCalla of the Huffington Post .
However, it is difficult to fully appreciate the social significance of these stories without hearing the voices of those who have to live with the consequences. It’s not just about encouraging feel good expression for the sake of doing so, but also about starting a dialogue about the challenges facing women in sports. The Women Talk Sports network -- which includes blogs from both Dr. Hardin and Dr. LaVoi among others -- exists to facilitate exactly that type of dialogue with a network sports blogs that cover the spectrum of women’s sports. It's an opportunity to support both women's sports and the people dedicated to "promoting and empowering female athleticism."
Of course, others can call attention to women’s sports and attempt to make them more visible. Furthermore, the burden should fall equally on male and female journalists and sports fans to "empower women’s sports". If women work alone in advocating for women’s sports, it will only become entrenched in the “job ghetto” status that it already holds in many mainstream sports media departments.
But if we seek to understand what it means to be a female athlete in the U.S. and the impact that increased access to sports has on the lives of individual women, we do need to hear from them, whether it be cheering from the crowd or maintaining journalistic neutrality from press row.
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Here's my anecdotal response:
Some of the most rabid anti-women's sports diatribes I have heard have come from women who do not identify as feminist.
It makes me angry.
Of course, I remember the anti-woman things coming out of the mouths of most of my guy friends in college. Since I valued their friendship, I learned to keep my opinions to myself in order to prevent arguments. I voiced opinions I didn't like or believe in order to win popularity points. I used to call it "turning off my brain." I don't think I'm the only woman who has done this.
I'm not interested in sports, I don't like playing them, I don't like watching them, I don't like talking about them or listening to people go on and on about them. I don't have to have anything to do with them if I don't want to. Just because I share a common genital feature with people who like sports doesn't mean I have to like them too or go to their games or promote their leagues.
That being said, I don't tolerate people being sexist about that shit. I call them out on it, though usually in a teasing manner, to make apparent the silliness of their prejudices. I also would like to see women's hockey leagues being allowed to check, but that's because I played it for a while. (My parents made me play sports and ice hockey was the least worst.) But that's the extent of my interest.
You're right - nobody can makes you "care" about women's sports. But as a feminist, what you should care about (in my opinion) is the opportunity - the opportunity for a woman to compete at her sport as an expert of her craft, just like you would in any other industry.
By buying a ticket to a WNBA game once in awhile and actually blogging about it or talking about it to your friends who may or may not be athletes, you're supporting that opportunity. By ignoring it and saying you just don't care, you're supporting the silence as much as you would be by not speaking out when a woman is abused or not paid adequately at her job.
In my honest opinion, women who actively bypass the opportunity to support our athlete sisters are simply "consumers" of feminism and not real activists in the truest sense of the word.
Megan Hueter
Cofounder, WomenTalkSports.com
I support the legalization of prostitution, should I hire a prostitute? I'm pro-choice, should I have an abortion if I find myself pregnant, just to support the cause? What right do you have to tell me that I HAVE to buy a ticket, that I HAVE to talk about any sports team? I care about the inequality in the industry and I will talk about that, but I don't attend either gender's events because I DO NOT ENJOY THEM. They do not get an all-access pass to my financial support just because women play those sports. I'm not obligated to pay men OR women to play games. In the end, they are an entertainment industry that doesn't entertain me.
You are out of line.
Out of line? OR just out of the ordinary?
The purpose of my was not to tell anyone what to do/what not to do. I was simply clarifying my own personal definition of feminism. In my opinion, feminism means supporting opportunities for other women.
To me, feminism means women should respect the opportunity for other women to achieve their dreams. Currently, there's nothing in place to protect female sports opportunities at the professional level because it's a marginalized, private industry. That's why it's so hard to grow. That's exactly why women's professional softball is dying.
Unfortunately, the only way to protect the opportunity for women to play on the professional level is fans (i.e., purchasing tickets and taking an interest). As women, on the local level, I believe we (as feminists) have an obligation to protect the opportunity for other women to compete in professional basketball. It's a respect thing. It's an opportunity thing. We need to protect it or it will die.
We aren't talking about prostitutes or abortion. We're talking about successful women competing in a craft in which they excel.
As for classism (per another comment)... Half the girls on the court came from low-income areas. Sport gave them a career in which likely got them into a good college, achieve a degree (WNBA requires 4 years of college in order to play), and a place to excel as a professional. To top that off, most girls spend the winter traveling the world playing internationally as well. It's a special career in which one has to work hard to compete and be great. We need to protect that as women.
We have some great (related) posts going on over at WomenTalkSports.com that I'd love for you to participate in.
"By ignoring it and saying you just don't care, you're supporting the silence as much as you would be by not speaking out when a woman is abused or not paid adequately at her job."
What? Not supporting a team that plays a sport you adamantly dislike is akin to looking the other way when someone is abused?
I must've missed something.
Ha! Must...consume...basketball...not...feminism.
Nope. I will continue to ignore the WNBA and NBA equally. I have no obligation as a woman to watch someone throw a ball into a hoop (or watch a videotape of some high-level corporate business meeting) just because the person engaged in the activity is female. I'm not going to buy a product I don't enjoy solely because women were involved in making it.
I see little to no value in professional sports.
I think watching other people play games is mind numbingly boring, regardless of their gender, and you would have to pay *me* to get me to do it.
"By buying a ticket to a WNBA game once in awhile and actually blogging about it or talking about it to your friends who may or may not be athletes, you're supporting that opportunity. By ignoring it and saying you just don't care, you're supporting the silence as much as you would be by not speaking out when a woman is abused or not paid adequately at her job".
I personally don't like basketball and none of my sports enjoying friends do either.I do support the sports I enjoy both male and female when I get a chance,(not as frequent as I would like). I don't feel obligated nor compelled to sit through a sport I simply don't enjoy because of a felt need to "SUPPORT MY GENDER"
There area ton of things wrong with the way women in sports are viewed but I can't fix low attendance nor can the myrads of women who simply don't like sports or only enjoy in a limited way.
With time and energy on short demand how can we women be expected to suppoort all women's sports too? I think it is important to whole heartedly support what you enjoy and through that passion change can be attained.
I can't get passionate about that which I don't have interest just because it's a good girl idea.
One thing many people haven't considered is that many women have families to care for and the men in our lives often leave us behind to enjoy a good beer and a ball game sometime. Women have obligations that may prohibit spectatorship at a level we may desire.
I too enjoy and "appreciate "the human drama" of anyone working to be the best at what they do" I just don't like some of the sports we have been discussing here and most likely I will never go to a women's Basketball game almost for sure never a man's either.
To make some of these mentioned sports more financially viable they have to add to the value of the spectators expereince in some shape or form for them to keep wanting more. Even if more women attended these sports would it be enough?
I have enjoyed this tread
No.
The point of fighting for women's sports was so that those women athletes have a place to play. The onus is on them after that to bring in fans. Anyone who supports them or wants that their careers and sport to continue has an obligation to put their money where their activism is and show some financial support.
I'm a football fan, I don't like basketball. I do love gymnastics, track and tennis. Though I think they have a right to play I don't think they have a right to play indefinitely for an empty court and make no profit. If the demographic isn't there you have to go where the money ,support and demand is.
I agree completely. Does any one know how many women actually enjoy and support regularly sports
as a spectator, beside their kids games on a regular basis because they actually enjoy the sport?
I don't think anyone, feminist or otherwise, is obligated to like/ support anything.
I am a sports fan (and a female) -- though I'm primarily into football and baseball. I don't really follow basketball much, usually limiting myself to the NCAA tournament and the later rounds of the NBA playoffs at most -- both men's events.
The reality of the WNBA is that it is catering to a large demographic (women), but a small market-share. The percentage of women that care about sports is considerably lower than the percentage of men that do -- as such, the WNBA will never rival the NBA, MLB or NFL.
And, while WNBA players are extremely talented, it is a little like watching minor league baseball -- which is why it doesn't make my list of sports to follow, and why I doubt most men will ever care. The reality is basketball prowess is heavily related to size and speed. If the genders weren't segregated, the best WNBA players likely wouldn't make an NBA team. So, the WNBA is a slower, less-physical game, and it isn't necessarily what most sports fans want to watch.
The WNBA needs to focus on smaller cities with no (or very few) major professional sports teams or high-powered college sports teams. I live in Houston -- with the Rockets, Texans, Cowboys, Astros, Longhorns, Aggies (etc., etc.), the Comets hardly ever even made the evening news. They were basically drowned out by other, far more popular, sporting franchises in the area.
Rather than Houston, they should've tried Corpus Christi or El Paso. If minor league baseball can be successful there, so can the WNBA ... smaller market, less competition for sports-fan dollars. Don't go head-to-head with an NBA team ... be the only professional game in town.
kbz
I have to totally disagree with you. The WNBA is definitely not slower than the NBA. Actually, I have watched some WNBA game, and from what I have observed, thier games are much faster paced and more physical than the NBA. For instance, I have watched plenty of WNBA games where they have scored just as many points as would be scored in an NBA game in almost half the time. NBA quarters are 12 minutes while WNBA quarters are only 8 minutes. However, WNBA teams still manage to score just as many points as NBA teams in a game. I blame our society for the women not supporting women's sports, because it subliminally brainwashes women to being sexist toward thier own kind.
-Nikki-
Just to support your point about the pace of the WNBA game increasing:
http://www.swishappeal.com/2009/10/16/1087344/the-evolution-of-the-wnba
Most of the old arguments against the WNBA don't hold much weight anymore...and do strike me as the result of sexist assumptions about what women can/cannot accomplish...
Honestly, one of the reasons I started following and writing about women’s basketball is that I take its value for granted – to me it is yet another domain where women work just as hard for less recognition, money, and respect.
I don't think you want to make that comparison. There are obvious physical differences between (elite) men and (elite) women when it comes to sports like basketball. I'm pretty sure most Feminists don't think there are obvious qualitative differences between men and women when it comes to say politics or management.
Aleks, you're right that the obvious qualitative differences don't exist in other domains.
To clarify the point, while there are obviously qualitative differences in women's performance on the court, it would be hard to establish a difference in the amount of work female athletes put into sports.
So the issue for me is honoring the effort moreso than comparing their performance to men...as Eresbel said, it's the blatantly sexist disrespect that women receive despite the work they put in that is disturbing to me.
Who cares how much effort people put into sports? I may train all day at a sport for my whole life but if I don't match up nobody's going to pay to watch me play. If effort counted for anything Rudy Ruettiger would be in the Hall of Fame. He's not, because he wasn't a good enough athlete.
I am confident that the WNBA will never surpass the NBA in the quality of its players and in the level of play it offers spectators. The fact that they try hard will not make it any better.
Certainly not trying to push sports on anyone, but I do care about and appreciate "the human drama" of anyone working to be the best at what they do, especially when winning doesn't come at any great expense to anyone else (keeping sports in perspective, losing a game generally has little consequence).
As long as we are able to keep sports in perspective and don't deify athletes, many of the stories are quite inspiring...
And I see your point about Rudy... but the only reason most of us know that story is because it's compelling enough to be made into a movie...
In my mind, sports are just another way we value people's physical bodies over their souls, personalities, or minds. (Obviously, it takes loads of hard work and training, but so do lots of things...) To me, watching sports is similar to watching a beauty contest, considering the narrowly-defined (and basically unattainable) view of strength and ability it is upholding. Not to mention how sports continue to reinforce the already much too enforced values of competitiveness and in-group loyalty - both values which I see as highly problematic from a feminist perspective.
We have to fight for women's rights to participate in sports, and to be treated equally to men within them, but we have no obligation to support any form of sports in general, and certainly not to be fans.
I feel like the men's teams have intense brand loyalty and history--if I grow up watching the Detroit Pistons, why would I switch?
I feel like these teams are competing for the same market--perhaps going to a town with no team might help.
My opinion:
regardless of gender, buying sports tickets, jerseys, and all other things is still buying into consumerism and capitalism. Do you NEED to go to the sports game? No.
If you like sports, go for it. But your thinking is LIBERAL thinking. For example, "I'm for a more green lifestyle, I'm going to buy these recycled bags/clothes/shoes". Well guess what, you are privileged enough to CHOSE to buy these things. A lot of people do not have time or money to support sports teams and also people like me just hate sports and feel no need to discuss them or watch them.
I am sick of these liberal feminists asking, "is it required of me to boycott Valentine's Day?, Can I get married? Do I have to support women's sports"?
WAKE UP! Feminism is whatever you make of it. I, am an anarcha-feminist. My views are probably much more radical and different than yours. But I respect you, and if you want to vote in the next election or get married or have kids in a heterosexual relationship and stay at home, DO IT! That's the BEAUTY of feminism. You have the choice to do whatever you want in this country (if you are a white hetero middle class woman). So go ahead and do it all. Don't question if it is "feminist" of you to do it.
Own your life. Own your feminism. Asking for permission is what we have been doing for thousands of years because of patriarchy. Fuck that.
My opinion:
regardless of gender, buying sports tickets, jerseys, and all other things is still buying into consumerism and capitalism. Do you NEED to go to the sports game? No.
If you like sports, go for it. But your thinking is LIBERAL thinking. For example, "I'm for a more green lifestyle, I'm going to buy these recycled bags/clothes/shoes". Well guess what, you are privileged enough to CHOSE to buy these things. A lot of people do not have time or money to support sports teams and also people like me just hate sports and feel no need to discuss them or watch them.
I am sick of these liberal feminists asking, "is it required of me to boycott Valentine's Day?, Can I get married? Do I have to support women's sports"?
WAKE UP! Feminism is whatever you make of it. I, am an anarcha-feminist. My views are probably much more radical and different than yours. But I respect you, and if you want to vote in the next election or get married or have kids in a heterosexual relationship and stay at home, DO IT! That's the BEAUTY of feminism. You have the choice to do whatever you want in this country (if you are a white hetero middle class woman). So go ahead and do it all. Don't question if it is "feminist" of you to do it.
Own your life. Own your feminism. Asking for permission is what we have been doing for thousands of years because of patriarchy. Fuck that.