The Average Guy: Taking a closer look at women's sports
Jared Dyrdahl
Issue date: 2/25/09 Section: Sports
The other day I was walking back to my dwelling in the dorms from the workout center at RSOP when the championship banner for the UMD football team caught my eye. As I continued on my journey down the corridor, the championship trophy for the UMD women's hockey from the previous season caught my eye. I stopped to look at the trophy case filled with awards and accolades collected by members of the women's hockey program and then a strange thought crossed my mind. I wondered to myself, "Why do I not remember hearing of these accomplishments during my four years at this fine academic institution?" When the football team was marching toward a national championship, it was all the buzz around the campus. Last spring, when the women's hockey team was crushing foes on their way to their national championship, it was almost like it was a secretive affair.
Contining on my stroll, I began to contemplate this matter on a deeper level. Has the women's hockey program spoiled us with their tradition of great play to such an extent that we just take their success for granted? Or do we, as a campus community, overlook the accomplishments of the athletic department's most successful program merely because it is a women's sport? As my mind continued to munch on this quandry, I started to lean more towards the latter option. Most fans tend to place a higher value on men's athletic achievements than on their women counterparts. The question that I began asking myself is why.
After watching sports for most of my young life, the answer seems to be pretty obvious. Male athletes tend to be bigger, stronger and faster than females in the same sport. What this translates into is a sporting event that is much faster, and in the mind of most sports fans, "better." However, if one further scrutinizes the athletic performance of male versus female athletes, they may find that women actually possess more refined skill sets than males. The reason that male sports are viewed by society as being of higher quality is merely because of biological differences in the development of the different physical systems of the body required to play sports.
Contining on my stroll, I began to contemplate this matter on a deeper level. Has the women's hockey program spoiled us with their tradition of great play to such an extent that we just take their success for granted? Or do we, as a campus community, overlook the accomplishments of the athletic department's most successful program merely because it is a women's sport? As my mind continued to munch on this quandry, I started to lean more towards the latter option. Most fans tend to place a higher value on men's athletic achievements than on their women counterparts. The question that I began asking myself is why.
After watching sports for most of my young life, the answer seems to be pretty obvious. Male athletes tend to be bigger, stronger and faster than females in the same sport. What this translates into is a sporting event that is much faster, and in the mind of most sports fans, "better." However, if one further scrutinizes the athletic performance of male versus female athletes, they may find that women actually possess more refined skill sets than males. The reason that male sports are viewed by society as being of higher quality is merely because of biological differences in the development of the different physical systems of the body required to play sports.
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Erica
Erica
posted 5/15/09 @ 11:08 PM CST
This was very well written, with interesting word choice and vey good voice. I've often wondered the same question. Although I must admitt I'm surprised that the word delicious wasn't worked in somehow. (Continued…)
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