During class last week, one of my professors posed an interesting question to me. In a discussion about the role of gender in sports, he asked why it is that the most celebrated of our female athletes are always the HOT ones? Danica Patrick, Maria Sharapova, Anna Kournikova, and Amanda Beard head up the list of beautiful female athletes who have had OK careers in their respective sports, but have excelled in the world of celebrity endorsement by showing a little T&A. Sure, certain superstar female athletes have excelled to the top of the game through sport, such as Serena Williams and Candace Parker. But even those have taken steps toward flaunting their face and bodies in pursuit of increased popularity. Serena has abandoned the tradition of modest tennis apparel on the court with outfits in tennis arenas that Nelly and the St. Lunatics would be proud of. And in a recent interview with ESPN magazine, Parker said she is focused on her career and new child for now, but in the future, will have no qualms using her god given beauty to become a bigger crossover star than both Patrick and Sharapova. And we love them for it. but Why?
Why is it that being an female athlete and beautiful at the same time is a story in it of itself? Is it a double standard? Is it sexism? Why is it that an athlete like Annika Sorenstam,...(who was essentially the Tiger Woods of women's golf for a decade) is not as celebrated or as highly sought after as these othern bitties. Why is it that companies like Addidas pay 10s of millions of dollars to sign Kournikova to an apparel deal, but the only clothing line interested in Sorenstam is relavtive unknown named Cutter & Buck? (see, i knew you never heard of that)
So that's the question I'm posing to BUSE nation. Are us sports fans sexist? There's an old saying that sports mirror society. And society may be to blame for this phenomenon? I must admit even while Annika Sorenstam was racking up win after win on the LPGA tour, I never once had a conversation with my friends about her dominance of women's golf. However, when Michelle Wie turned of legal age, I did have a conversation amongst pals pertaining to whether or not she was hot...I didn't really care that she was getting her ass handed to her on a weekly basis on the tour. Are people like me to blame? Or is it the athletes themselves. Amanda Beard stirred tremendous controversy for posing nude in playboy after returning from a successful Olympics. At the time she was probably the most popular, and successful female swimmer in the US, and was hung on posters in many little girls' room as a role model for female athletic excellence. So does it demean her as a person and diminish her athletic prowess if the father of the little girl with poster is in the other room jerking off to her playboy spread? It's a good question, and I straight up don't know the answer.
2 comments:
I will start by addressing your main question, of why our most celebrated female athletes are hot, by noting that our most celebrated male athletes are hot as well. Think basketball, Michael Jordan, not only played better than everyone else but he also (before the dress code) dressed sharper and had flocks of women fantasizing about him. Going to baseball, Derek Jeter, not only plays shortstop for the New York Yankees as well as anyone in history but has been quite the ladies man ever since he stepped on the diamond at Yankee Stadium. Even in the NFL where players faces are covered by masks while playing, the most celebrated player in the league is none other than, New England Patriots Tom Brady. Coincedence women the likes of Gisele have fallen for him? Being beautiful and good at your craft, earns you endorsements regardless of your sex.
The difference with the sexes is that we tend to see beauty celebrated before success in their respected arena. Using your examples, Danica Patrick has 1 win, Anna Kournikova has never won anything. However I will discredit Sharapova because she has won at Wimbleton and Beard has Olympic hardware. But I would not call this sexist.
The reason we tend to celebrate the beauty before the accolades in women's sports is for the simple fact of marketing. Women's sports are nowhere near the level of which men's sports has reached, in any capacity (popularity, earnings, etc). So what these hot women do is draw attention not only to themselves but to their sport, much needed attention. Think of a woman like Jennie Finch, a dominant gold medal winning pitcher for Team USAs Softball team. Although she has not posed nude for Playboy, she has used her good looks to market not only herself but to get the word out about women's softball.
To keep it real, we must remember we can not compare women's sports to men's. The playing field is far from level, so having women exploit other assets to get us talking about them and their game is the approach that has worked. Because guess what, as long as Danica Patrick is in 'Go Daddy' commercials we continue to watch her race around the track and talk about her sport.
couldnt agree more. well thought out and executed argument. it is not sexist in my opinion. u use what you got. this women make an extra buck doing what they do. in any job you have, you use ur strengths to gain a leverage. whatever they may be. for these women. its good looks.
to leave the sports world for a minute. consider both genders in the music world, and the film industry. you have a much better shot at being successful if your beautiful. music especially. trying to argue this point only seems like going around in circles. but hopefully you get my point.
Post a Comment