An Athlete is an Athlete

In US sport, as well as US culture in general, white males rule it all. These upper-middle class white males dominate the senior management in a majority of sports at all levels. These men may or may not be athletically inclined, but they are great with overseeing their perspective sports. Although they may be able to admit that the male athlete they oversee are bigger, faster and stronger, it is these same men that are not capable of admitting female athletes may bephysically superior to them.

There are many strong female athletes of all backgrounds who are either portrayed as sex symbols or are otherwise categorized as butch and manly. Whether this be due to the US culture or their own body issues, the men in the management position are the same ones that work to “put women in their place” by portraying them as sex symbols so as to diminish the image of them as strong athletes. However, there should be no separation or need to distinguish between a male athlete and female athlete – a strong competitor is a strong competitor no matter what age, race, ethnicity and especially sex.

Katie T.
Kin 577