“Judge me on my talent, not my sex"

I was scrolling through some current events in sports when an article titled “Judge me on my talent, not my sex, says Kentucky Derby female jockey.  It seemed like a good article that would bring up topics we would discuss in class, such as gender roles in sports and females participating in a male dominated sport.

The article discusses Rosie Napravnik and how she is not just one of the best female jockeys, but one of the best jockeys period.  Napravnik says, "To be honest, the female aspect has worked to my advantage in a lot of respects -- just with publicity and being recognized for things that I've accomplished which may not have been such a big deal if it was just another male jockey." At first I was not sure exactly how I felt about her statement, but it got me thinking about gender roles in sports.  Is it O.K. that Napravnik gets more attention than her male counterparts of equal talent?  After further consideration, I think not.  I think it is a bit of a cop out for her to embrace the extra attention and publicity when other (male) jockeys are just as good, and receive nothing.  A lot of females, especially those in sports, advocate how they want to be treated equally to their male counterparts.  How can females be considered equal when they perform at the same standards as males, but stand out more simply because of their gender?  I think this really downplays the strength and athleticism of females because it sends the message that female athletes are not suppose to be as good as male athletes.  Society will not be able to establish equality between males and females in sports if they are not evaluated on the same standards and playing fields, regardless of their gender.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/03/sport/rosie-napravnik-kentucky-derby-female-woman-jockey/index.html?hpt=isp_bn5

S. Schrum

LT 24

KIN 577