Description of Plans

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This semester, I plan on revising the "Women's Sports" article. I will restructure the article by integrating current sections like "Current Events" and "1960s-2010s" into the "History" section. I will also elaborate on the sections like "Battle for Equality" and "Media Coverage" by providing more details about more countries that are not mentioned currently. Lastly, I will add new sections like "Professional Leagues" and "Empowerment through Sport" to this article.

Annotated Bibliography

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Bell, Richard C, “A History of Women in Sport Prior to Title IX,” The Sport Journal 10, no. 2 (2007). Heckman, Diane, “Women & Athletics: A Twenty Year Retrospective on Title IX,” University of Miami Entertainment and Sports Law Review 9, no. 1 (1992): 1-64. I will use both these articles in the "History" section. Bell provides a more detailed perspective about women's sports in the late 19th and early 20th century. Heckman discusses the impact of Title IX in the decades following its passage.

Hanis-Martin, Jennifer L, “Embodying Contradictions: The Case of Professional Women’s Basketball,” Journal of Sport and Social Issues 30, no. 3 (2006): 265-288. Kosofsky, Syda, “Toward Gender Equality in Professional Sports,” Hastings Women’s Law Journal 4, no. 2 (1993): 209-247. Whitside, Erin and Marie Hardin, “Women (Not) Watching Women: Leisure Time, Television, and Implications for Televised Coverage of Women’s Sports,” Communication, Culture, & Critique 4 (2011): 122-143. I will use these articles in the "Professional Leagues" section that I will create for the article. Hanis-Martin discusses how difficult it can be for women's sports to be a means of social change. Kosofsky provides a detailed look at gender inequality in pro sports. Whitside and Hardin discuss the impact of lack of viewership on women's pro sports.

Duncan, Margaret C and Barry Brummett, “Liberal and Radical Sources of Female Empowerment in Sport Media,” Sociology of Sport Journal 10 (1993): 57-72. Blinde, Elaine M., Diane E. Taub, and Lingling Han, “Sport as a Site for Women’s Group and Societal Empowerment: Perspectives from the College Athlete,” Sociology of Sport Journal 11, no. 1 (1994): 51-59. Theberge, Nancy, “Sport and Women’s Empowerment,” Women’s Studies International Forum 10, no. 4 (1988): 387-393. I will use these articles in the "Empowerment" section that I will create for the article. Duncan and Brummett point out how sport media can be a source of empowerment for women. Blinde et al. study how female collegiate athletes are empowered through their sports. Theberge is useful because she shows how women can achieve political change through sport.

Hamzeh, Manal, “FIFA’s Double Hijabophobia: A Colonialist and Islamist Alliance Racializing Muslim Women Soccer Players,” Women’s Studies International Forum 63 (2017): 11-16. Pelak, Cynthia F, “Women and Gender in South African Soccer: A Brief History,” Soccer and Society 11, no. 1-2 (2010): 63-78. Pelak, Cynthia F, “Negotiating Gender/Race/Class Constraints in the New South Africa,” International Review for the Sociology of Sport 40, no. 1 (2005): 53-70. Feltham, Luke and Busisiwe Mokwena, “Banyana Yet to be Paid Safa Monies.” Mail & Guardian, January 17, 2019. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://mg.co.za/article/2019-01-18-00-banyanas-payment-woes-continue/ Knijnik, Jorge, “Femininities and Masculinities in Brazilian Women’s Football: Resistance and Compliance,” Journal of International Women’s Studies 16, no. 3 (2015): 54-70. Bonn, Kyle, “Jamaica Women’s Team on Strike After Not Being Paid.” NBC Sports, September 3, 2019. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2019/09/03/jamaica-womens-team-on-strike-after-not-being-paid/ Pilon, Mary, “Saudi Arabian Trailblazer, by Way of United States.” The New York Times, July 13, 2012. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/14/sports/olympics/sarah-attar-is-a-saudi-arabian-trailblazer-by-way-of-the-us.html Dure, Beau. “Swedish Women’s Hockey Players Boycott Over Pay Dispute.” NBC Sports, August 16, 2019. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2019/08/16/swedish-womens-hockey-players-boycott-over-pay-dispute/ Salvian, Hailey and Katie Strang, “Not Everyone’s On Board for the Women’s Hockey Boycott.” The Athletic, May 7, 2019. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://theathletic.com/965988/2019/05/07/not-everyones-on-board-for-the-womens-hockey-boycott/ Wright, Robin, “The Refugee Olympians in Rio.” The New Yorker, August 2, 2016. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/the-refugee-olympians-in-rio Buckley, Will, “China’s Female Pioneers Have Helped Change the Games for the Better.” The Guardian, August 23, 2008. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/aug/23/olympics20084 I will use all of these articles in the "Battle for Equality" section to show how female athletes around the world are fighting for equality within their sport.

Professional sports

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Main article: Women's professional sports

Overview

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Professional sports refers to sports in which athletes are paid for their performance. Opportunities for women to play professional sports vary by country. Some women's professional sports leagues are directly affiliated with a men's professional sports league (like the WNBA[1]); others are independently owned and operated (like the NWHL[2]).

While women today do have the opportunity to play professional sports, the pay for women's professional sports is significantly lower than for men's[3][4], a phenomenon known as the gender pay gap in sports. Many female professional athletes hold second jobs in addition to playing their respective sports due to their low salaries[5][6][7]. Female professional athletes play in lower-quality, smaller facilities than male professional athletes and generally have lower fan attendance at games or matches[8][9]. Many women's professional sports are not regularly broadcast on live television like many men's professional sports[10], but are live-streamed on platforms such Twitter[11] or Twitch[12] instead.

Not only do female athletes themselves face inequality, but so too do women looking to enter the business side of sports. Research has shown that women occupy leadership positions in sports business at a lower rate than men[13]. When women do occupy the same positions as men, they may be paid less[14][15], although some research has shown revenue-specific variables may be more relevant than gender-specific variables when examining compensation levels[16].

Chart describing various active pro leagues

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**will add more sports**

Country Sport League or Association Name
USA Hockey National Women's Hockey League
USA Soccer National Women's Soccer League
USA Basketball Women's National Basketball Association
USA Lacrosse Women's Professional Lacrosse League
USA
USA Softball National Pro Fastpitch
Australia Soccer Westfield W-League
England Soccer FA Women's Super League
Mexico Soccer Liga MX Femenil
Country Sport League or Association Name
Australia Soccer Westfield W-League
Denmark Handball HTH Ligaen
England Soccer FA Women's Super League
Mexico Soccer Liga MX Femenil
Russia Basketball Russian Women's Basketball Premier League
Turkey Volleyball Turkish Women's Volleyball League
USA Basketball Women's National Basketball Association
USA Golf Ladies Professional Golf Association
USA Ice Hockey National Women's Hockey League
USA Lacrosse Women's Professional Lacrosse League
USA Lacrosse United Women's Lacrosse League
USA Soccer National Women's Soccer League
USA Softball National Pro Fastpitch
USA Tennis Women's Tennis Association


Battle for equality

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Norway

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*in addition to what's already in this section*

Ada Hegerberg is a highly skilled and decorated Norwegian soccer player, having won numerous Champions League and Division 1 Féminine titles with French club Olympique Lyonnais. She also won the first-ever women's Ballon D'Or, a prestigious award given to the best soccer player in the world[17]. However, in 2017, she stopped playing with the Norwegian national team, citing unequal pay and conditions between the women's team and the men's team as her reason for stepping away from the team. She said she would no longer play for the national team until she felt that it was more respected by the Norwegian Football Federation and the culture surrounding women's soccer had improved, which meant she did not participate in the high-profile 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup[18].

Sweden

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*in addition to what's already in this section*

In August 2019, the Swedish women's national hockey team boycotted the team's training camp and the Five Nations Tournament. In a movement they called #FörFramtiden (in English, "For the Future"), all 43 players invited to camp cited[19] lack of equal pay as well as various instances of poor treatment by Svenska Ishockeyförbundet, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association (SIF) toward the national team, including, but not limited to:

  • Team travel conditions - traveling by ferry instead of by plane to games; arriving to games one day before a tournament began, without accounting for time differences and jet lag
  • Team uniforms - players are provided men's clothing by SIF, not women's clothing
  • Nutrition - players are provided expired products
  • Lack of development - players allege that SIF has not adequately created a program to foster development of women's hockey at the youth level

As of October 2019, the Four Nations Cup, originally scheduled for November 2019, was canceled by SIF due to the players' ongoing dispute with the federation.[20]

Jamaica

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The Jamaican women's national soccer team (nicknamed the Reggae Girlz) participated in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, the first Women's World Cup the country had qualified for and the first Caribbean country to ever qualify[21]. However, in September 2019, members of the team, including Khadija Shaw and Allyson Swaby, posted a graphic on Instagram with captions stating that they had not been paid by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) for nine months of work. They announced that the team would not participate in any future tournaments until they received payment[22]. JFF President Michael Ricketts later announced that the team would be paid by the end of September[23]. In October 2019, the Reggae Girlz began playing again, and they won their group in the the Qualification Tournament for the 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Competition[24].

The Jamaican national netball team (nicknamed the Sunshine Girls) is ranked 4th in the world, as of July 2019[25]. However, the team has not been well-funded, and had to resort to crowdfunding to attend the 2019 Netball World Cup[26]. After receiving support from sponsors, the Sunshine Girls were able to go to the tournament, where they placed 5th overall[27].

South Africa

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Between 2004 and 2008, the previously highly successful South African women's national soccer team, known as Banyana Banyana, began to struggle on the field due to a lack of a permanent coach. Members of the South African Football Association (SAFA) attributed the declining quality of play to the players' "lack of femininity" (Engh 2010), and the players were instructed to take etiquette classes and maintain stereotypical feminine hairstyles, as well as wear more feminine uniforms while playing. In response, players threatened to strike unless they were able to return to their preferred styles of dress (JSTOR)[28].

In 2018, Banyana Banyana was not paid the agreed-upon amount owed to them after qualifying for the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON), and they protested by not returning their official national team uniforms[29]. In January 2019, the team was again not paid their stipends and bonuses, despite finishing in second place at AWCON. They threatened to strike by not attending interviews or team practices, as well as not playing in a game against the Dutch national team[30]. However, in May 2019, it was announced that Banyana Banyana would receive equal pay with the men's team heading into the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup[31].

Ireland

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In October 2017, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) advertised an available position for head coach of the Irish women's national rugby team. The job was advertised as "part-time," "casual," and available on six-month basis[32]. Players expressed their disagreement with the decision, believing it was a sign that the IRFU was disrespecting and not prioritizing the women's game. In response to this announcement, the players highlighted what they perceived as the IRFU's lack of commitment to the long-term development of the women's game by wearing bracelets with "#Legacy" written on them for games with their club teams in the All Ireland League[33].

  1. ^ Megdal, Howard (November 19, 2018). "WNBA CBA Negotiations". Forbes. Retrieved October 10, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ Jay, Michelle (April 2, 2019). "The CWHL folded - now what happens to women's hockey in Canada?". The Ice Garden. Retrieved October 10, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ Kosofsky, Syda (1993). "Toward Gender Equality in Professional Sports". Hastings Women's Law Journal. 4 (2): 213–214.
  4. ^ Salam, Maya (March 11, 2019). "The Long Fight for Pay Equality in Sports". The New York Times. Retrieved October 10, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Gass, Henry (June 21, 2015). "Outside World Cup, women pro soccer players struggle to make ends meet". Retrieved October 8, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Giambalvo, Emily (July 10, 2017). "Why making a living as a women's pro soccer player is no easy task". Seattle Times. Retrieved October 8, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Varriano, Anthony (March 15, 2019). "When professional hockey is your side hustle". Retrieved October 8, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Berri, David (May 23, 2018). "When it comes to sports, men and women don't play on the same fields". Forbes. Retrieved October 8, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Iversen, Katja (July 9, 2015). "Why you should think twice about ignoring women's sports". Women in the World. Retrieved October 10, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Cooky, Cheryl; Messner, Michael A.; Hextrum, Robin H. (April 4, 2013). "Women Play Sport, But Not on TV: A Longitudinal Study of Televised News Media". Communication and Sport.
  11. ^ "WNBA Announces 20-Game Twitter Livestream Schedule for 2019 Season". WNBA. May 1, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ Clinton, Jared (September 5, 2019). "NWHL signs three-year streaming deal with Twitch". The Hockey News. Retrieved October 8, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ Burton, Laura (May 2015). "Underrepresentation of women in sport leadership: A review of research". Sport Management Review. 18 (2): 155–165.
  14. ^ Humphreys, Brad R. (August 2000). "Equal Pay on the Hardwood: The Earnings Gap Between Male and Female NCAA Division I Basketball Coaches". Journal of Sports Economics. 1 (2): 299–307.
  15. ^ Osborne, Barbara; Yarbrough, Marilyn V. (2000). "Pay Equity for Coaches and Athletic Administrators: An Element of Title IX?". University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform. 34 (1): 231–251.
  16. ^ Traugutt, Alex; Sellars, Nicole; Morse, Alan L. (April 2018). "Salary Disparities Between Male and Female Head Coaches: An Investigation of the NCAA Power Five Conferences". The Journal of SPORT. 6 (1).
  17. ^ Lewis, Aimee; Davies, Amanda (December 5, 2018). "Ada Hegerberg: The world's best player won't be at the Women's World Cup". CNN. Retrieved October 10, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ Dator, James (June 5, 2019). "Why Ada Hegerberg, the best player in soccer, is skipping the World Cup". SB Nation. Retrieved October 10, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ Foster, Meredith (2019-08-18). "For the future: How Team Sweden reached their limit". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  20. ^ "Women's Four Nations Cup cancelled amid Team Sweden's equality battle". Boston Herald. 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  21. ^ "Jamaica Profile". Retrieved October 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ Bonn, Kyle (September 3, 2019). "Jamaica women's team on strike after not being paid". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ Kaufman, Michelle (September 3, 2019). "Jamaica's Reggae Girlz say 'No Pay, No Play,' threaten strike over unpaid salary". The Miami Herald. Retrieved October 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ Etchells, Daniel (6 October 2019). "Jamaica thump St. Lucia at CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship". Inside the Games. Retrieved October 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ "Current World Rankings". International Netball Federation. Retrieved October 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ^ Knight, Candiece (October 7, 2019). "Game changers - modern-day athletes who are fighting for women's rights in sports". The Jamaica Observer. Retrieved October 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. ^ Myers, Sanjay (July 21, 2019). "Netball World Cup: Sunshine Girls beat Malawi; claim fifth spot". The Jamaica Observer. Retrieved October 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ Engh, Mari Haugaa (2010). "The battle for centre stage: Women's football in South Africa". Agenda: Empowering Women for Gender Equity. 85: 11–20 – via JSTOR.
  29. ^ "Banyana Banyana payment woes". Kayafm. July 3, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  30. ^ Feltham, Luke; Mokwena, Busisiwe (January 17, 2019). "Banyana yet to be paid SAFA monies". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved October 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  31. ^ Durosomo, Damola (May 24, 2019). "South Africa's National Women's Football Team to Receive Equal Pay". OkayAfrica. Retrieved October 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  32. ^ Rowan, Kate (October 22, 2017). "English women's rugby players lend support to Irish protest". Telegraph. Retrieved October 10, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  33. ^ Cummiskey, Gavin (October 22, 2017). "Irish women's rugby 'Legacy' campaign gathers pace". The Irish Times. Retrieved October 10, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)