Yes, I believe women are struggling in sports. Sports have been around for many centuries but women are just starting to compete more. Up till the 1900s women weren’t allowed in the Olympics. Even after that it was hard for women in sports, it was frowned upon for women to compete. Even up to today it’s hard, women’s sports lack resources. That’s at a professional and high school level.
A lot of the reason why female athletes lack resources is because not a lot of girls do it or are too scared to start out. Over the past couple of decades we have seen a huge increase in people getting interested in girls in sports and growing the community. Womens wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports. In 1994 there were about 50 girls wrestling at a high school level and now about 50,000 girls since last spring. As someone who’s wrestled on and off her life it can be scary but once you get the hang of it and find a couple of friends it gets a lot better and is worth it in the long run. As well as people wanting to see you succeed, it’s a great community. So if you’re scared to play a sport that girls aren’t really known for, just give it a try, worst case scenario you don’t enjoy it and play something else.
At a professional level it’s not just a lack of resources, it’s publicity, pay, and it’s not as popular. Look at the WNBA the highest paid player Erica Wheeler isn’t even a quarter of the lowest pay in the NBA. The pay difference isn’t because of gender but because of viewership and entertainment value. With 30 NBA teams compared to 12 WNBA teams it’s easier to profit off of the NBA. How can we fix this? To start converging womens games, create a new team in each conference, and advertisements.
There is a lot of potential for women in sports and we can make that happen in the next couple of years, helping the growth and success of female athletes.
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Examiner, W. (2022). The ‘pay gap’ debate between the NBA and WNBA is a joke. [online] Washington Examiner. Available at: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/316773/the-pay-gap-debate-between-the-nba-and-wnba-is-a-joke/ [Accessed 17 Jan. 2024].
National Wrestling Coaches Association. (n.d.). Women’s Wrestling Facts & Resources. [online] Available at: https://nwcaonline.com/sports/2023/4/3/womens-wrestling-facts-resources.aspx#:~:text=Since%201994%2C%20the%20number%20of.
Anon, (n.d.). A Brief History of Women’s Sports – Equal Playing Fields. [online] Available at: https://exhibits.library.gsu.edu/equal-playing-fields/a-brief-history/#:~:text=Although%20some%20professional%20competitions%20allowed.
