"YOU LOST TO A GIRL?!" -- A few of the premier names in men's golf (Sergio Garcia, Tom Lehman) must be queasy after Annika Sorenstam outshined them with her opening round 71 at the Colonial. Even if Sorenstam misses the cut, those who finish below the tournament's lone female could be questioning their manhood--if gender stereotypes prevail. "While incredibly sexist, it is a potential issue that many men and boys face when they lose to a woman or girl," says Temple kinesiology professor Emily Roper, an expert on female competitiveness who has studied how men and women approach athletic competition. "If we look at the language used within the men's sports context, feminine qualities are often used to degrade a man for performing poorly--'You throw like a girl,' 'You play like a girl,' 'Sissy,' and a long list of others." Roper believes these schoolyard insults stem from misguided preconceptions of female competence in sports, a supposed bastion of masculinity. "It goes back to the ways in which we teach girls and boys what each sex is capable of. Just as girls may be discouraged from participating in sport, although this has changed drastically over the years, boys are also socialized to believe that they are stronger, faster and more powerful than girls. When defeated by a woman, it has the potential to attack one's masculinity."
ECONOMY TO HAVE BIG IMPACT ON SUMMER TRAVEL -- The economy--not fear of SARS or terrorism--will likely have the biggest impact on where, or if, Americans travel this summer, according to a recent national survey conducted by Temple tourism and hospitality management professors Wes Roehl and David West. "SARS and terrorism are important issues for American travelers, but our survey showed that for 64 percent of travelers, the economy is the issue," Roehl says of the survey of 900 Americans conducted earlier this month. Terrorism ranked second in the survey with 51 percent of respondents saying it was their top worry, while 49 percent said their biggest concern was the bankruptcy of the airlines or the interruption of airline service. SARS was listed as the worry of 41 percent of respondents, according to Roehl, who adds that 34 percent of respondents with incomes less than $35,000 plan to travel less, compared with only 11 percent of those with incomes over $75,000. "During challenging economic times, one coping strategy for lower-income families is to cut back on discretionary activity, such as travel," says West. Still, he adds, many Americans likely will still vacation this summer. "Although these issues are raising concerns for travelers, Americans still want to go on vacation, and, in many cases, they will. They will just be more cautious than in previous years."
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