As female sports capture more fans and warrant more coverage, sports soothsayers are deeming 2003 the year of the woman athlete. Between tennis' Williams sisters and UConn women's hoops, female athletes are navigating their way onto America's sporting radar for reasons other than their sexuality or the occasional figure skating flap.
When Annika Sorenstam defies golf's gender gap and tees off against the men May 22 at the Colonial in Fort Worth, it should serve as ample notice that women's athletics are emergent.
Not so fast, says Temple University assistant professor of kinesiology Emily Roper, an expert on female competitiveness who is wary of women's groups quick to trumpet Sorenstam's invite to the Colonial as a victory.
"It's unfortunate that Annika's playing with men in a men's tournament is getting more attention than if she were playing in a women's tournament," Roper says. "Some may see it as a victory that she has been included because, to many, playing against men is the highest level possible. This, obviously, is an incredibly sexist view. However, others would argue that her being asked to play with men may negate women's sport and particularly the other women she plays against."
Sorenstam's expedition onto the men's tour could be a delicate step forward in the evolution of the female athlete, says Roper, who hopes to corral expectations that the tournament will bring women's sports on a par with men's. She says perceptions of women's sports as second class won't change until society progresses.
"I'm not so sure the American population, in general, is ready to accept women as athletes," Roper says. "How would people react to her defeating men? This is not only a question for men, but also for women. It is not as simple as only men having a problem with her defeating them, but women, too, often feel insecure."
Added to the general insecurities female stars may face, Roper says that perceptions of these women as masculine and their inability to reconcile their femininity with their competitive, athletic sides--per society's demands--could be stunting their progress.
"Society, generally speaking, does see sport as masculine and woman athletes are often labeled masculine. As a result, woman athletes feel compelled to perform femininity," she says. "While there is nothing wrong with femininity and wanting to be feminine, the problem arises when female athletes feel as though they must behave in a feminine manner in order to be accepted by society. There is the suggestion by many that being a woman and being an athlete are a contradiction."
Roper points to the embattled, 31-year-old Title IX legislation as the linchpin for Sorenstam's appearance in the Colonial, a strange reality in a sport where the latest controversy centered on Augusta National, a club that bars female memberships. Given the Bush administration's current inquiry into the fairness of Title IX statutes, which prohibit sexual discrimination in educational programs receiving federal financial aid, Sorenstam's performance could be used as a barometer to gauge female competitiveness. However, Roper believes the outcome at the Colonial will have little bearing on Title IX, whether Sorenstam misses the cut or finishes in the top ten.
Regardless of Sorenstam's finish, Roper says the Colonial could serve as a laboratory for female competitiveness, illustrating the inherent differences in gender approaches to sport.
"Some research suggests that women are more cooperative than competitive and are more interested in relating with one another than the stereotypical ethos of sport, which is the win-at-all-costs mentality," Roper says. "This approach, however, is viewed as not in line with what sport is supposed to be all about. Therefore, women athletes and women's sports are often perceived as deficient."A perception that just might put on hold this year's coming-of-age party for female athletes.
An online version of this release is available through the Office of News and Media Relations website at: http://www.temple.edu/news_media/tb0305_824.html.
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