Alexandra Lee

2/12/16
UWRT-1102
Mrs. Thomas
Inquiry Draft

Self-Assessment: On my inquiry proposal I would probably give myself a 90

because I answered what was asked of me and I think my paper was well
typed and it was the right length. I put some personal thoughts but I also
gave some background knowledge of the question I am asking. The reason I
wouldnt give myself a 100 or a 95 is because I do have some grammar
mistakes and I would also need to switch around my paragraphs a little more
so they could be in chronological order so the reader doesnt have to go
back and forth in the years.
Womens Sports: Where Is the Respect?
As a female athlete in college, I tend to ask myself why do female
athletes not get the same amount of media coverage as male athletes? Why
dont professional female athletes get paid the same amount as male
athletes? Why are female athletes sexualized? I cannot be the only female
who tends to ask herself these questions. I wonder if males ever ask the
same question. To sum up everything I think about, I ask the question, why
do female athletes not get the same amount of media coverage as male
athletes and when they do, why do they get sexualized?
This paper isnt about women having to get all the attention and being
a feminist but it is about equality and trying to understand why women dont
get the same attention and respect. Females deserve much more respect
and recognition when it comes to their success. Females have worked so
hard to get to where they are now. Women like Alice Paul and Lucy Burns
who are American suffragists have walked and protested to have rights. On
August 18, 1920, the nineteenth amendment was passed which granted

Alexandra Lee
2/12/16
UWRT-1102
Mrs. Thomas
Inquiry Draft

American women the right to vote. This right is known as womens suffrage,
this amendment was passed after a seventy year battle. (History) We worked
so hard to get to that point why would we stop now?
Women have been playing sports three millennia ago but not in the
United States. Prior to 1870 female sports were only for play activities that
were fun and recreational and not competitive. The sports were informal and
had no rules and just emphasized physical activity. (The Sport Journal) Early
years women were not allowed to play in competitive physical activity in the
United States of America until the Federal Legislation, more known as Title IX
became a law in 1972.
Womens sports was not active till basketball was introduced at Smith
College in 1892. The sport quickly spread throughout the nation but it was
opposed by many people still at this time. Competitive sports for college
women increased in the early 1900s. This subject will be talked about more
when we get deeper into the paper. The womens suffrage movement helped
this emphasis on womens freedoms. Later on came the passage of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, helped increase the status of women but minorities as
well. (The Sport Journal)
The evolution of Title IX happened when women wanted greater equal
treatment in athletics. The main focus of womens groups in the late 1960s
and 1970s was to eliminate sexual discrimination. The rights that women

Alexandra Lee
2/12/16
UWRT-1102
Mrs. Thomas
Inquiry Draft

wanted was paid very little attention to, the rights the women fought for in
sports only became noticed when Title IX was passed. Title IX is a law that
was passed for the equity of boys and girls in every educational program
that receives federal funding. Most people think this was just for sports but
athletics is just one of the ten keys that Title IX focuses on. The NCAA
became concerned with what it perceived and they began to address the
issue of womens athletics. The NCAA is a National Collegiate Athletic
Association that is a membership-driven organization dedicated to
safeguarding the well-being of student-athletes and equipping them with the
skills to succeed on the playing field, in the classroom and throughout life.
(NCAA)
After Title IX, females have become much more involved in sports.
College womens athletic participation has increased from 15% to 43% since
1972 to 2001. In high school girls athletic participation has increased from
295,000 in 1971 to 2.8 million between 2002 and 2003. Not only the
participation increased but also the teams that were offered in schools grew
a significant amount. These numbers are ridiculously high and why should
they stop there? Why dont womens athletics continue to grow?
To answer to this question is very simple. Womens athletics will not
continue to grow until the media gives it the right amount of coverage and
the right coverage. The media tends to not talk about a female's success in

Alexandra Lee
2/12/16
UWRT-1102
Mrs. Thomas
Inquiry Draft

sports but more about the looks and what theyre wearing and their personal
life. An example of a female who doesnt get the recognition she deserves
would be a professional tennis player, Serena Williams. She is one of the
greatest female tennis players in the world but also one of the greatest
athletes in the world. Her success in the development of tennis is amazing. It
is sad to see people talk down upon her. She is very athletically built and
strong mentally and physically. The media tends to talk down upon her
because of how she is built; they call her masculine and a man, they
make comments like she should plays mens tennis instead of womens
tennis. These remarks are sad to see and listen to, I am a tennis player and I
see this a lot when I read articles about her tennis matches or watching her
play on television.
The media doesnt only sexualize women but they dont give womens
sports their recognition. A good example of a womens sport that doesnt get
the same attention as men would be womens basketball. When do you see
womens basketball on television? When do you hear about it? When do you
read about it? From experience myself I can say almost never and I
emphasize the word never. Not only the difference in the coverage they
receive, but the pay as well. In the 2013-2014 season Forbes estimated that
the average NBA player earned 4.9 million dollars while the average WNBA
players was 72,000 dollars. Think to yourself is this very fair because

Alexandra Lee
2/12/16
UWRT-1102
Mrs. Thomas
Inquiry Draft

personally I do not think it is. This is only the basics of what I want to talk
about and as you continue to read this paper many of you will ask, Why
dont women get the same amount of coverage in sports and when they do
why are they sexualized? Women work just as hard as men do and they are
just as talented; so the question is why dont women get the same amount of
respect as men do?
This is so important! I really like this topic because it is very controversial.
However, I do see how it would be hard to present another side to the
argument without being bias. It is obvious that women are not treated the
same as men when it comes to athletics, so I think your use of examples is
really important and helpful.

I like the topic a lot because I am always asking myself the same questions. I
think later in the paper you could ask random people questions about
womens sports and collect some data and add that to your paper. I like how
you talked about Serena Williams, because she is an amazing athlete and
everything that you put about her is very accurate.