Francis J Okyere

Carroll Beauvais

WR150

March 21, 2019

Annotated Bibliography

Thesis: Although sports is based off fair play amongst players, it is also based off the false notion

of the masculine standard, a contradiction to fair play. With this thinking ingrained in a long-

standing tradition, sports were always divided between male athletes and non-male athletes,

never accepting anyone that deviates from the masculine standard. A standard that defined most

aspects of life, western society has begun to accept those who are different, with the sports world

attempts to follow suit. Sports are compromised when it does not allow those that deviate from

the masculine ideal to participate. The morality of sports is flawed, if based on a single standard

that a majority of people do not fall under.

Throughout the research process, I kept coming back to the research question and

tweaking it to question something that I am interested in. Without a solid research question, I

could not find sources that would help me because I myself did not know what to look for. That

lack of direction made it really difficult to get started off the ground. Going to office hours to

establish a concrete research question with Carroll, allowed for my research to actually

commence. While looking for sources, I came across some that did not answer my research

question, but I struggled in categorizing sources into BEAT that I believed would work. I did not

know where some sources would be placed, but by using the power point from Class, I was able

to categorize the sources in ways that fit BEAT and also support my research question. I felt
most successful in finding evidence to support my thesis. The sources I found have a lot to offer

my research paper in order to give a strong and clear look into inclusion in the sports world.

Allen, Dean. “‘Games for the Boys.’” Routledge Handbook of Sport, Gender and Sexuality, 5

Mar. 2014, pp. 21–29., doi:10.4324/9780203121375.ch2.

Allen explores the origins of masculinity in sports, stating that sports were used to

establish power among young boys. They were turned into soldiers and sports were used

to gauge who would be the next imperial leaders. Women were not meant to focus on

ruling, and were even made to hide the fact they would play any kind of sport.

Allen brings in an eye-opening point that sports were used to determine the next best

leaders. I intend to use this source as a new perspective on masculinity in sports. It raises

the question if the rules of sports are even written with women in mind. Is the morality of

sports compromised if it was never fair at all? Is sports today seen in the same light? The

way we thought of sports then reinforced the myth that men were superior to women

because of biology.

Conger, Krista. “How Sex and Gender - Which Are Not the Same Thing - Influence Our

Health.” Stanford Medicine, 2017, stanmed.stanford.edu/2017spring/how-sex-and-

gender-which-are-not-the-same-thing-influence-our-health.html.
 This article dives into the debate of whether sex and gender are the same thing. It stands

firm on the idea that the two are completely different from each other. Sex is assigned at

birth based on genitalia, and afterwards there is one idea that the sex will only follow one

path, male or female. The article argues that gender is fluid amongst both men and

women.

I intend to use this article to explain how there is a such thing as gender fluidity and to

debunk the myth that sex is determined by biology and at the same time debunk the ideal

masculine man in sports. There is no ideal masculine man, and through this I want to

introduce how diverse sports is because everyone can participate.

Giroux, Marilyn, and Jessica Vredenburg. “Women in Sports: Double Standards Double

Fault.” The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2019, theconversation.com/women-in-sports-double-

standards-a-double-fault-103082.

The article focuses on the Serena Williams US Open controversy in which she called out

the double standards in Sports. If the same outburst was done by a man, the referee would

not have deducted points. Men are allowed to be this aggressive but women on the other

hand cannot, hence Serena’s punishment. The article also mentions the wage gap between

men and women in sports. Reward money for championships, and the amount brands pay

their female athletes compared to their male contemporaries differ by a significant

amount.
 I intend to use this source to attach aggression to male stereotypes and how it is

permissible in sports. Because women are not expected to be aggressive, they suffer from

being disrespected by the Sports Industry. They do not fit this standard and the article

shows how Women suffer from it.

Hareper, Joanna. “Athletic Gender.” Law and Contemporary Problems, vol. 80, no. 4, 2017, pp.

139–153.

This section brings up varying arguments on whether or not those that are outside the

gender binary can participate in sports. The author dives into the side for inclusion and

for exclusion from sports for those outside the binary. It states biological differences and

also social aspects of whether or not non binary athletes should compete with women or

men.

I will use this source as call back points to the different views on the topic. Because there

is so much science in this source provides me with evidence to explain both sides of the

argument more clearly. Also, the source has the arguments side by side so it makes for

easier comparison.

Hegerberg, Ada. “Not Here to Dance .” The Players' Tribune, 16 Dec. 2018,
 www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/ada-hegerberg-not-here-to-dance.

Ada Hegerberg was crowned the best women’s soccer player in the world by being the

first recipient of the women’s ballon d’or trophy, the highest individual award in all of

soccer. During her acceptance speech, she was asked to twerk by the DJ of the night,

something none of the male winners were asked to do. Although a big controversy, Ada

herself in this Player’s Tribune article states that she had no problem being asked that

question. It does not even ruin her fantastic night. Her overall recollection of the night is

the respect she received from her male contemporaries.

I intend to use this source to highlight discrimination against women in sports, but also

discuss the changing times in sports. Ada talks about soccer not as men’s and women’s,

but as just soccer. She highlights how there is a winning formula when both men’s and

women’s teams are treated the same and, in my paper, I want to show how successful one

team, and one branch of the sports world has successful included women in their sport.

Kian, Edward M. “Sexuality in the Mediation of Sport.” Routledge Handbook of Sport, Gender

and Sexuality, 5 Mar. 2014, pp. 461–469., doi:10.4324/9780203121375.ch49.

The section discusses how there is still a feeling of uncertainty of even gay athletes in the

sports industry do not fit in with the masculine image of sports. This masculine idea started

because women were discouraged from participating in sports. Homosexuality is not seen
 as masculine in the eyes of some. Kian claims that one day the western world will be

accepting of homosexuality in sports.

I will be utilizing this claim in my research to compare it to transgenders in sports. If

inevitably the Sports industry can accept homosexuals, then there is an argument for them

to accept transgenders. They’ve already accepted 1 non-binary group, others can soon

follow.

Lucas, Cathryn B. Troubling Sport or Troubled by Sport: Experiences of Transgender

Athletes.Master of Education, 2009.

The Paper is a narrative interview of transgender athletes and their experiences in sports.

The three candidates all participated in high school, and continued to pursue their sports

after leaving high school.

I intend to use this source as evidence as to what transgender athletes go through on a day

to day basis. Having their input as to how they are treated and how they navigate that will

reveal how far the sports world has come, even if it has come far at all in terms of

inclusion.

Nike. YouTube, YouTube, 24 Feb. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=whpJ19RJ4JY.

This advertisement discusses the stereotypes that female athletes experience on a frequent

basis. They are criticized more for something a male would do. There are all these words

that describe women in sports in a negative light which is what the world ultimately

thinks of women in sports. Taking the negative word of crazy, and using it to empower

women to achieve a higher standard in sports, and to never be put down by those words.

This ad serves to explain the many experiences women go through in sports. This video

will allow me to add further context to what women in sports go through and also the add

continues to push the question are sports inclusive as the rules and the morality set it out

to be?