Today, when mens and women’ sports are compared to each other, women’s sports are often seen as inferior. The reason for this, we hear, is that women are naturally less athletic, not as strong and fast, and so on. But in fact, this perception has been shaped by an unequal history that has little to do with biological differences.
What we call today “organized spectator sports” (football, soccer, basketball) are a relatively new invention. Although humanity has been practicing sports for centuries, organized spectator sports — with professional leagues, teams, stadiums, fandom, and media — emerged only in the late 19th century during the Industrial Revolution and rapid urbanization.
Society at that time was marked by sharp gender inequalities. Women did not have the right to vote, had little access to education, owned little property and were financially dependent on men. Organized sports, which required money, resources, and extra time were no exception. They were run and funded by men and played for male spectators. A small number of women’s teams that existed were underfunded and didn’t belong to professional clubs.
Organized sports for women did not appear until decades later. On US college campuses, for example, women’s sports teams became commonplace only in the early 1970s, when the US government adopted Title IX requiring equal opportunity in education, including athletics. In 1971 the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was formed. A comparable athletic association for men had existed since 1906.
Because of this long history of inequality, women's sports have occupied a secondary, inferior position and have been often seen as a hobby for amateurs. While men in sports have been admired for skills and professionalism, women in sports have been praised for their femininity and grace, and are often sexualized.
These stereotypes today persist in the representations of women in sports. A recent advertisement with popular actress Sydney Sweeney is one example. The ad, which was released a week ago, is aimed at a male audience. It promotes sports gambling with the message that to be a successful gambler you need to “know sports” like an expert. Instead of illustrating expertise, however, the ad conveys this message through Sweeney’s nude body, that is posed with sports equipment (a basketball, soccer ball, football) and shown lying on a billiard table and sitting on the basketball hoop.
The ad caused significant backlash, with critics rightly pointing out that it set back the image of women in sports. But its underlying message reveals a deeper problem: it equates “knowing sports” with being a connoisseur of naked women, portrays gambling as a form of sexual conquest, and implies that while men in sports are winners, women in sports are disrobed prizes to be won.