Sport was popular from the start. In ancient history, which began around 7000 BC, it was in Greece where sport was first introduced formally and became the first Olympic Games that they celebrated every 4 years, and this still continues today. Within ancient Greece, women had their own olympic games called, the Heraean games, held in the olympic stadium and helped undercut the gendered segregation within the Greek society. However as time moved forward, society started viewing women as puppets who needed to appear modest, ladylike and feminine. The medieval age started placing the idea in women’s heads that we are only fit to be mothers, wives or maids as we were seen as vulnerable and an easy target to take advantage of. Throughout timelines, women were always underestimated in what they can do, and when it came to sports we are seen as too weak to bring any entertainment to the public eye.
Women only started participating in sports in the early 19th century. This is 3,000 years, since ancient Greece, where women weren’t allowed to play sports. In fact, on December 5th 1921, the FA announced a ban on women’s games from being played on professional grounds, stating that “the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged”. The original ‘Golden Girl’ of British Athletics, Mary Rand, delivered one of the best performances from a British female athlete in Tokyo 1964, where she broke the world record for long jump. Not only did she receive bronze and silver for separate performances, but also took home a gold medal, making her the first British woman to win a gold medal in Olympic athletic discipline. There are so many women in this world, like Mary Rand, who have accomplished outstanding achievements, whether it is winning a gold medal, finishing school or simply becoming a mother. However as women, with winning an achievement comes great backlash of having to listen to society telling us we’re just not good enough.
Women are still being criticized today. Even though time has moved forward and things have changed, is it enough? Harrison Butker is an American football kicker who recently made a graduation speech where he stated women, “have had the most diabolical lies told to you” and went on to say that we can have degrees and accomplishments, “but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
Even in this modern time we are still being told by men ‘our worth’ and what ‘we are good for’. Whilst Harrison Butker is privileged to have a career in American football, there are women out there struggling to achieve their passion in sports because of speeches like these and how we are put forward in society, simply because of our femininity.
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By Stella Yr13
Recommend0 recommendationsPublished in News, Sport
Thank you for the historical references, that was an interesting read Stella.
Congratulations Stella on an impressive debut article! The piece is well-researched, clearly written, and offers fresh insights. Well done!