Post Number One: Response to "Whats the Problem"

Author: Brady Munger
The article "Whats the Problem?" by McDonugh and Pappano is one that speaks directly on the issue and topic of Masculinity in sport and in general.  In society today, there is no arguing how important a role sport plays in society.  For almost everyone, there is at least one sport that has played a part in their life whether it be playing it as a kid, or being a fan of it into their older age.  As the article quotes; "some sociologists argue that sports have replaced religion as a dominant force in the lives of many Americans" (McDonugh, Pappano, 2008 pg 2).  This quote in among it self is a testament to how large sports have grown.  With the large place that sports hold in society though, it obviously attracts problems and issues along with it.  One of the large issues that comes with sport, one that already has existed in society is the issue of gender and its place in sport.  Largely in sports history, females have been neglected and biased against.  Men have been playing most of the sports, and have been the main participants.  But as time has gone by, and society has changed so has that old ideal.  In today's society men and women are largely equal in sport, with the passing of title 9 and the fight of feminists to be equal, the bias in sport has greatly decreased.  But even with all of the work done to eliminate it, there is still issues regarding women in sport.  Men are often looked upon as the superior athlete, and more athletic than the female.  They are perceived to have more ability, skill, as well as they demand more respect from the spectators of sports.  This is one problem that has not gone away yet. There is also still an issue of sex segregation in sport.  Many sports available to men are not as readily available to women, as well as sports having different rules and perceptions.  The article explains what it calls the "three I's" of sex segregation in sport, these are immorality, inferiority, and injury (McDonugh Pappano, 2008 pg 7).  These are the three words the authors use to describe the sex segregation in sport.  Immorality refers to the idea that people feel it is immoral to have females and males competing directly and shouldn't be done. Inferiority refers the ideal that women are inferior to men in athletic prowess and that men are naturally better.  Finally injury refers to the fear of women being injured if playing against men head to head (McDonugh Pappano, 2008 pg 7).  The article explains that these three I's are huge barriers to the advancement of women's sport, especially to those who want to see men and women faced against each other.  The idea of these three I's has been developed throughout the history of man, and for them to be overcome it will take a lot of work and effort on everyone.  The feminist movement still has a lot of strength and they will keep going until complete equality is achieved. Sport does hold a huge place in society, but still has a lot of growing up to do. The issue of gender segregation is large, and will continue to be fought and worked out in the future until it is resolved.