Where Are the Women?

Cassidi Sterrett

Spring Hill College

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports

Abstract

There is a gap that needs to be filled, and it starts with bridging the inequality between

male and female athletes, which is at large. A project was organized based on the inequity of

women in sports. The six episodic docu-series called ‘Where are the Women’ discusses the ins

and outs of the variety of inequalities that female athletes face in today’s society. It is a non-

fiction genre based on facts and real-life personal experiences which are shared through in-depth

interviews of female athletes, coaches, and even male athletic directors. The purpose of this

communication was to raise awareness of not only female athletes, but of society in general,

including all males and females. The information was gathered through extensive research on

different topics as well as lengthy interviews with numerous athletes and professionals. The six

episodes were spread through social media including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The

main goal of the project was to raise awareness of society on the inequalities of women in sports,

and the results gave proof to this. The viewers' comments shared numerous different ways of

how they were enlightened by the six episodic docu-series.

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports

Table of Contents
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………..1

Project Description…………………………………………………………………...1

Episode One……………………………………………………………….....1

Episode Two………………………………………………………………....3

Episode Three………………………………………………………………..3

Episode Four…………………………………………………………………4

Episode Five…………………………………………………………………5

Episode Six………………………………………………………………….5

Rationale……………………………………………………………………………7

Goals and Objectives……………………………………………………………….7

Target Audience…………………………………………………………………….8

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework…………………………………………….9

Selected Methods, Tactics, and Permissions………………………………………..9

Project Implementation Plan……………………………………………………….10

Assessment of Success……………………………………………………………..11

Troubleshooting……………………………………………………………………13

Reflection………………………………………………………………………….14

References………………………………………………………………………...16

Appendices………………………………………………………………………..22
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 1

Introduction

The inequalities in sports between male and female athletes are at an all-time high. If we

can fully understand the types of inequalities, gender stereotypes, and other issues regarding the

inequality in athletics; then we can potentially bridge the gap, raise awareness, and empower

women throughout the world through sports.

Project Description

Women’s sports have always been one step behind men’s athletics. The inequalities date

back to 800 B.C., prior to the existence of Title IX (Bell, 2016). Title IX was a huge stepping

stone for women because it required males and females to be equal in athletics and education.

However, it didn’t define a “real” balance between the genders in sport (Glass, 2012). After fifty

years of Title IX’s existence, female athletes still continue to fight for equal rights in sports. For

my seminar, I have produced an episodic vlog series that contains six episodes about a variety of

topics pertaining to my paramount topic which is the inequality of women in sports.

● Episode One - Her-Story of Women in Sports

○ As mentioned above, women's sports date back to 800 B.C. when Princess

Nausicaä, princess of the Phaeacians in the Odyssey, played ball with her

handmaidens (Bell, 2016). However, women’s sports were almost unheard of by

1870. Women were not expected to play sports, because society did not want

women to expend all of their energy on athletics when their energy could be better
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 2

utilized elsewhere. Their duties consisted of cleaning, cooking and taking care of

the children. According to a scholarly journal, “Such physical activity for a

woman was thought to be especially hazardous because during menstruation she

was ‘periodically weakened’” (Bell, 2016).

As women became more interested in competing in sports, recreational

leagues formed and began to take on a more competitive nature; however, the

sports were still only played in group gatherings (Bell, 2016). With the disregard

of women in sports before Title IX, it was especially tough on athletes who were

playing in college. Dr. Peggy Martin, who is currently the all-time winningest

NCAA volleyball coach in the United States, shared her personal experience of

playing college ball prior to Title IX. She attended Indiana University and

described how difficult it was to even get transportation to a game, while male

athletes were flying around the country for free. Title IX came into effect on June

23rd, 1972, immediately after Martin graduated from Indiana University.

Title IX brought a lot of equality across the board; however; it took years of

revising to finally have something that society agreed on (Bach, 2019). As Title

IX officially passed its 50th birthday and continues to create equality amongst

genders, there are also loopholes and stereotypes that women athletes are still

fighting today (Glass, 2012). I sat down for an in-depth interview with Spring Hill

College compliance director, Chad Leblanc, to gain insight into these loopholes

about how athletics is not gender-balanced yet, specifically in a collegiate setting.

This entire episode relates to interviews and personalized stories discussing a

brief history of women’s athletics and the ins and outs of Title IX.
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 3

● Episode Two - Money Makes the World Go ‘Round

○ Pay gap and amenities is an inequality that most female athletes face. Specifically,

the United States women’s national soccer team filed a lawsuit due to the fact that

they are actually bringing in more revenue but still getting paid less than the

men’s soccer team (Alexandra, 2019). Additional inequalities lie in opportunities

available to women to compete in collegiate athletics. For example, the number of

men competing in sports throughout the state of New York is significantly higher

than women. This is something that would be investigated as a Title IX suit,

including the discussions about program expansion, amenities, and equality, as

well (Arnold, 2019). Shared throughout this episode, were in-depth personal

experiences from numerous people, including Spring Hill College Athletic

Director, Joe Niland. The interviewees helped uncover the meaning behind the

inequality of pay and discussed what everyone can do to fix the inequality issue.

● Episode Three - “You Play Like a Girl” - Childhood and Educational Influences

○ The way someone is raised has a great influence on the way he or she may act at

an older age once his or her brain has fully developed. Gender stereotypes begin

at a young age and can be influenced by parents, peers, and the media. Especially

in previous generations, the stereotypical “girl” was supposed to grow up playing

with Barbie dolls, while boys were considered to be rough, and supposed to be

playing with trucks and involved in sports (Jacobs,1992). These stereotypes still

exist today, and the effects become evident when it comes to media coverage and

compensation in athletics. Children begin adapting to these stereotypes as young

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 4

as three years old by recognizing the qualities of what a “girl” and a “boy” should

be (Martin, 2010). Throughout my in-depth interviews with numerous athletes

and coaches, we discussed their personal experiences regarding where these

childhood influences stem from and how these childhood influences affect the

inequalities of women in sports.

● Episode Four - The Finesse Game

○ There are a variety of different inequalities within the media that pertain to female

athletics, including media airtime and compensation. I uncovered why media bias

is so prominent in today’s society and what my interviewees think can be done to

resolve this issue. Chad LeBlanc explained the reason for media bias and the

disconnect between why people prefer male sports over female sports. As I

continued to gain insight from my in-depth interviews, the number one answer

that I have been receiving as to why female athletes are not as prevalent in the

media is because the media has to generate money and more money is generated

from men’s sports. People just want to watch what they have always known,

which is men’s athletics. It wasn’t until the 1990’s that women’s sports finally

started to gain some recognition and air time (Serazio, 2019).

The lack of sports coverage of female athletics is never going to change if

society cannot thoroughly understand the female athlete. Many people say that

women’s athletics are known to be more boring; however, the women’s game is

different from the men’s game in most sports. Viewers often prefer to watch the

more aggressive male sports because they enjoy watching actions like dunking in

basketball, home runs in baseball, and a faster pace. On the other hand, the
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 5

women’s game is often more strategic by running more plays and working

together as a team to accomplish a goal (Sheadler, 2018). I displayed the

inequalities throughout this episode through experiences of athletes, coaches, and

directors.

● Episode Five - Sex Sells

○ Media portrayal of female athletes’ bodies is a monumental attraction that

happens and can define what the media portrays female athletes should look like.

During an in-depth interview with senior volleyball athlete Emmarose Neibert,

she shared that when she was younger she felt she needed to be viewed how the

athletes were portrayed in the magazines and media. It is examples like this that

share the incorrect idea about female athletes as portrayed in the media.

Specifically, I discussed the Sports Illustrated bikini issue where a female athlete

is exposed and not even in her uniform. The subjects also shared their thoughts on

the sexualization of beach volleyball athletes in the media. They discussed how

the media shapes the views of younger athletes and society in general, as to what

this sport is all about and what an athlete should look like to play at a professional

level. This can lead to some serious mental and physical health issues (Shaller,

n.d.). I exhibited how we culturally can get away from this faux portrayal and

instead teach women and young athletes to love their bodies through raising

awareness in these interviews.

● Episode Six - Women Empowering Women

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 6

○ Empowering women is number one on the list of how to continue fighting for

equality of women’s sports. It starts at a young age, whether it be watching

women’s sports with your little boy or girl, mixing genders in sport as a kid, or

supporting each other by ingraining in children that anyone can do anything they

want to if they set their mind to it (100 Women, 2017). This empowerment then

continues into adulthood and relies on support from peers and the media. In my

interviews, I obtained soundbites about the idea of a support system that is a

stepping stone to fill the gap between male and female athletics. Dr. Peggy Martin

discussed in an interview that we need support from men’s athletics more now

than ever. This can’t be just a female fight. Dr. Martin calls the men to action,

demanding support for athletics until everyone has equal opportunity. It is now up

to society to create the opportunity for female athletics and fight for our rights to

equality (Kane, 2018).

The episodes held numerous in-depth interviews with all-time winning NCAA record holder

coach Peggy Martin of the Spring Hill College volleyball team and assistant basketball coach,

Amy Calhoun. Interviews were held with a diverse set of student-athletes, as well, including

representatives from both genders. AJ Fell from the baseball team, Emmarose Neibert from the

volleyball team, Alexandria Rayford from the tennis team, and Sabrina Cruz from the soccer

team. Finally, I interviewed the Athletic Director of Spring Hill College, Joe Niland, and

Compliance Coordinator, Chad Leblanc. The interviewees were asked numerous open-ended

questions based on the readings listed in my bibliography. Then they expanded on their personal

experiences through known inequalities. See Appendix C. Throughout the episodic series, there

is precise b-roll of female athletes playing the sport that they love, coaches empowering their
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 7

athletes, and miscellaneous b-roll of sports equipment, uniforms, and amenities. I have received

a lot of this footage from Public Domain websites, and the YouTube Creative Commons.

Rationale

There is a gap that needs to be filled, and it starts with bridging the inequality between

male and female athletes, which is at large. According to a scholarly journal that discusses these

inequalities, there is a significant lack of coverage in women’s sports and interesting

generalizations about how fans and the media sexualize the female athlete (Hanson, 2012). There

are also other inequalities that widen the gap, including pay and amenities, biases in the media,

body image, childhood upbringing, and educational influences. I have formulated the following

question: “How does gender inequality affect women in sports?”.

Goals and Objectives

Through the use of my research question, I had a few goals and objectives.

● Raise awareness of the inequalities between men and women throughout the world to

open up opportunities for women in sports.

○ I established six informative episodes with in-depth personal experiences about

how inequality affects female athletes and why it is an issue that needs to be

addressed in today’s society.

○ I aimed to help develop a deeper understanding of what types of inequalities exist

throughout women in sports so society can better identify what steps need to be

made to fix the inequalities.

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 8

○ I aimed to improve society’s understanding of the fight in women’s athletics and

why both genders should join the battle.

● Enhance the understanding of the efficiency of mobile journalism.

○ I aimed to raise awareness of a new technology by sharing the work I produced

with just an iPhone and microphone.

○ I helped display the quality of mobile journalism in comparison to a digital

camera and full digital video production set up.

I believe I achieved not only my own full understanding of how gender inequality affects women

in sport, but I also was able to have a voice in a small community. I wanted to raise awareness of

why this gap needs to be filled, and I firmly believe that I have done so. See Appendix G. If one

voice can influence others to join the movement, the rest can share within their community,

including those of the opposite sex, and the gap will hopefully begin to close.

Target Audience

My target audience is not just specifically limited to sports lovers, but also to anybody

who desires to feel empowered through equality. Sport can be a tool for female empowerment in

general; However, society also needs to have the desire to say enough is enough and begin

supporting and empowering women. Sport is the perfect tool (Song, 2016). The United States

Women’s Soccer team has taken their arguments to social media, primarily using Twitter as their

main source. They are showcasing the inequalities in female athletics, which also pertains to

women who are in the workforce or existing in society in general (Alexandra, 2019). The team is

empowering all women and even some men through social media.
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 9

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

The theoretical and conceptual framework that I utilized throughout my project is gender

theory, which is based on why there are gender differences. I specifically looked into how the

media constructs and portrays gender roles and gender identities (Hare, 1988). This theory

helped me unravel the portrayal of female athletes in the media for episode five. It also helped

me with episode four, as it pertains to the inequalities in airtime. The media framing theory was

also used to discuss how the media creates a bias for society to believe, for example, air time in

athletics. Female athletes and sports get significantly less airtime than male sports. (Schaedler,

2018). Again, this allowed me to explain a more detailed description of why society continues to

watch the popular male sport as opposed to the strategic women’s game. Finally, critical theory

shows a hierarchy chart with the dominant male residing on top (Boham, 2005). This allowed me

to explore the pay gap and amenity inequalities, as well as how girls are raised below the

dominant tough boy. I also employed the ideologies behind the theory which describes why

society chooses to accept the “status quo” of these inequalities and theories.

Selected Methods, Tactics and Permissions

My method of accomplishing this project was to implement mobile journalism. I

exhibited how journalism is now evolving and can be primarily digital and not bound by

television anymore. A story can be shared and a voice can be heard in numerous ways. However,

as phone cameras are living up to the quality of a real camera, lots of news stations have gone

mobile for some of their stories. They have live-phone kits that reporters and photographers take
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 10

with them from place to place in case of sudden breaking news. One major benefit is that

journalists are now getting high-quality equipment for a very affordable price (MoJo, 2019).

Going a step further, freelance journalists use mobile journalism constantly to put short stories

up via social media often with fantastic quality in an efficient way (Journalism.co.uk, 2015). I

believe I shared how this evolving idea can be utilized effectively while still telling and showing

an amazing story.

I used my iPhone 11 Pro, which has the ability to do a super-wide lens and look amazing.

I also used my media kit lav microphone, which works for smartphones as well. I then had my

media kit tripod with an extra phone plate attachment. I edited on my MacBook Pro with the

editing software Final Cut Pro, which allowed me to sort and organize my media pertaining to

each episode/topic. The videos were airdropped from my phone to my laptop and put on a large

external hard drive.

The necessary permissions were gained by the use of a consent form. This form describes

the agreement between myself and the interviewee about using their name, face, and image

within my project. There were eight consent forms needed and all have been obtained. See

Appendix E. I also have an example email of how I contacted the interviewees for the project.

See Appendix A.

Project Implementation Plan

The timeline came in handy because I originally planned to have my project and my

assessment plan done by Friday, April 3rd. Although I hit some roadblocks along the way, I

stuck with my timeline and even finished earlier than my overall due date. I implemented this
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 11

timeline by sticking to a strict weekly timeline of pieces of the project that needed to be done.

For example, I wanted to have all my interviews done by February 12th which I was able to

achieve. For a more detailed timeline, see appendix D. As far as my necessary equipment to

accomplish this project, I just needed my phone, tripod, smartphone lav mic, and my editing

software on my MacBook.

Assessment of Success

I assessed my project and research through three different ways of objective evaluation.

● A screening online of my episodic vlog series with female and male athletes, coaches,

directors, and trainers.

○ I implemented surveys before and after the presentation on google asking two

vital questions.

■ Before

● What do you know about the inequality of female athletes in sport?

● Have you been personally affected by any inequalities? If so,

please explain.

● What do you know about Title IX? How effective has it been?

■ After

● What did you learn about women’s sports from this presentation?

● What do you think the interviews and footage were filmed with?

● A screening online of my episodic vlog series with non-athletes of both genders.

○ I implemented a before and after a survey on google asking two questions.

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 12

■ Before

● What do you know about the inequality of female athletes in sport?

● What do you know about Title IX? How effective has it been?
■ After

● What did you learn about women’s sports from this presentation?

● What do you think the interviews and footage were filmed with?

● A YouTube weekly presentation of each episode.

○ I received feedback based on comments added to the video.

○ I communicated the release of the videos via social media to get all types of

people to watch and assess my project.

I received consistent feedback from a variety of people through google surveys and

YouTube comments. See Appendix F. For example, an elderly woman in her seventies who was

an athlete back in the days before Title IX existed shared her personal experiences as well. She

stated “I remember when I was doing my student teaching and early years of teaching in Holden,

we had something called extra-murals. Extra-murals were when one school would contact

another school and arrange a “playdate” for girls to meet and compete on a one-time-only basis”.

Furthermore, she discussed how this project helped raise awareness for her and what society can

do to fix these inequalities. She shared, “Women need to empower women by attending more

events featuring women athletes. Plus, we need to try to get more men to attend women’s sports.

Basically, we need to build a greater fan base for female sports.” All in all, I have obtained tons

of fantastic feedback discussing how the individual had learned something new based off of my

project. See Appendix G.

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 13

Troubleshooting

The ability to troubleshoot and be patient throughout this entire project is something that

I have had to learn slowly. Obviously, the big one that everybody is discussing is Spring Hill

being moved to online classes due to the Coronavirus, a pandemic across the world. This has

played a large role in having to troubleshoot. For example, I was not allowed to have my

screenings at all which is a first for this senior seminar class. I had to switch everything over

virtually in which I was able to implement google surveys to athletes and non-athletes for the

assessment portion of my paper. Another situation that I had to tackle was the lack of face to face

instruction that these seminar projects do really need. I am thankful that when we switched to

online that I was, for the most part, finished with my project, but some questions that needed to

be asked were just hard to answer via email.

Another aspect of this journey that I have had to troubleshoot was my idea of mobile

journalism. I threw myself into something that was completely new to me, but efficient for tons

of journalists worldwide. To begin with, I want to discuss doing interviews with just my phone.

The phone tripod I had covered part of the screen, so it was really hard for me to set up an

interview shot. I always made sure I was there early to be able to set up a good shot before the

subject came. On the other hand, iPhones do not have as much storage as someone may think. I

never could do two interviews in one day or else I would run out of storage. For the most part,

the interviews would run around 40-60 minutes which is obviously a lot of video footage for

one's phone. My laptop didn’t like it either. The only way that I could really upload footage from

my phone was airdrop. Now, if the video was too long, airdrop would not allow the upload. I

would then have to take the long video, edit part of the footage in iMovie on my phone and then

airdrop it. To avoid this situation in my last four interviews, I made sure to pause every five
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 14

minutes, so that airdrop would allow me to upload the footage without having to edit through

iMovie first. As I continue with storage, my laptop did not like this project either. After a few

uploads of interviews, the project library ran out of space. I ended up having to buy a terabyte

external hard drive and move the project library off of my MacBook to be able to continue

editing the entire project.

Lastly, and one of the most frustrating issues throughout this project was Chad LeBlanc’s

audio. I used a LAV microphone with all of my interviews through my smartphone which gave

me great audio. The LAV microphone could be left on the off/smartphone mode, plugged into

my iPhone and could pick up incredible audio. However; during LeBlanc’s interview I decided

to turn my phone on airplane mode to prevent it from dying quicker. Well, turns out one cannot

do that when shooting with a LAV microphone. It did not pick up any of the audio and I could

not have been in a worse spot for it to happen, the gym. The gym had a crazy amount of

humming and weird noises. I did everything that I could to fix the audio in post-production, and

believe that I made it sound a lot better than what it was, but there is a significant difference

between his and the rest of my subjects’ audio. Storage and audio were obviously a huge issue

for me throughout my seminar journey amongst other minor bumps in the road. If I would have

known more about some of these issues beforehand, I would have saved a lot of time!

Reflection

This project made me grow as a person and a journalist as well. I can honestly say that I

feel like I served my target audience to the best of my ability. I was able to raise awareness

throughout my topic amongst society and I believe that I did my best to stay on top of the project

throughout the entire semester to best serve society. However, I would have definitely changed a
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 15

few things to make this project turn out a little bit better. I wish I had been even more prepared

than I was. I think if I would have laid out more time earlier in the semester then I would not

have been so rushed at the end of February and beginning of March to edit and push out the

episodes. The open time could have been left for mistakes and errors that could have been

thought out more properly. Overall, I am incredibly proud of my project. Through the research,

filming, and editing I truly believe that I made a change in other people's lives and raised

awareness of the inequalities of women in sports.

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 16

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Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 22

Appendices List

Appendix A………………………………………………………...Sample Email

Appendix B…………………………………………………………Consent Form

Appendix C…………………………………………………..Interview Questions

Appendix D………………………………………………………………Timeline

Appendix E………………………………………………..Signed Consent Forms

Appendix F………………………………………………………...Google Survey

Appendix G………………………………………………….Assessment Answers

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 23

Appendix A: Sample Email

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 24
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 25

Appendix B: Consent Form

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 26

Video/Photo/Interview Consent for Release Form

Research and Video Project Title: How Gender Inequality Affects Women in Sports

Interviewer: Cassidi Sterrett

I hereby consent that Cassidi Sterrett of Spring Hill College has the right to:
1. Interview me utilizing video and voice recording.
2. The ability to use and reuse any parts of the entire interview.
3. To be able to publish this project publicly.
4. To use my entire name in connection with the project.

The interview will take about 30-50 minutes. The interviewer does not predict that there
are any risks linked to the questions in the interview, however, you have the right to stop
the interview or not answer questions at any time. At this time, the interviewer will have
the right to utilize any part of the interview up to the withdrawal point. Thank you for
complying with the terms of the agreement and participating in this interview.

I accept that I have read the terms and conditions above, and am willing to fulfill the
agreement.

By signing this agreement, I acknowledge that I am at least 19 years of age, or I am the

legal guardian of the name printed.

Printed Name _____________________________________

Participant’s Signature _____________________________________

Participant’s Guardian Signature _____________________________________

Date ____________________
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 27

Appendix C: Interview Questions

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 28

Questions for Interviews

Questions for Females

1. Can you talk to me a little bit about your role here in athletics here at Spring Hill?
2. What made you want to get involved in women’s athletics?
3. How or why do you personally think gender inequity affects women in sports?
4. So, Title IX came around in 1972 and changed women’s athletics forever. Can you
explain to me what life was like for you and others before Title IX existed? -question for
people b4 Title IX
5. How did Title IX change the game for you?
6. So, Title IX came around in 1972 and changed women’s athletics forever. Can you
explain to me a little about what you know about Title XI and how it has had such a huge
influence on women’s athletics?
7. Can you describe any pay gap or inequalities in amenities between male and female
athletes? Has this happened to you personally? At Spring Hill?
8. An example of pay gap inequalities would be the performance of the US Women’s soccer
team, however, they are still getting less pay. What is your take on this?
9. Why do you think women in sports are paid significantly less than men?
10. How do you think childhood and education influences and gender stereotypes affect the
inequity of women in sports?
11. The term “you play like a girl” has been taunted by many boys and children throughout
the younger ages. Can you explain the meaning behind this and how it may define gender
inequity?
12. Can you explain a specific time where childhood or educational influences affected your
equality in sport?
13. As it pertains to coaching, how have you faced any inequalities with getting to where you
are now?
14. How do we go about bringing in more female coaches in the sports world?
15. It is said that growing up being raised by the generation before Title IX has influenced
the gender inequality gap in female sports. What is your take on this?
16. As it pertains to media, why do you think female athletics get significantly less air time
than men’s sports?
17. Do you think the media is biased to male sports which in turn sets people to continue
watching more male sports? If so, why do you think this?
18. What is your take on the idea that “women athletics are boring.”
19. Based off of the media framing theory, people build an idea of what they need to look
like off of the media influences. How are women athletes portrayed in the media?
20. How do you think female athletes can be sexualized within the media compared to men?
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 29

21. How do you think younger female athletes feel after seeing professional women athletes
being sexualized in the media?
22. How does body image of female athletes in the media influence health disorders?
23. How are male athletes viewed in the media?
24. As a female coach, how do you preach women empowerment to your team?
25. Explain to me a time where media influences have affected you in sport or your body
image in the sport.
26. How do we go about fixing the inequities of women in sport?
27. I have researched the idea of using sport as a tool for women empowerment in general.
What do you think about this?
28. How do we empower women and fight gender inequality in sport?

Questions for Males:

1. Can you talk to me a little bit about your role here in athletics here at Spring Hill?
2. What made you want to get involved in women’s/male athletics?
3. How do you personally think gender inequality affects women in sports?
4. So, Title XI came around in 1972 and changed women’s athletics forever. Can you
explain to me what life was like for other women before Title XI existed? Any personal
experiences?
5. How did Title XI change the game for women in sports?
6. Can you describe any pay gap or inequalities in amenities between male and female
athletes in a broader sense?
7. An example of pay gap inequalities would be the performance of the US Women’s soccer
team, however, they are still getting less pay. What is your take on this?
8. Why do you think women in sports are paid significantly less than men?
9. How do you think childhood and education influences affect the inequity of women in
sports? Any personal experiences?
10. The term “you play like a girl” has been taunted by many boys and children throughout
the younger ages. Can you explain the meaning behind this and how it may define gender
inequity?
11. As it pertains to media, why do you think female athletics get significantly less air time
than men’s sports?
12. Do you think the media is biased to male sports which in turn sets people to continue
watching more male sports? If so, why do you think this?
13. What is your take on the idea that “women athletics are boring.”
14. Based off of the media framing theory, people build an idea of what they need to look
like off of the media influences. How are women athletes portrayed in the media?
15. How do you think female athletes can be sexualized within the media compared to men?
16. How do you think younger female athletes feel after seeing professional women athletes
being sexualized in the media?
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 30

17. How does body image of female athletes in the media influence health disorders?
18. How are male athletes viewed in the media?
19. How do we go about fixing the inequities of women in sport?
20. As a director how do you practice female empowerment within the sport on a day to day
basis?
21. It is said that growing up being raised by the generation before Title IX has influenced
the gender inequality gap in female sports. What is your take on this?
22. How do we go about bringing in more female coaches in the sports world?
23. I have researched using sport as a tool for women empowerment in general. What do you
think about this?
24. How do we empower women?
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 31

Appendix D: Timeline
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 32
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 33

Appendix E: Signed Consent Forms

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 34
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 35
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 36
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 37

Appendix F: Sample Google Surveys

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 38
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 39
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 40
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 41

Appendix G: Assessment Answers

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 42

Judy Tompkins and Wanda Dahman:

Before the presentation:

1) What do you know about the inequality of female athletes in sport?

· For decades, many sports were not even offered for female athletes.
· If any sports were offered for female athletes, it often was only after
school intramural sports in which only a limited number of girls participated.
· In many circles there was a stigma attached to girls who played sports.
They were often called “jocks” and thought not to fit the more “feminine” role
expected of girls by society.

2) Have you been personally affected by any inequalities? If so, please explain.
· Up until the late 1970s, our local high school did not even offer
interscholastic basketball or volleyball. Being a female teacher in our district, I
felt the unfairness of this practice.
· I remember when I was doing my student teaching and early years of
teaching in Holden, we had something called extra-murals. Extra-murals was
when one school would contact another school and arrange a “play date” for girls
to meet and compete on a one-time only basis.
· We felt totally deprived of the opportunity to earn athletic scholarships for
college as female athletes.

3) What do you know about Title IX? How effective has it been?
· We know that Title IX was legislation passed to provide equality in male
and female sports.
· Definitely more sports have been available to female athletes since the
enactment of Title IX. We still question full equality of males and females in
sports.

After the presentation:

1) What did you learn about women’s sports from this presentation?
· We learned that most coaches of college female sports are males because
of the money offered to coach college sports.
· We learned that male athletes are often paid more money than female
athletes.
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 43

· We learned that male athletes are often more popular with fans and are
awarded more media coverage.
· We learned that girls in our society are often “brainwashed” as to their
role in society. A female athlete’s opportunity to play sports often depends on
how females and their male siblings were raised in their families. Were the girls
in the family given the same opportunity, training, acceptance, etc. to participate
in sports.
· We learned that many in our society feel that males are better athletes than
females. When comparing male and female athletes, we need not to consider
which is better. We need to respect that male and female athletes are different.
They need to be respected for their own unique athletic qualities. Men athletes
may be larger, stronger, etc., but female athletes exhibit much more finesse,
which actually gives them more potential in certain sports that require a lot of
finesse.
· We learned that female athletes in some sportswear very scanty outfits
(uniforms) that greatly reveal their bodies. This tends to attract male fans who
might be sexually attracted to the female athletes because of their body images.
Success of female athletes should not be judged by their body image, but rather
by their athletic ability in the sport.
· Women need to empower women by attending more events featuring
women athletes. Plus, we need to try to get more men to attend women sports.
Basically, we need to build a greater fan base for female sports.

2) What do you think the interviews and footage were filmed with?
· cameras

Kristie Sterrett
Before the Presentation:
● Gender equity in sport is supposed to be about treating both males and females fairly and
providing equal opportunity for participation in sport. We know that women are still
faced with the injustice of equality. Women in sports are still being discriminated against
and still being perceived unfairly.
● I was born in 1970 and raised as a female athlete throughout the 80's and 90's and have
always faced some type of discrimination in sport. We weren't treated as equals Male
sports were always televised and promoted more, male athletes received more scholarship
money than women and the overall assumption that men were better athletes in any sport.
● I know it is supposed to ban discrimination on the basis of gender within schools, any
education program or activity that is federally funded. I do think it has been effective in
helping to increase the number of women participating in sports but clearly has not been
as effective in helping to ban completely the inequality women still face in sports.

After the Presentation

Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 44

● The participation of women in amateur sports is getting more widespread, thus gaining in
popularity breaking the barrier more.
● Video on a cell phone.
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 45
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 46
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 47
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 48

YouTube Comments:

Episode One:

● Your youtube video was very creative and presented a brilliant and very appropriate

message.The vintage videos compared with the current feeds were enlightening. This is

my first time watching this series. I enjoyed it and look forward to more. Grayson

Glorioso-student in CMM220

● I think it’s awesome. As a huge follower/fan of women’s soccer I love the subject and

think you’ve done a great job- Hannah Shankman

● This production does a great job of historically documenting the evolution of women in

sports. However, as older women athletes, we were already aware of the tenacious climb

of women in sports and the impact of Title Nine. However, we did learn from this video

that today the majority of coaches are now MALE for women's sports at the college level.

As suggested in the documentary, more men are coaching women's sports today for the

money available. However, the lure of men coaches in women's sports seems to reflect

more than money. This trend seems to reflect a very positive social change.... seems that

women athletes have definitely proven themselves in performance today and have earned

the actual respect of male coaches- Judy Tompkins

● Well, I learned that back in the day they wore their gym suits as uniforms! What is a gym

suit? Wait I think we wore those in middle school. Interesting that women coached

women’s sports in the “old days”. - Kyla Jewsbury

Episode Two:
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 49

● Just watched episode two. Not sure if you know this BUT: the final for the women’s

World Cup in 2015 was the most viewed soccer match in history as of 2017. And this last

World Cup final, which we won, broke that viewing record. The women’s team plays

more games than the men each year and wins more games. The numbers are there for

women’s soccer. They bring in money for the federation. The argument that they can’t

get paid because there is not enough revenue is inaccurate. You should also take a look at

the lawsuit the women filed one year ago on international women’s day. It’s about to go

to trial. Really like your project. I’m v interested and you’re doing a good job- Hannah

Shankman.

● Another great episode! Here are some of our thoughts:

○ This Episode 2: Money Makes the World Go Around certainly offers interesting

perspectives on why female athletes and male athletes do not receive equal pay

for equal performance and success. The fact that male and female athletes are not

paid equally for equal performances is simply NOT ACCEPTABLE!

○ How can this inequality be remedied? According to this production, those

athletes who make the most money are the athletes who are the most popular (the

athletes most people pay to see). At present this just happen to be mostly male

athletes.

○ So, perhaps, as a society we need to better market and use media to better

promote our FEMALE athletes, so they, too, will draw more fans and thus,

generate greater gate revenue. Let’s make use of all our global technology! Let’s

make sure the world can witness the performance of all our female athletes and
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 50

their outstanding success in sports! Just a thought! - Judy Tompkins and Wanda

Dahman.

Episode Three:
● We do believe that you are greatly influenced by how you are raised in your family. If

parents value both their daughters’ and sons’ experiences and performances equally and

provide equal opportunities for both, then the female siblings will potentially develop the

same level of empowerment and confidence as the male siblings. We also believe that

parents should not dictate or forge the thinking of their sons and daughters. For example,

daughters should not be taught to think and athletically do only what is expected of them

by past society standards. Thankfully, today some female athletes are beginning to take

part in sports, such as, wrestling, football, etc. -Wanda Dahman and Judy Tompkins

Episode Four:
● Each interviewee is pictured, however, it would be helpful to also identify each speaker

by name, title, etc. Men athletes have played major sports for decades (centuries) and

have proven their athletic performance to be entertaining. Men athletes have gained

interest and popularity among both men and women spectators. Female athletes are

newer to sports historically and still need to sell or prove their athletic performance in the

sports entertainment world. People need to develop an understanding and respect for the

unique characteristics of the female athlete. It is not that a male athlete is better than a

female athlete, it is just that the male and female athlete are different in some aspects of

the game. As mentioned in the video, female athletes tend to demonstrate more finesse

than male athletes; whereas male athletes are by nature often stronger, etc. In order for
Where are the Women?: The Inequity of Women in Sports 51

female athletes to gain equal respect, interest, and entertainment value in sports; more

money, more opportunities, more energy, better equipment, better training, better

administration, and much greater promotion of female sports are needed. - Wanda

Dahman.

Episode Five:

● The episode was great except the volume on the guy with the blue shirt and tie… he

sounded too light and somewhat muffled at times. -Kristie Sterrett

Episode Six:

● Nice job! I am not sure what you need in the way of comments, but I will wear the

teacher hat. I loved the broll you were able to attain. Most of the video was, “say it prove

it”. The one thing I would have liked to see is more face interviews. I could hear the

voices, but very little face recognition. Hard to believe you’re almost done!! - Elaine

McDonald