Athletics have always been dominated by men, but in recent decades, women have been making significant strides towards equality in sports.
By seeing an accurate representation of gender, religion, and race, the younger generations know their goals are achievable. For example, Michelle Obama is a strong political role model for young women of color, but why do young boys have so many more athlete role models than girls do?
Female athletes like Shawn Johnson and Serena Williams motivate young players to work hard and push themselves to be better every day. Although many professional sports have strong female role models, some, like golf, are not widely recognized by the public.
It is nearly impossible to find a person who doesn’t know about Tiger Woods’ impressive achievements, but not many have heard of Nancy Lopez: a record-breaking female golfer who won three championships during her time on the Ladies Professional Golf Tour. Lopez was inducted into the PGA World Golf Hall of Fame in 1989 alongside other athletes who left a tremendous mark on the game like Phil Mickelson and Arnold Palmer.
2019 was the first year professional female golfers were allowed to play a tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. Professional male golfers have been playing the Masters, the most famous golf tournament in the world, on the Augusta National course since 1934, yet, this much-anticipated event, which took 85 years to transpire, was not even a top story in news headlines.
Senior golfer Lauren Groenenboom believes the amount of recognition female athletes receive is unacceptably low, especially on the college and professional level. “It’s hard knowing that no matter how much you achieve in a sport, you won’t get near the recognition a male who achieved the same or even less than you will get,” she said.
However, the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union and the Pleasant Valley community do an outstanding job in appreciating female athletes’ accomplishments both academically and athletically. Thus, in the future, these talented athletes will know they can achieve feats only men are usually recognized for.
Freshman golfer Lily Dumas believes the PV Golf program treats the boys and girls teams with the same levels of respect, and they both receive equal opportunities, but locally, Dumas still struggles with the challenges that come along with being a female athlete. “If you walk into the store, Golf Galaxy located in Davenport anyone can see that the representation for males is greater than females,” she said.
Although there are many organizations working towards athletic gender equality, sometimes big companies set back the progress others have worked so hard for. The lack of equipment and athletic clothing for women as compared to men is affecting women all over the world.
Astounding female athletes are everywhere, and not only should they be praised for their sports careers but also for breaking barriers and stigmas for future generations. It’s time to take a stand against gender discrimination for the sake of female athletes who have been neglected by the public eye.
