The celebration, cries, and anxiety in which the sport atmosphere provides is carried throughout all levels. In high school, girl sports are supported just as much as the boy sports. At Pleasant Valley, a majority of the female sports are successful at the state level. Their commitment and dedication pays off during performances.
At the high school level, athletes are not paid for their performances; therefore, creating an equal balance between men and women. Some girls argue their support is not as prominent or great compared to male sports: football, basketball, or wrestling. Chris Bodenner, sports analyst states, “The women may be running/swimming/skiing slightly slower than their male counterparts, but I can’t really tell, and it’s just as exciting.” He includes how individual women sports are more fascinating to watch rather than team. Bodenner finds more excitement in the popular male team sports.
As athletes progress into the collegiate level, the popularity of sports continues to heavily side with the men. The turnout for men’s basketball, which colleges have both women and men athletes participating, is significantly more condensed. Major news sources such as ESPN and NBC report various college sports; however, most of the coverage is highlights from male athletes.
The inequality only gets worse when it comes to professionals. Some organizations have contracts, like the WNBA, which states that they will receive less pay than the men. For professional soccer, the women and men national team are part of the same company. Yet, the pay gap is extremely different. Hope Solo, former goal-keeper states, “We are the best in the world, have three World Cup championships, four Olympic championships, and the [men] get paid more to just show up than we get paid to win major championships.” It is 2017 and women are still unreasonably paid, even at the professional level.
The inequalities between men and women continue to be prominent even today. Whether the sport is at the high school, collegiate, or professional level, male sports are bringing in the support. Female athletes continue to fight this world of gender issues. 2017 will be a year of arguments and more debates for this continuing issue.
