Meg Lewis College Comp and Research Short Argumentative Essay February 24, 2017 Women in Sports When people think of a woman playing a sport majority of they think that it is a soft sport that is not too physical. Women’s involvement in sports is controversial. Critics say that women do not belong in sports. Although when one says that women athletes are as a good a men athletes it contradicts what the critics say. Female athletes should be involved in sports because they can perform with male peers, they have shown to be successful in sports, and they compete in the same sporting events as men. Women athletes can perform with men in sports. Most of the time it is said that women are too weak to compete against men and not as athletic as men. In the article “Women Who Hit Very Hard and How They've Changed Tennis,” Michael Kimmelman says, “Women have certainly never hit harder and not just on account of improved equipment. They are stronger, bigger, faster, better trained…” (513). I agree with Kimmelman’s point that is saying that women becoming better at sports and are amping up the competition. In the article “Women Cannot Compete Against Men in Sports” Amby Burfoot says, “...men's marathon performances were 10.71 times slower than their 5-K performances, while women's performances were 10.45 slower” (par. 4). I am not saying that women can beat men in all sports I am saying that women can perform just as well as men can in sports. Females have shown that they are successful in sports. In Sara Maratta’s article “Move Over Boys, Make Room in the Creases,” she states, “women cannot offer valuable insights and opinions when it comes to reporting sports. Female professional sports reporters are often considered nothing more than talking heads who get paid to look pretty” (541). I agree with Maratta’s point in saying that people do not believe female broadcasters actually know what is going on in the sport they are reporting about. I do not agree, however, with the fact that women do not know what they are talking about when they are reporting sports. Maratta is also saying that women only get hired for their pretty face so their is a pretty face on television, which I do not agree with. No matter what critics are saying, I believe women should be known for having the same skills as men and can be able to have sports conversations and know what they are talking about. ESPN’s first woman reporter, Andrea Kremer, says, “Women have earned their positions. I’ve always maintained there is not a sports gene that only men posses… It should be, in my opinion, about what do they contribute to a telecast or to a broadcast” (qtd. in Maratta 542). By saying this, Kremer suggests that females can also have the “sports gene” and that not only men can have it. Besides from being a female sports, broadcaster females should be able to play sports. Males should not feel impacted by the fact that they are playing against a female athlete. A man should think that obviously this woman he is playing against has the same passion for this sport that he does. Females should be able to be fans, athletes, or broadcasters and feel apart of sports like men. Sports that females play can be the same sports that men play. Some critics say that women’s sports are easier than men’s sports, which implies that women could not compete against men, which I do not agree with. Majority of people believe that men and women do not play the same sports. In Patricia Sanchez’s article “Women's Teams Play the Same Games as Men's Teams,” she says, “Women's rugby operates with exactly the same set of rules as the men's game” (par. 7). I agree with what Sanchez is saying. She is saying that majority of people do not actually realize that men and women play the same sports with the same rules. Men and women’s sports have the same equipment and the same rules. They use the same techniques and strategies to win. They practice the same and all have the same goal; to win. In Wilfrid Sheed’s article, “Why Sports Matter,” he states, “Sports teach, it is in their nature. They teach fairness or cheating, teamwork or selfishness, compassion or coldness” (498). By saying this Sheed is meaning that athletes, while improving at their sport in practice, are also learning lifelong skills that will benefit them in the future. Whichever skills men and women learn from their sport it is the same skill that the opposite sex learned in the same sport. Therefore, there is no noticeable difference in men and women’s sports. Female’s participation in sports is controversial. Female athletes face discrimination and it needs to stop. Many critics should realize that females can be an important part of sports and should be able to be held to a high standard like men. I believe that female athletes should be able to participate in sports because they work well with men, they are successful in their sport, and they compete in similar sports as men. Works Cited Burfoot, Amby. “Women Cannot Compete Against Men in Sports.” Runner's World, edited by Karen Miller, vol. 40, 2005, p. 49. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010151266/OVIC?u=chil38234&xid=d5bfc76c. Accessed 2017. Kimmelman, Michael. “Women Who Hit Very Hard and How They'Ve Changed Tennis.” "They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, with Readings, 2nd ed., W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2012, pp. 512–523. Maratta, Sara. “Move Over Boys, Make Room in the Crease.” "They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, with Readings, 2nd ed., W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2017, pp. 537–544. Sanchez, Patricia. “Women's Teams Play the Same Games as Men's Teams.” City on a Hill Press, edited by Karen Miller, 2007. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010646210/OVIC?u=chil38234&xid=1a16dfde. Accessed 2017. Sheed, Wilfrid. “Why Sports Matter.” "They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, with Readings, 2nd ed., W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2012, pp. 489–511.