From antiquity, patriarchal societies around the world have been built around the notion that men are stronger or superior to their female counterparts in whichever spheres. The fight gender equality spans beyond the political and economic settings to the sporting arenas. For decades, women and humanitarian lobbyists have challenged ideals synonymous with patriarchy, and advocate for the same opportunities and women’s acceptance in the sporting industry. Empirical studies denote that how people behave is usually an outcome of continued conditioning. Conditioning, as used in the context of this paper, is the repeated positive or negative reinforcement that teaches people’s conscious minds to deem certain activities as right and others wrong. Therefore, women and individuals advocating for equality in the sporting arenas are challenging the status quo, which is a formidable task.
In this week’s video, Serena Williams is the narrator, and she describes the challenges women athletes have faced over the years. There are flashes of different women athletes showing emotion, facing their fears, and fighting adversity. There is one athlete, Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya, who is transgender. She faced many controversies over her participation in the Olympic Games due to the fact she is declared female, yet she was born as a man. The video denotes that regardless of the obstacles in one’s path, determination and unrelenting courage to dream and pursue one’s dreams is key. The video is relevant to this context because it further echoes the struggles of female athletes. Ultimately, with unwavering determination and the will power to dream big in the face of adversity, underdogs can emerge victoriously.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
In every game or sport, there is always a favorite and an underdog. Often, the favorite wins, but that is not always the case. Being a favorite does not mean being invincible. When the game is on, passion means so much more; it is the lifeblood of any sport and the drive through which great odds are overcome. The unpredictability of sporting outcomes is what makes watching games worthwhile. The Nike commercial on the video uses the concept of famous professional athletes from different sporting events showing disappointment, perhaps from an unexpected defeat by an underdog. The video's primary message is; in sports nothing is impossible.
` The first notable case of defying all odds to emerge victoriously is the life of Ibtihaj Muhammad. In the sporting arenas, women are considered inferior regardless of how hard they work. A typical case of underappreciated athletes is the case of Ibtihaj Muhammad. Ibtihaj Muhammad is from a patriarchal society where women are considered secondary to their male counterparts ( Fatima, 2016) . While a male child is motivated to explore, engage in sports, and be mischievous, a girl is expected to conform to stringent sets of social rules that are tailored to convey a clear-cut distinction in gender roles. It is not atypical for a scenario in which a father is less impressed at the birth of a girl as he would be if the child birthed by his wife is a boy. Therefore, in such a context, making into the sporting world and becoming an iconic figure would have taken Ibtihaj Muhammad twice the effort in comparison to the input of her male counterparts.
Ibtihaj Muhammad is the epitome of overcoming monumental challenges and daring to dream big amid the looming societal challenges. The extent of her struggle can be deduced from Ibtihaj Muhammad’s recollection of her struggles. According to Hall, (2018), Ibtihaj Muhammad was on the receiving end of bizarre treatment from her fellow Olympians as well as the coaching team. Although Hall (2018) presents the story from a single perspective, the positions of those alleged to have perpetrated ill-treatment towards Ibtihaj Muhammad have not been presents, it is apparent that Muhammad had to overcome enormous hurdles to succeed as a sportsperson. Based on the alleged inappropriate treatment directed towards Ibtihaj Muhammad, one can infer that the inequality between men and women is extensively rooted in the societal fabric. For instance, when the coach questioned Ibtihaj Muhammad's commitments to Islam by using phrases such as “lazy” and “slacking off,” it is notable that the coach Ed Korfanty is basing his perspective and attitude towards Ibtihaj Muhammad on societal principles.
Furthermore, opinions mistaken for conventional truths by a massive subset of the contemporary population are based on inferences made from consuming the media. For instance, the constant depiction of Muslim women as submissive, reserved, and withdraw has been imprinted on the minds of most uncritical consumers of movies and adverts, as representative truths. In light of the extent of the influence of such stereotypes, a woman might be expected to act in a particular manner, disregarding the fact that everyone is independent and reserves the right to make individual choices as long as the decisions do not infringe on the rights of others ( Fatima, 2016) . The fact that Ibtihaj Muhammad was discriminated in the United States Olympics team, arguably one of the most diverse nations in the world, denotes how far away the society is from accepting and embracing other people’s differences. Ultimately, such occurrences demonstrate the fact that discrimination against women in sports goes beyond one’s skin color, religion, and culture. Instead, perpetrators of such discriminatory activities base their assumptions on unfounded stereotypes and sweeping statements.
The progress of women in sports is also dwarfed by their will to pursue personal goals such as starting a family. The decision to start a family is personal and should not be perceived as a determinant of how a professional athlete is treated. Serena Williams has gone through unnecessary torment and criticism for a decision that is supposed to be a joyous occasion for every parent, having a child, just because she is female and a professional athlete ( Ahmed, 2017) . The fact that publishing houses released headlines such as “Are Serena’s playing days over?” demonstrates the level of gender discrimination in sports. The caption is flawed on multiple levels. Firstly, the statement is fallacious since it implies that a woman cannot be a mother and a professional athlete concurrently, which is not the case for male athletes. Also, the statement propagates the notion that motherhood signifies the end of a sports career regardless of how illustrious that career might have been. Such notions are restricting to women that may dare to dream and follow their goals in life.
Moreover, in some instances, sporting rules limit the liberty of a female athlete to make a purportedly personal choice. For instance, WTA ranking system that fails to preserve the world ranking of an athlete that goes for maternity leaf propagates discrimination against women (Davis, 2018). The rule is biased because it confines women to either maintaining their world ranking or be mothers and lose their grip on the world ranking. Serena expresses her disgust with the unfairness in the sporting world by asserting that one does not have to wait until retirement to start a family; women athletes should be allowed to juggle family and sporting activities as their male counterparts (Davis, 2018). Her position is justified given that their male counterparts can start new families as well as sustaining their ranking on the sporting spheres concurrently. In this regard, rules should be tailored to accommodate the existent biological differences between women and men in the processes that lead up to becoming new parents.
Another athlete that has suffered ridicule, criticism, and media persecution for being part of a minority group in the global populace is Caster Semenya. Caster Semenya is a phenomenal athlete and a 2-time world champion. Nonetheless, she has been put in the spotlight because she was born a man. The extent of the discrimination goes as far as exclusion from competitions because of her sexual orientation and gender difference. Therefore, in such instances, sports fail to act as a unifying factor; instead, it becomes a platform tailored for specific individuals.
The difficulty encountered by Caster Semenya in the sporting world is further exemplified by the IAAF’s decision to pass a law that is intended to limit the purported advantage enjoyed by female athletes that have high serum testosterone. According to Murad (2019), IAAF, an international athletics body, introduced a provision that expects all female athletes to have pre-determined testosterone levels in their bodies. Such rules further complicate Semenya’s ascent to global domination in the sporting world since she is compelled to take a drug that inhibits the synthesis and secretion of testosterone. The decision was intended to levalize the playing ground for female athletes. On the contrary, it is a tool for the perpetuation of discrimination since it singles out biological different individuals for media persecution and criticism.
The unfairness of the move by IAAF to sideline women with high testosterone levels to compete in sport is unfair and discriminatory. Murad (2019) contends that nudging women with naturally high testosterone levels in their blood to take drugs is barbaric. Ultimately, taking control over one’s decision pertaining to what drugs to ingest as a requirement for participating in sports denied such individuals autonomy. Therefore, such bias and inconsiderate rules further make it difficult for women like Semenya to achieve greater heights in sporting arenas.
A similar theme is presented in the assigned video. Although the video acknowledges disparities in the mannerism in which women and men are treated in the sporting world, it affirms that anything is possible; one needs to be passionate in order to become great at whatever he or she chooses to do. Those who are afraid to take risks find it more challenging to become successful. This successfully reinforces the concept of the underdog, and when one of the players remains himself throughout the game, takes the penalty kick from Ronaldo, and despite the odds against him, puts the ball in the back of the net, the concept is even further utilized and driven home. The video compels its audience to root for the underdog to attain even greater heights.
In conclusion, the concept of the underdog trampling over all obstinacies to succeed is not only inspirational but also applicable. From the struggles of Muhammad, Semenya, and Serena, it is conspicuous that the odds are more likely than not to be against women athletes. Nonetheless, trough determination and the ability to rise above looming challenges, bias regulations, media persecution, and societal condemnation victory and success are attainable. In this regard, despite one’s current surrounding and condition, dreaming big is worth it, since no dream is too big for a determined individual and no obstacle is permanent. The key is finding something that one is passionate about and pursuing that passion. From the aforementioned examples, Serena, Semenya, and Muhammad managed to succeed despite the resentment towards the athlete’s decision to start a family, endure discrimination because of her biological anatomy, and experience rejection because of her religious and cultural backgrounds respectively. Therefore, such success stories challenge individuals to dream big.
References
Ahmed, S. (2017, Apr 27). Responses to Serena Williams’ Pregnancy Are Steeped in the Racism and Sexism She’s Long Faced. Rewire.com . Retrieved from https://rewire.news/article/2017/04/27/responses-serena-williams-pregnancy-steeped-racism-sexism-shes-long-faced/
Davis, S. Serena Williams' pregnancy might cost her at the French Open, and the policy is drawing criticism . Business Insider . Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/serena-williams-french-open-seed-criticism-pregnancy-policy-2018-5
Fatima, R. (2016, Nov). Ibtihaj muhammad redefining the muslim american image. Islamic Horizons, 45 , 28-31. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/docview/1837874991?accountid=8289
Hall, M. (2018, July 27). Ibtihaj Muhammad: 'Being made to feel different is what makes it all the more difficult'. The Guardian . Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/jul/27/ibtihaj-muhammad-fencing-hijab-olympics
Murad, A. (2019, Feb 23). Semenya hopes court will back her eligibility for female races: Gender debate [usa region]. Financial Times Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/docview/2197023851?accountid=8289
