Being a Female in the Sport Industry

Article: UMD

On Tuesday, April 14, 2015 in my American Sport in the 21st Century class we discussed gender and sports. Gender is one of the first things that someone observes about an individual. 

There are three main agencies of sex role stereotyping: family, school, and the media. Before someone is even born, they are being stereotyped based off their gender. Parents direct their behavior towards masculine and feminine activities based off of the child's gender, not their interests. Schools reinforce that there are different expectations for different genders, and steer the children different ways based off of their gender. The media is one of the most influential and pervasive forces and it sets agendas for the way we think, act, and feel. Title IX went into effect in 1972, giving women what was suppose to be equal opportunity in education and sports. Although, Title IX improved the opportunities that were available for women athletes as well as women in the sport industry they are still not equal with men. The following youtube video shows prime examples of the gender inequality in sport: Women in Sports
The article At UMB, a face off over gender, money, sports by Dan Kraker discusses other obstacles that females face within the sport industry. Shannon Miller has been the women's hockey coach at the University of Minnesota-Duluth for sixteen years. Throughout her time at UMD she has turned the program around and won five national championships. She was recently fired due to financial reasons. Miller's salary was $207,000 while the men's hockey coach, Scott Sandelin, salary is $235,000. 
The Sports Business Journal article, Racial, gender hiring practices suffering in college sports, highlights statics of the inequalities of gender in sport. The 2014 College Sport Racial and Gender Report Card received a C- in gender hiring. Read the entire article here: Hiring Practices in College Sports
Women struggle everyday to be recognized within the sports industry as athletes, coaches, and business women. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is raising awareness for gender equality within sport. Look at their advocacy page here: Women and Sport Commission