Category Archives: Feminism and Sports

All In by @BillieJeanKing is a Fabulous Read

I just finished reading Billie Jean King’s memoir (written with Johnette Howard and Maryanne Vollers), All In. It’s a fantastic read for anyone interested in sports, second-wave feminism, Title IX, LGBT rights, social change (or several or all). The last … Continue reading

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Title IX’s Prohibition of Discrimination “on the Basis of Sex” Prohibits Discrimination on Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation

In an anticipated (but not surprising) memorandum, the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, has issued guidance (here) to federal agencies on the applicability of Bostock v. Clayton County, 140 S. Ct. 1731 (2020) to Title IX. Here is … Continue reading

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Michelle Wie West Pwns Guiliani & All Other Men Who Objectify Female Athletes (…& Rudy doesn’t know from “panties”)

Michelle Wie West, golfer extraordinaire and winner of the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, was spot on in her response to disgusting comments by disgraced lawyer Rudy Giuliani: Michelle Wie West, you said it well! A reminder (yet again) to “fans” … Continue reading

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Stop Treating Professional Cheerleaders (and Women in General) Like Property

Professional cheerleaders are in the news lately and this time it’s not for their horrifically low pay, which, supposedly, is being fixed across the NFL and NBA.  This time, it’s about the ridiculous rules that cheerleaders have to follow, mostly … Continue reading

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Maynard on “How the NCAA Infringes on the Freedom of Families”

Goldburn P. Maynard Jr. (Louisville) has published in the Wisconsin Law Review Online his essay “They’re Watching You: How the NCAA Infringes on the Freedom of Families.”  Here is an excerpt: This Essay argues that the NCAA’s surveillance of the … Continue reading

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Soccer Stars Sue FIFA

A group that includes some of the world’s best female soccer players has sued FIFA alleging gender discrimination on account of FIFA’s stated plans to have the Women’s World Cup played on turf instead of grass fields.  The NYT has … Continue reading

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Women’s Tennis and (Gratuitous) Grunting vs. Shrieking

Writing (here) for the (UK) Telegraph, reporter Kathryn Dobson covering the Wimbledon beat asks, “Why do women grunt?”  The explanations proferred in the article include a tennis player’s desire to gain psychological advantage over one’s opponent, facilitate application of maximum … Continue reading

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Is Unionization Good for Women’s College Athletics?

The NYT chips away at the question in an article published today, “Amid Cheers, Union Bid Stirs Concern for Women.”  Here is an excerpt, quoting Feminist Law Prof Erin Buzuvis and citing her work at the Title IX Blog: Female … Continue reading

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Documentary on “Media Coverage and Female Athletes”

From the Tucker Center at the University of Minnesota, a new documentary on “Media Coverage and Female Athletes.” -Bridget Crawford

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On Throwing Like A Girl

In the WaPo. Here’s an excerpt: The throwing gap has been researched for more than half a century, and the results have been consistent. According to Jerry Thomas, dean of the College of Education at the University of North Texas … Continue reading

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Pre-Season Debut of Female High School Quarterback

Via Marc Edelman (Andreas School of Law, Barry U.) this story from the South Florida Sun Sentinel of a female high school football quarterback in Florida: South Plantation’s Erin Dimeglio came one step closer to realizing her dream as she … Continue reading

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Where Are the Women? Maybe On the Football Field

LSU socceer kicker and homecoming queen Mary (Mo) Isom will be trying out for the LSU Tigers football team soon, attempting to show that, like Katie Hnida, she has the right stuff to split the uprights as a place kicker … Continue reading

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When Boys Win at Girls’ Sports

The New York Times reports here today on the success of boys who compete on high school girls’ swim teams in Massachusetts, if their school lacks a boys’ swim team.  Here is an excerpt: [R]oughly two dozen boys [are] competing … Continue reading

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Univ. of Michigan to Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Title IX

From the FLP mailbox, this notice of an upcoming conference at the University of Michigan, May 9-11, 2012: The new University of Michigan Sport, Health, and Activity Research and Policy (SHARP) Center for Women and Girls!  is hosting a national … Continue reading

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Women Playing Football? Only if in Bikinis

I had never heard of the Lingerie Football League until I read this article in an on-line Vancouver publication. Watch out, B.C. Lions. Soon, you’re not going to be the only pro football game in town. That’s right. The Lingerie Football … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Sports, If you're a woman | 1 Comment

Hope Solo and Billie Jean King Both Dancing With Stars

Hope Solo will appear on Dancing with the Stars and Billie Jean King will appear in a series of ads by the Arthritis Foundation endorsing exercise as a treatment for arthritis. Earlier this week, reps from Solo’s pro team, the … Continue reading

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Isn’t There a Better Way to Generate Interest in Women’s Soccer?

If you’re following the Women’s World Cup, you may know that three members (L-R Elodie Thomas, Gaetane Thiney, and Corine Franco) of the French  team posed for some for the German tabloid Bild under the heading, “Is this how we … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Sports | 3 Comments

The More Things Change…

A disturbing piece on gender conformity and anti-LGBT attitudes in sports appeared in the forum section of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette yesterday. The title of the piece is “Ugly Pittsburghers, 1974: What would happen today if a top male athlete came out … Continue reading

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“Badminton’s New Dress Code Is Being Criticized as Sexist”

“Badminton’s New Dress Code Is Being Criticized as Sexist” is the headline for this NYT article. I guess a headline like “Badminton’s New Dress Code Is Sexist” would be too much to ask. In any event, it covers the usual … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Sports, If you're a woman | 1 Comment

Women Of the Ring

NPR’s All Things Considered covers the induction of Lupita Lopez into the society of matadoras (female professional bullfighters) here.

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Batter Up! Justine Siegal Throws Four-Seam Fast Balls in Batting Practice for the Indians

The New York Times reported yesterday (here) on 36 year-old Justine Siegal’s debut throwing batting practice for the Cleveland Indians during spring training in Arizona. Justine Siegal felt a chill of excitement when she saw her dark blue Cleveland Indians jersey. She … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Sports | 1 Comment

Go Steelers!

We start our Steelers fans out young! My daughter Rose is only a bit more than 14 months old. She watched every Steelers game with me this season, though she did miss parts of games for naps or because bed … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Sports | 2 Comments

Go Steelers!

Well, to round out my posting for today, I have to voice my hope that the Pittsburgh Steelers cream the Jets later this afternoon! As I observed two years ago in a similar post: Given that this is the Feminist … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Sports | 1 Comment

Condescending to Girl Athletes

My husband and I spend a lot of time volunteering for our son’s soccer league. Hubby recently refereed a game for eight- and nine-year-old girls in which he called several handballs. A male coach objected strenuously to a couple of … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Sports, Primary and Secondary Education | 1 Comment

CFP: “Examining Gender, Social Justice and Sports,” March 17, 2011

From the FLP mailbox, this call for proposals: 6th Annual Audrey-Beth Fitch Women’s Studies Conference: “Leveling the Playing Field: Examining Gender, Social Justice and Sports,” Thursday, March 17th, 2011 On Thursday, March 17th, 2011 the Women’s Studies Program at California University … Continue reading

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Posted in Call for Papers or Participation, Feminism and Sports | 1 Comment

Do Angry Tennis Players Discriminate?

It’s US Open time and the New York media is paying plenty of attention to what the NYT calls “two extended tantrums over foot-fault calls in the last two years in Arthur Ashe Stadium,” namely the Serena Williams incident last … Continue reading

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Buzuvis on “Transgender Student-Athletes and Sex-Segregated Sport: Developing Policies of Inclusion for Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Athletics”

Erin Buzuvis (Western New England) has posted to SSRN her working paper, “Transgender Student-Athletes and Sex-Segregated Sport: Developing Policies of Inclusion for Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Athletics.”  Here is the abstract: Educators have long recognized the physical, psychological, social, and educational … Continue reading

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Golf and Fatherhood Conflict in the PGA

Would the New York Times ever run the headline, "Golf and Fatherhood Conflict in the PGA"?  I doubt it.  But "Golf and Motherhood Conflict in the LPGA"?  That merited a squib on the front page of the "B" section in … Continue reading

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Soccer Educational Outreach Program to Stop Domestic Violence

I’ve watched more ESPN in the last week than I have in the last year.  I’ve caught FIFA World Cup fever, along with millions of other sports fans around the world. I was interested to learn that there is a … Continue reading

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Title IX: Back from Outer Space

Vice-President Biden announced yesterday that the Obama administration had withdrawn the Bush administration’s approach to Title IX.  The White House website describes the action as follows: Today, Vice President Biden announced that the Administration has issued a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter … Continue reading

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The (White) Female Scholar-Athlete

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports (here) on a study by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida’s College of Business Administration.   The UCF press report  (here)  summarizes the findings of: 97 … Continue reading

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Ceci n’est pas un cheval

Photo by David J. Phillip/AP Women’s figure skating gold medalist Kim Yu-na outscored her competitors by a wide margin.  As reported by the LA Times (here) and other news outlets, here’s how 1984 men’s figure skating champion and sports announcer … Continue reading

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Moneyball Comes to Women’s Collegiate Sports

The Penn State women’s volleyball team has a 98-game winning streak.   The only longer winning streak in NCAA Division I history is the Miami (Florida) men’s tennis tam that won 137 consequtive matches from 1957 to 1964. Coach Russ … Continue reading

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Yes the violence used by this soccer player is chilling, but her gender is what some find the most shocking.

YouTube commenters are writing things like “I WOULD FUCK HER UP!!!!!…what a bitch!” and “Bitch. Kill her!” apparently without irony. A number of copies of this or related video clips are titled with references to “cat fights.” This NYT article … Continue reading

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Posted in Acts of Violence, Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Sports, Sexism in the Media | 3 Comments

The Pornification of a High School Sports Rivalry

Actual “show your school spirit” shirt sold by students to “support team.” Via an anonymous and concerned parent. ETA: To be clear, the parent is not anonymous to me, s/he simply prefers not to be named. Another artifact from the … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Sports | 4 Comments

Bummin’ Brooklyn Style (or Why Minor League Baseball Doesn’t Need Cheerleaders)

Baseball has been back in Brooklyn since 2001 when the Brooklyn Cyclones landed in Coney Island.  The team is popular; the stadium is human-scale; the players are friendly to the many kids in attendance.  I enjoyed tonight’s game, but I … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Sports | 1 Comment

Masculine, Feminine, or Human? (or Private Parts)

In a previous blog I wrote about horsey feminism and concern with a female horse winning a major horse race. (see Bully for You, Filly For Me). In that entry I discussed the disquieting effect of anthropomorphism that brings biology-as-social-destiny … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Sports, Race and Racism | 3 Comments

Test Everybody or Test Nobody

Athletics is one area where legally enforced gender binaries *may* be a necessary evil, if women’s athletics is to survive. But even if this is true, the evil needs to be minimized as much as possible. Requiring people to submit … Continue reading

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Buzuvis on “Title IX Retaliation Cases and Women’s Leadership in College Sport”

Feminist Law Prof Erin Buzuvis (Western New England) and Title IX blogger has posted to SSRN her working paper, “Sidelined: Title IX Retaliation Cases and Women’s Leadership in College Sport.”  Here is the abstract: This Article examines the retaliation cases … Continue reading

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15 plaintiffs lost their lawsuit against the Vancouver Olympic Games Organizing Committee when the British Columbia Supreme Court ruled that the decision to exclude their sport is out of the organizing committee’s control.

From the Salt Lake City Tribune: … “No one wanted to go to court over this, but we had no choice,” Deedee Corradini, president of Women’s Ski Jumping-USA, said in a statement. “It’s terribly disappointing, but the experience and effort … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Law, Feminism and Sports, The Underrepresentation of Women | 2 Comments

Note to Jelena Jankovic: A Period is a Punctuation Mark, Not an Excuse for Bad Tennis

Former No. 1 women’s tennis player Jelena Jankovic lost at Wimbeldon earlier this week to Melanie Oudin,  a relatively unknown 17-year old American from Atlanta, Georgia.  Jankovic she did not lose gracefully or have any words of congratulations for her … Continue reading

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When We Grow Old, Let Us Bowl You and Me

This story from Grand Rapids, Michigan made me smile: Two great-grandmothers from Grand Rapids have become state bowling champions. The women are 86-year-old Emma Dausman and 69-year-old Judy Conner. They won a Division 2 doubles title at the U.S. Bowling … Continue reading

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Don’t Sit Back and Wait for the Human Trafficking Disaster at the World Cup

South Africa will host the World Cup in 2010.  The Zimbabwe-based Women and Law in Southern Africa Research and Educational Trust isn’t rejoicing. [T]here are fears that the world’s most prestigious football event will negatively impact women and girls of … Continue reading

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Posted in Coerced Sex, Feminism and Economics, Feminism and Sports, Sisters In Other Nations | 1 Comment

Today’s post-feminist moment: “Fox Sports Article On Top Women Athletes Includes A Horse”

From After Ellen, Via Crooks & Liars: Fox Sports has compiled a list of women that can hold their own against men in the sports world : because everyone knows the real measure of a female athlete is how she … Continue reading

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Just Because You’re a Girl Doesn’t Mean You Have to Play Softball

  For all the great girls and women out there who love to play baseball, don’t give it up. You don’t have to play softball if you prefer baseball.   Did you know that the International Baseball Federation has announced … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Sports | 1 Comment

Women Can Outperform Men In Ski Jumping – Is That Why Women’s Ski Jumping is Being Kept Out of the Vancouver Olympics?

Glenn “Instapundit” Reynolds investigated this issue here, noting in an e-mail: “I stand up for gender equality in sport, and ask a world-champion athlete, “So how is your uterus doing?” It was relevant!” –Ann Bartow

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Did you know there was an all-female football league in which players wear lingerie instead of pads?

Somehow up until now I was unaware of the Lingerie Football League. How long until universities decides to field same? The NCAA has already approved “sand volleyball” as an emerging sport, and women players are required to wear bikinis, unlike … Continue reading

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Posted in Academia, Feminism and Sports | 2 Comments

CFP: Gender, Sport, and the Olympics (deadline: May 15, 2009)

From the Feminist Law Profs mailbox, this call for papers: The editors of   thirdspace: a journal of feminist theory and culture (a Canada-based, peer-reviewed journal) invite submissions for our forthcoming issue on gender, sport, and theOlympics. Prompted by the … Continue reading

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