Women In Sports

Women in sports are looked to for inspiration for young adolescent girls. They show that they can make it just as much the the world of sports as any man can. However, what does the media actually show of these athletes? Are they strong women? Women with goals in life? Or just cute little women that try so hard to play a "man's" sport?

Mia Hamm

Mia Hamm was the youngest women to play for the USA Women's National League at the age of 15. She is a role model to young adolescent girls. The media portrays her as a strong woman with high ambition.




Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick is a professional race car driver. She is a historic female first to win IndyCar at the Indy Japan 300. However, despite her accomplishments, it seems to be her looks that made her famous and not her talent. She is continually portrayed in the media as the sex symbol of the racing industry.


Serena Williams

Serena Williams is an American professional woman tennis athlete. Her and her sister are two of the top tennis players in the world. Despite her popularity and influence, her outburst towards a line-official at the latest U.S. Open has made people question her positive influence on young athletes.

One question I would like to address is what about male athletes doing the same act Serena had done? There are plenty of male athletes who had displayed the same amount of anger towards officials, yet they do not get criticized in the media as harshly as women.

Works Cited

"Mia Hamm." Sports Illustrated for Women. Web. 30 Nov 2009.

"Michelle Obama." SomaliPress.com. Web. 30 Nov 2009.

"Paris Hilton." Famous Female Celebrities. Web. 30 Nov 2009.

Radical Women. Web. 30 Nov 2009.

"Rosie The Riveter." Women of Leather Florida. Web. 30 Nov 2009.

Women In Entertainment:

Kilborne, Jean. “'The More You Subtract, The More You ADD':Cutting Girls Down to Size” Gender, Race, And Class In Media: A Text Reader. 3rd Ed. Ed. Gail Dines and Jean M. Humez. London: Sage Publications, 2003.

lovealoser."Paris Hilton #1 Fan vLog." YouTube. Web. 25 Nov 2009. .

Women In Politics:

"Female Force." Earth's Mightiest Fansites. Web. 30 Nov 2009.

Foundas, Scott. "Disney's Princess and the Frog Can't Escape the Ghetto." The Village Voice Movies. 24 Nov 2009. Village Voice LLC, Web. 30 Nov 2009.

"Hillary." Dog Art Today: Modern Dog Art and More. Web. 30 Nov 2009.

Krakauer, Steve. "Glenn Beck Jokes About Sarah Palin Belonging “In The Kitchen”." Mediaite. 27 Nov 2009. Mediaite, LLC, Web. 30 Nov 2009.

Martin, Michel. "Palin, Sexism and Women in Politics." npr. 16 Sep 2008. NPR, Web. 30 Nov 2009.

"Michelle Obama." Wikipedia. 25 Nov. 2009. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Web. 30 Nov 2009.

Milbank, Dana. "A Thank-You for 18 Million Cracks in the Glass Ceiling." Washington Post 8 June 2008: 1. Web. 30 Nov 2009.

Monkey See. Web. 30 Nov 2009.

Newsweek. Web. 30 Nov 2009.

"The Princess And The Frog Trailer HD." YouTube.com. Web. 30 Nov 2009.

Women In Sports:

"1998 Women's World Cup Soccer Barbie Doll Commercial With Mia Hamm." YouTube.com. YouTube, 15 Feb 2009. Web. 24 Nov 2009.

"Danica Patrick: A Racy Kids' Role Model to Champion?" Shaping Youth. Web. 24 Nov 2009

"Danica Patrick: Do Something Teen Choice Red Carpet." YouTube.com. YouTube, 15 Aug 2008. Web. 24 Nov. 2009.

"Even In Retirement, Mia Hamm Still Inspires." ESPN. Web. 24 Nov 2009.

"Getting Urban Girls into the Game: Dance First?" Women Talk Sports. Web. 24 Nov 2009.

"Mia Hamm - Gatorade "Thank You" commercial." YouTube.com. YouTube, 05 Mar 2007. Web. 24 Nov. 2009.

"Mia Hamm." Women's World Soccer. Web. 24 Nov 2009.

"Serena Williams chosen one of Glamour magazine’s Women of the Year." Women Talk Sports. Web. 24 Nov 2009.

"Serena Williams outburst (HQ) close up video at US Open semi-finals." YouTube.com. YouTube, 13 Sept 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2009.