Team Sports - Women

[Zombie]

There's a Football World Cup going on at the moment. But you wouldn't know it here.

 

Professional sports women gripe about their low pay compared to the men's games but where that's the case - and football shows this disparity at its greatest - there's a reason. Lack of interest.

And lack of interest includes right here: no-one on GA has been bothered to start a thread

In some areas women have achieved parity because the event organisers have made it so, like Wimbledon. Interestingly this means the women players are now being paid more than the men because they only play best of 3 sets instead of the best of five (entertainment has to be measured in terms of quantity as well as quality ).

But tennis - apart from doubles - is an individual sport. The real disparity is in the big team games like football and rugby.

There are probably many reasons for this lack of interest including lack of advertising, promotion and sponsorship support. But none of these matter if there isn't "grass roots" support at the same level as the men's games. That means people taking part at all levels. Breadth and depth.

Unless and until that happens women professional team sports players in the big games will always be the poor relation.
 

[Aditus]

Yes, there is a Football World Cup going on in Canada and we actually talk about it, watch the games, hear about it in the news etc., well some of us and some games. The general interest isn't as great as in the men's worl cup, but still.This time more Germans watch the games probably because we're greedy and want to make the double.

 

And I think I'm not qualified to start an eye-candy thread for this world cup, maybe others will do that.

 

Anyway, even the women like men playing football, but women - not so much. Girls don't play football in the streets or the schoolyard very often, boys do all the time. It's hard to overcome certain traditions I think.

[Thorn Wilde]

In Norway handball is the big women's team sport. Our handball girls are super talented and women's handball is way more popular than men's. As a result, the European cup in women's handball is sponsored almost exclusively by Norwegian advertisers. I have no idea how it got that way, but I'm glad we have a sport where women excel and have real opportunities. I mean, most of them still have day jobs, because internationally it's not such a big deal, but at least they have status, and people are interested.

[wildone]

I feel shame

 

Most of the opening games are being held 2 1/2 hours to the north of me. I thought about starting a thread but then I'll be honest, I thought would there be interest in Women's Football?

 

Sadly we see that in a lot of the Women's team sports. For example hockey ( ), there is a following for it here but very, very limited. Add in the fact that it is usually between Canada and the US with some bursts from the Scandinavian teams, it doesn't have a following. Look at women's basketball, a lot of foreigners can name NBA teams, but I can't name a single WNBA team ( I think the league is still around ).

 

I remember that for Sochi, women were lobbying the IOC for a women's competition in ski jumping, went to court and such, but the fact is, there is no audience or interest in it.

 

If you were a corporate sponsor, I'm not sure if I would split my dollars between women and men's sports as they have such huge viewing differences.

 

Why, I don't know.

[Graeme]

Look at women's basketball, a lot of foreigners can name NBA teams, but I can't name a single WNBA team ( I think the league is still around ).

I was at a Sports Bar in Wellington, New Zealand, during the week and they were showing WNBA on ESPN, so, yes, it's still around. However, I'm a foreigner, so don't ask me to name the teams I quite enjoyed watching the match while eating dinner.

[JackBinimbul]

For the record, I'm equally disinterested in men's football 

However, women's sports in general have gained a lot more speed in the past couple of decades.

[TetRefine]

Men are bigger, faster, stronger. Sports has also been a traditionally male-dominated thing, both in playing and watching. Put any professional mens team up against a professional women's team and the men will run over them.

 

Most people are more interested in men's sports simply because men are better athletes overall. Its not PC, but its true. 

[Aditus]

I'd be careful with words like 'any'. It's not a team sport but according to my sister a woman is holding the world record in deca ultra triathlon. And then there is horse-riding of course, which actually can be a team sport as well.

[Graeme]

You can't count horse-riding because equestrian is (I believe) the only top-level sport where men and women compete on equal terms. So there's no such thing as a men's or women's team in equestrian -- only teams that happen to be all male or all female.

[Thorn Wilde]

The Norwegian women's football team made some super funny videos where they address some of the prejudices and stereotypes against women's footballers (they're all lesbians, they're not very good, they cry when they lose, they don't understand the offside rule, etc.). They did it in a really funny, satirical way, but sadly it's all in Norwegian so there's not really much point in sharing it.

[Krista]

Being a female athlete, I know all too well that people hardly ever came to our games. Not until the playoffs when the loser male basketball team would always get bounced from the playoffs in game one. ONLY then would people really fill the seats at our games.. and we were always near the top of the standings in basketball.. one time we even won state. I believe that was the fullest the gym ever was for a game I played. Of course you would have to factor in the other teams playing in that gym during the same week... we weren't the only thing going on.

 

We are not as flashy.. I only really successfully dunked the ball once in my life (not in a game, just fooling around, and it hurt). The women's game relies on defense and jump shots. That's what Basketball is about really.. there was once a time when a dunk was considered a technical foul and wasn't allowed. I would hate to see it change to anything less flashy though. What we have to attempt to do is.. appreciate the athlete/team/sport for what they are capable of and not overlook them for what they aren't. I know a lot of people can't, but there is something of value there in both.

 

Softball - fast pitch. Is exciting to watch in the women's game. It is quicker than baseball, but even then you have to be a baseball/softball fan and willing to actually pay attention. I think the world will continue to be robbed if that sport remains off the Olympic schedule. As well as Wrestling... to be fair. 

 

There are pro-women football leagues out there.. very rare and barely surviving. Mostly those bikini flag football teams get some television time.. I think I even saw one game televised. So that is almost a circus act that will never be taken seriously.

 

Gymnasts are held to high regard in the sport on the women's side. That's the only sport I can think of where men aren't held equally.

Edited June 25, 2015 by Krista

[Zombie]

Thanks for posting Krista. The 100% male posts in this thread - until yours - was kinda proving the point in itself

[wildone]

OH Zombie

 

It appears Canada is playing England in the FIFA World Cup Quater-finals on Saturday our time.

 

Wanna wager

[Zombie]

is embarrassed - didn't even know England were still in it

 

oh the shame, the shame hangs head in shame...

[wildone]

Dang England, knocking out the host nation

 

So the Semi Finals are set in case you are watching

 

USA vs. Germany

Japan vs. England

[Zombie]

commiserations, Wildone

 

does it it make me a bad person if I admit I slept through it?

[wildone]

Considering it was at like 1 AM your time, you are forgiven