Recently in Sports Category

While our community bloggers have been doing a fantastic job of covering the sexism during this Olympics season, we find this gem:

One of the most popular sports at the 2004 Games did not give medals out to its participants. Admiring Olympic cheerleaders became a favorite pastime for many who attended the Athens Games, and the cheerleaders' popularity led the Beijing Olympic Committee to put together their own cheerleading squads...

So why can't we see Olympic cheerleaders on television? This is the $100 question that I have been asked several times over the last few weeks, and the answer is? There is no good answer. The only thing I can think is that the IOC and/or NBC received complaints after the cheerleaders' first appearance four years ago (although NBCOlympics.com does feature many photos of the women)....

I don't see what the big problem is. The cheerleaders are there to entertain fans, why can't they also entertain the fans who aren't lucky enough to have a ticket? They have already become very popular with Olympic enthusiasts, so why pretend like they don't exist? We want more! (Emphasis mine)

The answer to your question, sir, is in this very picture that came with the article. Trust me, I'm no hater of cheerleading (I actually almost joined the squad in my Brooklyn high school), but this piece really creeps me out. It's almost turning the lack of cheerleaders at the Olympics as some sort of inherent right to voyeur that's being taken away from the drunk, objectifying fans of the world.

Photo via Getty Images. h/t to Kathryn

As a follow-up to Kayla's community blog post... Reader Anna tipped us off to the fact that the Sydney Morning Herald covered the gold medal victory of Australian women's 4x200 relay swim team with the following illustration:

Anna writes, "Yeah... they just couldn't resist. Even when women are the best in their field they still receive a pejorative term!" As far as I can tell, the caption has since been changed to "The Fab Four." Much better.

(More from Courtney on what it means when we call a woman a "gold-digger.")

In other sexist Olympics coverage, Hoyden About Town highlights this photo accompanying coverage of the Brazilian women's volleyball team. (The Sydney Morning Herald is once again the guilty party.) And this is just... disturbing.

On a more positive Olympic note, colleen on the community blog writes about her love for softball player Jennie Finch.

If you missed the New York Times op-ed this last weekend on the "sex test" at the Olympics game, be sure to read it here. Jennifer Finney Boylan, an English professor at Colby, analyzes the Olympic history of testing whether athletes were "legitimately" female. The Olympic committee's struggle to define female--by chromosome? by secondary sex characteristics? by genitalia?--is a fascinating microcosm of our larger societal struggle. Boylan writes:

Maybe...Olympic officials have to learn to live with ambiguity, and make peace with a world in which things are not always quantifiable and clear.
That, if you ask me, would be a good thing, not just for Olympians, but for us all.

Beautifully, beautifully put.

This story in the NYTimes definitely brings up some interesting debates in the gender and sports arena. Basically the Olympics has a shady history of trying to verify female athletes gender identity. This ranges from forcing the athletes to strip naked and inspected by judges to other varied tests including chromosomal typing and hormone testing.

At first, women were asked to parade nude before a panel of doctors to verify their sex. At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, officials switched to a chromosomal test.

For a period of time these tests were mandatory for female athletes (not male ones). The NYTimes article suggests it was due to fears that male athletes would pose as female athletes and have an unfair advantage over their competitors. It seems this has only actually happened once, however, and it was not discovered with any of these tests. For this years Olympic games, a lab is being set up in Beijing that is prepared to investigate any gender-based claims if they arise, as they no longer require these exams of all female athletes.

Wha wha, why are women fighting like big smelly men on the basketball court?

You gotta love writers that try and justify sexism by saying, men are gross, you don't want to be like them anyway. Because it is clear that talented women go into sports, because they want to BE men. Could you think any higher of your own gender?

Nein.

via Scott, this is a truly disgusting story out of my home state:

A fellow student-athlete at Iowa alleged she was sexually assaulted by two football players on October 14, 2007. Within 36 hours of the assault the victim reported the incident to the highest levels of the Iowa Athletic department. Including athletic director Gary Barta, head football coach Kirk Ferentz, associate athletic director Fred Mims, and a faculty member. According to the victim's mother all of these individuals encouraged the victim to allow them to handle an on campus investigation rather than reporting the assault to authorities.

Left to handle the investigation, the mother states Iowa officials did nothing for over three weeks. In fact, one of the alleged perpetrators even moved in three doors down from the victim, and the victim says she was constantly harassed by the men and received no protection from university officials. Ultimately, she contacted the local police on November 5, over three weeks after the assault. This finally prompted an action from Iowa. On November 13, Coach Ferentz announced that the two players charged with sexual assault were suspended. Although he did not disclose why the two men were suspended. This was almost a month after he became aware of the sexual assault allegations.

Scott pointed out to me that this Iowa case sounds a lot like U.S. v. Morrison. In that case -- which went all the way to the Supreme Court -- Christy Bronzkala, a student at Virginia Tech was raped by two football players. The college punished one of the athletes but not the other, and when a state grand jury failed to charge either man with a crime, Bronzkala sued under the Violence Against Women Act. (VAWA initially had a clause that said women could sue their abusers/attackers in federal court. That provision was struck down when Bronzkala lost her case.)

Looking back, the thing that is most striking to me now about U.S. v. Morrison is what a sadly typical tale it is. I mean, just yesterday the SAFER Blog posted on a Clemson football player who -- despite accusations that he punched his girlfriend and threw her down the stairs -- will remain on the team. It becomes so painfully clear, after reading story after story like this, that in 9 cases out of 10, college authorities value their athletes more than the women on their campus.

UPDATE: In a previous version of this post that MovableType must have gobbled up, I also linked to our posts on the DeAnza rape case, and some of Cara's great blogging on this issue -- and put in a plug that you should totally go sponsor her for her blogathon fundraiser to benefit RAINN.

I'm ashamed to admit this is four days overdue. But better late than never. Monday, June 23rd marked the 36th - yes 36th - anniversary of Title IX, the U.S. law stating that "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

Title IX has been largely associated with the rights of girls and women's to participate in sports in school, but most don't know there's 9 other issue areas that are really important:

• Access to Higher Education
• Career Education
• Education of Pregnant and Parenting Teens
• Employment
• Learning Environment
• Math & Science
• Sexual Harassment
• Standardized Testing
• Technology

In the meantime, check out Courtney's Thank You Thursday to Title IX and all of the wonderful stories in comments of how Title IX affected Feministing readers. Feel free to add more in comments here.

Yes, that's right. Because she kicked ass, parents wanted her off.

The article concerned 12-year-old Jaime Nared, barred by The Hoop [a private Beaverton basketball/sports facility] from playing basketball with the boys team that she had played with since second grade.

The Hoop's decision was prompted by the parents of opposing teams shortly after Jaime embarrassed an opposing team by putting up 30 points. The complaining parents' stated concern was that their sons were not playing as well because they had been taught not to be rough with girls.

Nevermind that according to Nared's coach Michael Abraham, the 6-foot-1 student can more than hold her own: "Listen, she's a girl's girl, but she plays tough. She's no cupcake. She gets knocked down and takes a charge."

The problem is that boys won't be "rough with girls," the problem is that parents would rather use sexism to get a girl kicked off a team rather than see their kids play a fair game.

Watch the video here.

Thanks to all the readers who gave us the heads up on this one!

Shortly after women ski jumpers rallied in Vancouver this winter while the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was in town, it looks like they're now filing suit against the Vancouver organizing committee for the 2010 Olympics:

The women ski jumpers say not being included in the Games is a violation of the women's rights under Canada's bill of rights.

The lawsuit, filed in B.C. Supreme Court, says the failure to include a women's ski jumping event in the Games is discriminatory and based on stereotypes of the types of activities suitable for women.

Last year, the women also filed a suit with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, who compromised to press the IOC to change its mind. And the Vancouver organizing committee had told the IOC it didn't want to include women's ski jumping because of budget constraints, and the IOC voted in 2006 to not allow women ski jumpers in the Games because the sport hasn't developed enough. Not to mention the International Ski Federation has stated in the past that the sport "isn't appropriate for ladies" and could damage their ovaries and uterus. For reals.

In the meantime, badminton was approved in 1985 by the IOC to be given full-medal Olympic status.

Check out the Let Women Ski Jump in 2010 campaign for more info on this ridiculousness.

...for pushing superficial bullshit onto their players.

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Please...no.

As a skilled instructor guided them, the WNBA's new class of rookies spent part of their orientation weekend learning how to perfect their arcs...It was not Lisa Leslie or another veteran teaching basketball fundamentals but a cosmetics artist brought in by the league last month to teach the rookies how to arc their eyebrows, apply strokes of blush across their cheekbones and put on no-smudge eyeliner to receive the right attention off the court.

As part of the rookies' orientation into life as professional athletes, the WNBA for the first time offered them hour-long courses on makeup and fashion tips.

These courses are part of the WNBA's new effort to market their players more effectively. And, of course, that means focusing on their looks. Marj Snyder of the Women's Sports Foundation, says, "The problem is if only 8 percent of the coverage is on women, and the vast majority of the time we're talking about who they're married to, what clothing they're wearing, what kind of parents they are, there's not much room left to say, 'What a great athlete.' " But instead of fighting back against this superficial focus, the WNBA is embracing it.

Renee Brown, the WNBA's vice president of player personnel, said the league aims to show its players as "mothers, daughters, sisters, nieces and entrepreneurs" and their "womanhood" is important to promote the league.

"You're a woman first," Brown said. "You just happen to play sports. They enjoy dressing up and trying on outfits, where back in the day, everyone just wore sweats.

"Call it what you want. We're just celebrating their womanhood."

So long as "womanhood" means adhering to traditional gender norms. When "womanhood" means being a kick-ass athlete, I guess it's not worth celebrating.

I love me some good news to start the week off with!

Danica Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history Sunday, taking the Indy Japan 300 after the top contenders were forced to pit for fuel in the final laps.

Patrick finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of pole-sitter Helio Castroneves on the 1.5-mile Twin Ring Motegi oval after leader Scott Dixon pitted with five laps left and Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan came in a lap later.

Patrick said of the win, "It's a long time coming. Finally... knew there was a good reason for coming to Japan...I want to thank my team, the fans and everyone who supported me."

UPDATE: Reader Krista mentions that Patrick also won in spite of a new rule aimed at the women in Indy car, which says that that lighter drivers have to carry ten more pounds on them. (Of course, the three lightest drivers in car racing are all women.) Patrick responded to this rule last month: "There's no weight limit in football...There's no height limit in basketball...And what about the strength aspect? What are they doing to fix that? As a smaller driver, I have to work harder in that area."

Boxer Laila Ali and BMX racer Kim Hayashi at the Women's Sports Foundation 2007 Annual Salute to Women in Sports.

I love good news. A report by the University of Minnesota’s Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport shows that girls are involved in sports in record numbers.

The report outlines research pertaining to the benefits of girls' involvement in sports and physical activity, as well as the barriers that they encounter.

Nicole LaVoi, one of the report's authors, says “The research within the report confirms that many good things are happening when it comes to girls and physical activity. Girls are participating in organized sports more than ever and at all levels -- from organized youth sports, to interscholastic sports and up through Olympic competition."

For more information on women and girls in sports, check out the Women's Sports Foundation.

Check out this great piece from William Wolfrum (who also blogs at the fabulous Shakesville) on the five-year anniversary of Martha Burk’s protest at Augusta National. Give it some love.

No joke.

While the Steelers are getting quite the rep for violence against women as of late, the team managers have turned a blind eye to a player slapping his girlfriend because what he was trying to do "was really well worth it."

While Cedrick Wilson was released from the team for punching his ex-girlfriend on Wednesday night, James Harrison was decidedly okie dokie to stay after assaulting his girlfriend earlier this month.

On March 8, Harrison was charged with assaulting his girlfriend, Beth Tibbot, in her Ohio Township home. According to a police affadavit, Harrison broke down a door, broke Tibbot's cell phone in half as she attempted to call 911, then slapped her face with an open hand, knocking off her glasses. He was charged with simple assault and criminal mischief and faces an April 3 preliminary hearing before a magistrate in Bellevue.

When the team was questioned as to why one player is being released while the Harrison isn't, they replied that violence against women should basically be condoned on a case-by-case basis:

In Harrison's case, Rooney [team chairperson] said the player was trying to take his son to be baptized.

"What Jimmy Harrison was doing and how the incident occurred, what he was trying to do was really well worth it," Rooney said of Harrison's initial intent with his son. "He was doing something that was good, wanted to take his son to get baptized where he lived and things like that. She said she didn't want to do it."(Emphasis mine)

Beating a woman up is okay as long as it's "well-intentioned"! When the team was accused of condoning Harrison's actions, they released a statement saying: "To clarify the comments made earlier regarding the conduct of our players, in no way do we condone domestic violence of any kind. . . Each incident must be considered on a case-by-case basis. In the situation with James Harrison, he contacted us immediately after his incident and has taken responsibility for his actions." Not too convoluted, huh?

The Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh is attempting to reach out the Steelers about giving the players training on intimate partner issues. In the meantime, email the Steelers or call their administrative offices at 412) 432-7800 and tell them that condoning violence against women in any case is not okay.

Thanks to Breanna for the link.

Contributed by Sarah Murray, Women’s Sports Foundation

The party is ON in Vancouver at the end of the month. The women’s ski jumping consortium is hosting a....ummmm….rally of sorts for Jacque Rogge and his International Olympic Committee (IOC) cronies who will be in town for a Coordination Committee meeting.

The IOC continues to deny women the opportunity to compete in ski jumping on the Olympic level, despite support for inclusion by the Canadian Olympic Committee, the International Ski Federation (FIS) and every upright walking human who has bothered to pay attention to the issue. Not surprisingly, the IOC’s decision making Executive Committee is made up of 14 men and just one woman. The FIS, in contrast, actually voted 114 to 1 to recommend the inclusion of women. (Was the Devil’s Advocate allowed to vote? Actually, the one dissenting vote came from the representative from Switzerland – headquarters of the IOC.)

The IOC has dished out a heap of lame excuses for why they won’t allow women to jump, including: not enough global participation, and “technical merit,� calling women out for not being strong enough skiers. Truth be told, there are 142 female ski jumpers from 16 countries registered with the FIS, competing internationally. As for “technical merit,� it’s hogwash! Women are absolutely killing it in ski jumping! Lindsey Van, a member of the U.S. team set the 90M hill record for the exact jump that will be used in Vancouver by jumping 105.5 meters. The record for men on that same jump is currently 99 meters. As sweet as that fact is, the point is not about who jumps farther. Equity and justice shouldn’t hinge on performance. How about adding the sport because it’s the right thing to do?

If you live near Vancouver, check out wwsj2010.com to find out how you can join the rally. Or, if you can’t attend, go to the site and help the gals out by signing their online petition to the IOC. They’re looking to get 5,000 signatures before the end of the month. Better yet, strap on some ski and go learn how to jump!

Athletes for Equality will be at the Vancouver Art Museum plaza, Sunday Feb 24 1pm, with a 2pm press conference to follow.

Especially in sports, out of all things. Come on now, little ladies!

A Kansas Roman Catholic high school banned a female referee from officiating a boy's basketball game because as a woman, and shouldn't be put in an authority position over the boys. Yes, really.

The good thing is that Official Michelle Campbell has support behind this ridiculousness; her fellow male ref walked out with her in protest when the school told her to leave, and the Activities Association is considering banning the school itself from playing in games.

The school is operated under the Society of St. Pius X, which has the following under their "FAQs":

'Feminism refuses the true nature of woman, confuses the natural and supernatural relations between the sexes and embarks upon a deviant path at the end of which the suicide of thought and the death of womanhood is inevitable,' Father Leo Boyle answered.

On whether a wife should be submissive to her husband: 'Husbands will consequently take responsibility and leadership, even when they feel inadequate, and wives will take delight in denying their own will and obeying their husbands,' Father Peter R. Scott answered.

Hmmm...suicide of thoughts or denying of will - I vote for deviancy!

In my not so humble opinion, I think that sports are pretty homoerotic. People can decide if they want to agree with that or not, but watching men talk about or watch sports tends to border on homosocial, but oftentimes homosexual tension. So for those of us that already kind of know that, the thought of two men kissing at a sporting event wouldn't shock us, but it wouldn't revile us either. However, lest we forget, given homophobia's strong hold on so much of the country, there are other people that are not as comfortable.

Take this for example. This is a picture of two men embracing after a tough sporting event, where they came out victorious. Now, to be real, they are not kissing, just excited that they won. It is a tense moment that is full of complicated emotions. But this picture caused a controversy, because readers Courier-Journal (in Kentucky) consider it inappropriate.

Some of the comments registered by angry, offended and/or baffled readers: "Awful," "an embarrassment," "horrible decision," "poor judgment," "distasteful," "a mystery" and "shame on you."

I have to admit I was a little baffled by the response. Aren't sports the province of the ubiquitous fanny pat? Aren't players in each other's faces all the time during athletic matches? Yes and yes. So what's a little game-time hug in that universe?

Well, apparently this photo crossed a line for some readers, some of whom demanded an apology and/or an explanation.

It is interesting how gray the space between what is considered an motivational pat on the ass and "inappropriate" touching. I think it is OK to acknowledge that these different types of behavior can be relational to each other. But given the context of homophobia, it is hard to break out of what is considered acceptable "straight male" behavior. I think this is one of the reasons it is difficult for players to come out as gay for fear of being deemed too inappropriate to still be a respectable athlete.

Thanks to Maz for the linkage.

You may remember the horrendous story from The New York Times about how female Jets fans are routinely harassed and abused at Giants Stadium:

At halftime of the Jets’ home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, several hundred men lined one of Giants Stadium’s two pedestrian ramps at Gate D. Three deep in some areas, they whistled and jumped up and down. Then they began an obscenity-laced chant, demanding that the few women in the gathering expose their breasts.

When one woman appeared to be on the verge of obliging, the hooting and hollering intensified. But then she walked away, and plastic beer bottles and spit went flying. Boos swept through the crowd of unsatisfied men. (Emphasis mine)

Charming, right? Well it seems that maybe (maybe) something will get done about it.

Dennis Robinson, who recently became chief executive of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (which is responsible for Giants Stadium security), has blocked access to the stadium ramps where the majority of harassment takes place and is considering long term measures such as limiting alcohol sales. Yeah, I'm sure that will go over well.

While it's great that steps are being taken, there's no easy fix to change the sexist sports culture and mob mentality that breed harassment and assault against women. Any ideas?

It is not exactly shocking that sporting events tend to be laced with sexist actions, specifically, the mob mentality that seems to proliferate when a group of men get together and get *really* excited about their team. Big sporting events are one of the times you get a nice vivid play by play of the ways that sexism, nationalism, homo-eroticism and woman-hate all go hand in hand together. So although this story is not exactly shocking, it is disgusting.

At halftime of the Jets’ home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, several hundred men lined one of Giants Stadium’s two pedestrian ramps at Gate D. Three deep in some areas, they whistled and jumped up and down. Then they began an obscenity-laced chant, demanding that the few women in the gathering expose their breasts.

When one woman appeared to be on the verge of obliging, the hooting and hollering intensified. But then she walked away, and plastic beer bottles and spit went flying. Boos swept through the crowd of unsatisfied men.

The mood of previous Gate D crowds — captured on video clips posted on YouTube — sometimes bordered on hostile, not unlike the spirit of infamously aggressive European soccer hooligans. One clip online shows a woman being groped by a man standing next to her.

Lovely.

via NYTimes.

Women's Sports Foundation founder Billie Jean King and figure skater Michelle Kwan, recipient of the 2007 Billie Jean King Contribution Award.

So I forgot to mention this, but last week I got to go to the 2007 Annual Salute to Women in Sports--an event given by the Women's Sports Foundation. It was frigging awesome.

I didn't realize how much work the Women's Sports Foundation--which was founded by Billie Jean King--does for women athletes. They even fund the fabulous Girls for Gender Equity, where Vanessa used to work.

The event, which I had to get all shmancy for, featured this incredible Grand March of Athletes--where women from over 50 sports took to the stage, including Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Gretchen Bleiler, Michelle Kwan and Laila Ali. It was super inspiring, and even got me a little teary-eyed at times.

I think I'm so used to thinking of women's sports in relation to Title IX and assholes who are trying to dismantle it, that I forget how incredible and positive the stories of so many women athlete are.

So, dear readers, who is your fave female athlete? Mine right now is Anne Marie Saccurato cause she sat at my table during the dinner and was just generally bad-ass.

I am shamefully late on writing about this and I meant to write about this two weeks ago when the Wimbledom actually ended, but, ey, better late than never. I will be honest I don't know much about sports, but I always watch Serena and Venus Williams play tennis. First of all, because of how they have made history by overcoming serious odds and making it in a sport that has been historically dominated by white people. Also because of the nasty way that the media has covered them in the past and how they may disappear, but always come back, defy the media and whooop some butt. This clip of Serena at Wimbledon still has me tearing. I just had to share.

Serena unfortunately lost in the quarter final. Venus, on the other hand, ended up winning the tournament as the lowest ranked player to ever win Wimbledon.

Seriously, inspiring.

This weekend marked the 35th anniversary of Title IX being passed. Check out this HuffPo ode to the law.

Let's also not forget the other areas surrounding Title IX that are generally overlooked by the media (because sports is, ya know, more gripping?): sex discrimination within higher and career education, employment, math and science, technology, learning environment, standardized testing, education for pregnant and parenting students, and sexual harassment.

Happy Anniversary, Title IX!

Here's some cool women-in-sports news:

A rookie fresh from the minors is about to change the face of baseball: A female umpire is set to work a major league exhibition game for the first time in almost 20 years.

Ria Cortesio, ready to start the season in Double-A, will be on the bases Thursday for a game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs in Mesa, Ariz.

"I'm looking forward to it," she said Monday night. "There will be a lot more people in the stands than I'm used to."

No female umpire has ever worked in the majors during the regular season. Pam Postema was the last woman ump to call big league exhibitions, back in 1989 - she was in spring training for two years before getting released.

Cortesio, 30, is the only female umpire in professional baseball.

The Canadian International Football Association has supported a decision made at a Quebec match in which an 11-year old Muslim girl was removed for wearing her hijab.

The reason behind the ban was that according to national rules, a player is restricted to just a shirt or jersey, shorts, socks and kicks. How a hijab (specifically a headscarf) actually interferes in a match is unbeknownst to me.

The team forfeit in protest after the girl was dismissed from the game, and understandably. Prohibit an 11-year old from playing a sport for her hijab? Just fucked up.

Wimbledon was the only grand slam tennis event not to pay men and women equally. Those days are over. Sweet.

On a somewhat (ok, not really) related note. I heart Paul Bettany SO bad.

The ladies of the slope are finally taking the leap. Let’s hope that will soon be literally as well as figuratively.

Almost exactly a year ago, I covered the infuriating reality for professional women ski jumpers; ski jumping is the only Olympic sport that women aren’t allowed to compete in because it’s apparently not “appropriate for ladies� and could potentially (but not really) damage their ovaries and uterus. (And I thought it was the woman who controls her own body...) Well, it looks like women ski jumpers are finally mobilizing to get in the game.

They have filed complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission on the basis that not allowing them to jump is gender discrimination, which should be prohibited at a venue that’s being constructed with millions of Canadian money. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) are now saying the reason is that there aren’t enough pro female ski jumpers to compete in the games, but female ski jumpers say it’s a crock.

While there are predictions that the complaint won’t amount to much considering the fact that the IOC had already made its decision, I have hopes; after all, it is Canada.

For Super Bowl Sunday yesterday, Susanna Gagnier pitched her new book titled Putting on the Blitz: The Football Book for Women, which seems more like advice on how to impress men rather than actually learn the ins and outs of the sport.

It includes ways to make watching football “romantic,� and claims that knowing about football will create a serious bond between your man and yourself. (Given that you’re straight and that he actually likes football.) Single? You’ll better understand how the “big tough male psyche� works and land yourself a man!

One thing I found interesting was her contention that football allows men to actually step out of their gender role rather than breed what some believe is a hyperaggressive, heteronormative masculinity:

In fact, Suzanna reports that research studies have found that although society requests men to be tough and emotionally unexpressive, one of the few places a guy can express his emotions is during a football game.

‘Yes, it's true,’ she says, ‘on the football field and when watching a football game, men can hug, and dance, they can cheer and jump for joy, and even cry tears of sadness. It's remarkable to watch. It turns out, during a football game, whether a man is playing the game, watching it from the stands, or watching it in his own living room, men are free to express every emotion possible.’

So now it’s a safe haven for masculine-free behavior? I dunno about that. Thoughts?

Contributed by Courtney E. Martin

The New York Times reported on Sunday that communities in the Binghamton, NY area are booing a court ruling that requires the area cheerleaders to shake their moneymakers for female sports teams as well as male.

In fact, half the squad at Whitney Point High School dropped out when the news hit, and the remaining eight, the Times reports, “now awkwardly adjust their routines…�Hands Up You Guys� becomes “Hands Up You Girls.� Amanda Cummings (yeah, the last name is brutal), the cheerleading co-captain, explained, “It feels funny when we do it.�

Excuse me if I’m not moved by the difficult struggle to change one word in a frickin’ cheer and excuse me further if I believe that “feeling funny� is probably the sign of long overdue progress.

According to my good friend who is researching a book on college cheerleading, Kate Torgovnick (some of you may recognize her as a former Jane editor), these women don’t just stand around and look cute anymore. Cheerleading can be a physically demanding and emotionally grueling sport.

So why, may I ask, would cheerleaders not be down to support their fellow lady killers who put it all on the line in other sports? You’d think that watching their friends and peers box someone out or sink a mean baseline shot would be inspiring, not grounds for turning in their pompoms.

Well this is just lovely.

A Tennessee teen has filed a lawsuit after she was dismissed from a weightlifting class--the principal of her school removed her, saying he was afraid the male students might try to rape her. Seriously.

[Then-prinicpal Bob] McCracken said in a deposition that he was afraid [Ambrea] Phillips might be sexually assaulted in the class.

"Having a female with 35 or so male students in an isolated area from the school, it sets a very liable situation in my opinion," McCracken said in the deposition.

Three days after kicking Phillips out of the class, McCracken changed his mind and reinstated her.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Clifford Shirley asked [school attorney Arthur] Knight if the principal was wrong in removing Phillips from the class.

"She is up there with a bunch of football players, a 24- to 25-year-old coach, the only girl — there is a safety issue there. It was a hard call for the principal to make," Knight answered.

Okay, assuming that the fear of rape was actually the principal's reason for removing the student (which I really don't know that it was), then why punish the potential victim rather than the potential rapists? By the way, it seems kind of terrible that this prinicipal has such a low opinion of young men--does he think any group of guys presented with a woman will just go into rape-mode? Disgusting.

Mike Newell, manager of the UK’s Luton Football Club, verbally attacked a woman official on Saturday simply for being a women. When football official Amy Rayner made a call that Newell wasn’t happy with, Newell commented at the post-match press conference:

“It is bad enough with the incapable referees and linesmen we have but if you start bringing in women, you have big problems. . .This is Championship football. This is not park football, so what are women doing here? It is tokenism, for the politically-correct idiots. . . I know that sounds sexist but I am sexist, so I am not going to be anything other than that."

Newell publically apologized to Rayner today, conveniently on the same day that Luton has called an emergency board meeting to discuss his status. Let’s hope they can his misogynist ass.

This is pretty fucking terrifying.

But the 40-year-old former heavyweight champ promised an entertaining show Friday night when he launches the "Mike Tyson's World Tour" in Youngstown.

At a news conference at an Italian restaurant, Tyson said he would likely go just four rounds and that future stops on the tour might include bouts with women, possibly professional boxer Ann Wolfe.

Wolfe, from Waco, Texas, is 21-1 with 15 knockouts.

"She's such a prominent, dominant woman in the boxing field," Tyson said.

When asked if he was joking about fighting women, Tyson said, "I'm very serious."

As Zuzu points out, not only is this completely nasty because of Tyson's history of domestic violence and sexual assault, but it also ignores a little thing called weight class.

Wolfe's promoter Russ Young, said, "No state would sanction that. She would be outweighed by 60 to 70 pounds. Ann would never entertain the idea."

But, Tyson implores, "It's all fun." Clearly.

Oh, and if you're not content getting beat up by Tyson for charity, you can now be the lucky girl who gets to pay to have sex with him.

From the Eagle Tribune:

Gloucester High School field hockey player Jill Lukegord is yet another casualty of the death of common sense. She is a casualty of the logical consequences that follow from blindly bowing to the gods of political correctness.

Holy shit? Did this young field hockey player die in some horrible PC accident?

...Lukegord broke her finger last week in a game when she collided with another player - Adam Izzicupo of Saugus. "He ran me over and then threw me to the ground," she said. Yes, Izzicupo is a male. He was the only male in the game. He is one of just three male field hockey players in the entire Northeastern Conference. And he wasn't breaking any rules.

Via Nerve.

A new study says that the length of a woman's ring finger "could be an easy way to tell if she has future sports potential." Obviously.

Researchers at King's College London conducted a study of 607 adult female twins in the U.K., comparing finger measurements with a woman's achievements in sports.

They found that women with ring fingers longer than their index fingers — a trait commonly seen in men — performed better at running and sports involving running, such as tennis and soccer.

File this under...huh?

I was glad to see that The Associated Press is covering the growing popularity of roller derby, but I was kind of annoyed by one thing...

“Girls in skimpy outfits crashing into each other has an appeal,� said Emily Rems, the managing editor of Bust, a women’s pop culture magazine in New York. “There is a kind of Amazonian aspect to it, and the new roller girls enjoy that and embrace it. They’ve taken control of their image.�

Couldn't they have gotten a better quote from BUST? I mean, the rest of the piece talks about the sport in a more serious way, but the one quote from a feminist magazine has to talk about skimpy outfits? I know, there's no pleasing me these days.

A group of Irish women boxers are looking to participate in the Olympics, but skeptics are being douchey about the idea.

But former world flyweight champion Dave Boy McAuley, from Larne in County Antrim, has his doubts.

Flat noses, cauliflower ears and possible brain damage - it's a tough, rough sport, he said, and women just are not built for it.

...But to Dave 'Boy' McAuley, women boxing is a step too far.

"It is a tough, rugged sport, punches are not vitamins, women are not built to take that sort of punishment," he said.

Unless it's domestic violence of course. Sorry, not ok.

But Anya Norman, who works with the Irish Amateur Boxing Association, calls bullshit.

" Girls have not been out of boxing, they have had a pause since the 20th Century, we had female boxing in the Olympics in 1904," she says.

Norman hopes that the 2012 Olympics will step up...as do we.

I interviewed her before she headed out for Chicago to participate in the Gay Games back in July.

I just heard from her, and there's good news and there's bad news. Bad news, first. Nancy never made it out to Chicago because her oldest brother was diagnosed with lung cancer in June. In addition, Nancy also wanted to participate in the first World Outgames in Montreal, and because of financial restraints, Nancy chose to compete in Montreal.

Good news. She just got back and she won 2 gold medals! One gold for the Women's Grand Master's Division (ages 45-59), and the other gold for the Overall Women's Master's division (ages 35-59). Alright!

Just in case any manly-men out there were feeling threatened by racecar driver Danica Patrick's Rookie of the Year status and admirable fourth-place finish at the Indy 500... Not to worry! Deep down, she's a girly-girl.

That's right. Patrick is the spokeswoman for Secret deodorant, which is apparently now strong enough for a woman who allows herself to be packaged and sold as a nonthreatening feminine ideal who happens to drive real fast. Proctor and Gamble must have offered her an amazing amount of money, because prior to inking her deal to represent Secret, Patrick made a point of not endorsing beauty products, choosing instead to lend her name to ads for antifreeze, windshield wipers and washer fluid.

Today she's an advertiser's dream: A properly feminine sports heroine.

Other sports marketers agree, ticking off Patrick's attributes as if she herself were the product. She can be sexy, of course. But she also can project wholesomeness, an extension of the high school cheerleader she once was. She's 24, but her petite size and playful nature help her relate to children (see "Danica Divides Decimals" in Scholastic Math magazine).

Secret has made the "product" interactive by creating an advergame -- a recent marketing trend that brilliantly combines advertisements and video games, two media that are particularly good at objectifying women. Today it launched "Danica's Secret 500 Challenge," in which Patrick will "show the boys who's boss."

I'm torn. I don't think women should have to adopt stereotypically masculine attributes in order to be taken seriously as athletes, and I think it's great that Patrick is proud of her more traditionally feminine qualities. But those qualities seem to have been exaggerated by marketers to the point where she's a caricature, almost a dippy cheerleader who's just hanging out in the garage with the boys. Thoughts?

Today marks the opening day of Gay Games VII in Chicago, Illinois. More than 12,000 members of the global lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community from 70 countries will be taking part in the Games all week. And Nancy Brigham, 49, of the San Francisco team will be one of them, competing in the women’s bodybuilding/master physique portion of the Games for women ages 40-49.

Nancy won a gold medal in Sydney in 2002, and is looking for another gold this year. She’ll be competing on Tuesday. So if you’re in the area, give the girl some support! The closing ceremony is Saturday, July 22.

And when Nancy is not at the gym training, she’s at Brigham’s Therapeutic Massage. The private practice she founded in 1988.

Here’s Nancy…