Athletic Women Blog - Women's Sports

Esther Williams

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:52:00 -0500

When Esther Williams was winning national championships in swimming, female athletes rarely achieved fame, much less fortune. They were few in number and generally marginalized. Still, Esther was a preternaturally talented swimmer and likely would have won a gold medal at the 1940 Olympics to be held in Tokyo, perhaps becoming an exception to the times. World War II intervened, however, and stole that singular opportunity from her.

Nevertheless, she had attracted attention anyway. From her official website:

In 1940 newspaper sports reportage, swimmers were frequently lined up for cheesecake photos, flashing big smiles and lots of leg. With her stunning good looks and tall, well-muscled frame, Esther was a standout! It didn't take long for legendary showman Billy Rose to notice the photogenic champion. Rose needed a female lead to star opposite Olympian and screen star Johnny Weismuller in his San Francisco Aquacade review. He invited Williams up for an audition and, so the story goes, Weismuller himself picked her out of a casting call of 75 hopefuls. Her performing career had begun.

Williams went on to make several movies, and for a time was among MGM's biggest stars. She was most famous, of course, for her scenes in the water. There she did most the work herself, which led to many injuries, even breaking her neck once during filming of a 115 ft dive. (Something to keep in mind when watching scenes from her movies, like the clip below.)

Resilient as ever, Esther recently fought back from a stroke; not only that, she is still swimming, as revealed in a GMA interview from 2007.

Want to know where the sport of synchronized swimming came from? Look no further than Esther Williams:

CLAW: Collective of Lady Arm Wrestlers

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:48:00 -0400

Theater, arm wrestling, philanthropy—three things that don't often come to mind together. But in toto they do describe CLAW (Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers, or more generally, Collective of Lady Arm Wrestlers), as seen in the group's About page:

About

CLAW is a loose (and we do mean loose) affiliation of superbad women arm wrestling each other to raise money for women-initiated causes. We used to hold tournaments once a month at Blue Moon Diner until we got too big. Now we’re aiming for every 2-3 months. We are committed to supporting our community in and around Charlottesville, Virginia.

We have a facebook page, where you can become a fan and get all the latest CLAW news and updates.

Our Official Mission

CLAW exists to empower all women and strengthen communities through theater, arm wrestling, and philanthropy.

I learned about CLAW from Brian Wimer, who is making a documentary about it ("the revolution currently happening in women's arm wrestling"). The project's Kickstarter video gives a sense of the fun and madness that takes place at a CLAW event:

Female Athletes Tribute

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:02:00 -0400

This ably crafted tribute to female athletes was created by VashtisVoice. You might find it inspiring. I did—the music notwithstanding:

Science meets Brittney Griner

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 10:09:00 -0400

Watching the NCAA basketball tournament yesterday, I caught this segment from ESPN's Sport Science. Pretty cool! It is wonderful to see a female athlete spotlighted for her redoubtable athleticism; and thankfully, that happens much more often nowadays:

A muscular history for women

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 09:40:00 -0400

March is Women's History Month. Right in line, literally and figuratively, with this year's theme ("Our History is Our Strength") is David Chapman and Patricia Vertinsky's new book, Venus with Biceps: A Pictorial History of Muscular Women.

I can't review Venus with Biceps in this post, as I haven't gotten my hands on a copy yet (though it seems to get generally positive reviews—even the New Yorker). Its having been published alone warrants attention here—for books exploring this neglected and marginalized aspect of women's lives and history are few and far between. Put this special book in your to-read list.

National Girls and Women in Sports Day 2011

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:08:00 -0500

Yesterday was the 25th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. To mark the occasion—better late than never!—I am sharing a nice little salute to women in sports put together by Pretty Tough:

How to become a superwoman

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:09:00 -0500

Apparently, you do exactly what Laura Phelps Sweatt has been doing. Laura is the fourth woman to bench press 500 lb or more, and she is the lightest (181 lb) to do so. Here she is bench pressing 510 lb (yikes!):

So, you say, That's great, but what else can she do? How about a 40.5" box jump?—

See, women can build their bodies and become superlative athletes just like guys can. Only time and pure dedication are required.

2010, a remembrance

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 12:53:00 -0500

The year that just ended was a busy one, too busy even to summarize in one short post. But here are a few of the many noteworthy items from 2010.

The University of Connecticut women's basketball team won 90 games straight, a new record for college basketball.

Kelly Kulick became the first female Professional Bowlers Association champion.

The IAAF, after demonstrating clearly how grotesque is the enterprise of gender testing, cleared track athlete Caster Semenya for return to competition. (Unfortunately, that still left us with some whining.)

Jordanian Farah Malhass became the first Arab woman to compete in an international bodybuilding competition.

Female athletes, not surprisingly, brought their A-game to the 2010 Winter Olympics, particularly Lindsey Vonn.

In entertainment news, Covert Affairs was, in my view, the best thing to come about in 2010; I can hardly wait for its return this summer.

I try to post little amusements throughout the year that perhaps elicit a chuckle while making a point. One from 2010 that I remember
fondly is the Knight and Day stunt rehearsal gone wrong, so good it is worth a repeat. Enjoy and have a Happy New Year!—

UConn 89-0

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 08:45:00 -0500

A splendid day to be a fan of women's sports. Last night UConn went to 89-0. Awesome!

Does the LFL brawl like it plays football?

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 19:21:00 -0500

I hadn't paid much attention to the Lingerie Football League before recently. I had seen just enough about it to know that I wasn't that interested. But over the last few weeks the controversy that it engenders has become increasingly difficult to avoid.

Most objections to the LFL center on the skimpy attire worn by the players (a strange mix of bras, panties, garters, pads, and helmets). This is to be expected, particularly here in the US where a marked remnant of Puritanism still colors things. (We live in a country that is at once uptight about sexuality and addicted to pornography—tells you something, doesn't it?) Knowing that sex is integral to life, which of course includes athletics, I typically abstain from criticism along those lines. I suspect that we would be better off, maybe not so schizophrenic, were we a little more comfortable with our bodies and our sexuality. Oh well, that's a topic for another time.

So the LFL is entertainment (titillation?) glossed as sport. There isn't anything inherently wrong with that. I will, however, submit one admonitory observation. That LFL players are rated by how they look—conventionally feminine with just a tinge of athletic—rather than by how they might play football or whether they have the size and body type advantageous to certain football positions possibly does send an unwanted message, one already repeated too often in our culture, to athletically inclined girls: to be an athletic woman is acceptable so long as one doesn't overdo it and stays within certain confines.

The LFL managed to get press again last night with its first "brawl." Some think it was staged. Either way, does it matter?

A historic weekend in women's sports

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 13:42:00 -0500

Last year I hinted that the Penn State volleyball dynasty maybe hadn't yet run its course. My intuition turns out to have been correct: the Nittany Lions won their fourth straight volleyball championship Saturday night.

Then, Sunday afternoon, the UConn women's basketball team won its 88th consecutive game, tying the NCAA basketball record held by the UCLA 1971-74 men's team. The Huskies will attempt to break the record Tuesday night, when they host Florida State.

Congratulations, Lions and Huskies!

Rally for Girls' Sports

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 09:50:00 -0500

The benefits that girls derive from playing sports are numerous and by now well-documented. It's likely you will see many of them articulated today, the National Women's Law Center's first-ever "Blog to Rally for Girls' Sports Day." But I'll briefly restate a few of them just in case:

Girls who participate in sports are more likely to go on to college, and more likely to graduate from college.

Girls who participate in sports are less likely to use tobacco, less likely to take drugs, and less likely to engage in risky sexual behavior.

Girls who participate in sports generally have higher self-esteem and a positive body image.

Benefits continue into adulthood too. Girls who plays sports tend to lead better and more productive lives.

On a personal note, I've seen first-hand the positive difference playing sports has made in the lives of little girls and the grown women they later became. I also know women from the generation before Title IX, and know then what they missed out on.

I'm not one who thinks Title IX sacrosanct, and my hope is that someday it will no longer be needed, that it become obsolete. Regardless, I'm thankful for it and what it made possible. The good it has done for girls and women, and for society as a whole, is incalculable.

Use the following links to further explore what girls win just by playing sports:

Girls in Sports - The Many Benefits of Team Sports For Young Women.

Facts and Findings: Sports and Physical Activity.

Raising Our Athletic Daughters.

As Girls Become Women, Sports Pay Dividends.

Nattering Ninnies of Negativism

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:20:00 -0500

My week started with a guest appearance on Women Talk Sports Radio. I was invited on to talk about gender segregation in sports. The discussion centered on an article written by a promising high school journalist named Julia Friedman. I had been forewarned but didn't take heed: this week's theme would be: can girls compete with boys in sports?

This became evident Tuesday when I came across another article, which had been published in Washington Square News (the student newspaper for New York University). This second article can accurately be described as facile. Madeline Paumen, its author, thinks not only that women cannot hope to ever compete with men, but also that they shouldn't play sports rigorously as the men do, for they are too delicate. (Is this really the year 2010?)

Let's do away with a few myths here. Female athletes will invariably be compared with male athletes; neither wishful thinking nor complaining will change that. Moreover, how many honestly believe that for women to simply participate in sports, watered-down of course, without any hope of their being seen as truly elite athletes is satisfactory? I suspect not many in the general population think this way, certainly fewer still among female athletes.

I've pointed this out many times, and I apologize to frequent readers for doing so again, but human biology isn't fixed; it is in fact astonishingly plastic. The environment and societal forces have tremendous influence on our biology, including how testosterone and other muscle-building hormones are produced and utilized in our bodies. Therefore, whether or not X is the norm biologically now doesn't mean it will always hold true. There was a time, not long ago either, when it was said that women couldn't match the intellectual capacity of men because their brains are smaller than men's. We know this to be foolish today. While it is the case that women, on average, have smaller brain sizes, their brains are wired differently, more efficiently (e.g., more neuron fibers in the corpus callosum). That they were (and sometimes still are) denied access to learning and education probably had the say in any perceived differences in cognitive ability. The same, of course, could apply equally to athletics as well.

Despite their still being hampered by feminine ideals incompatible with athletic competition, female athletes have made remarkable gains (beyond those made by male athletes in the same period) during the little more than a generation that they have had genuine access to athletics. So already we can see changes afoot.

There has been much fuss lately over the "epidemic" of injuries experienced by female athletes. Certainly injuries are a very real issue for female athletes and those who care for them. Still, I can't help thinking that some people are using the subject for reactionary purposes.

Here is the difficulty. We know that early and frequent work in the weight room helps reduce injuries, in youth and later on. Moreover, strength training improves athletic performance overall, it even raises levels of muscle-building hormones naturally. Simple enough. But why aren't more girls and young women lifting heavy? Because they have to overcome the aesthetic aversion to women with big muscles, thick necks, etc. that our culture still clings to. Thus, the solution is within easy reach, yet seemingly invisible.

Often we are distracted by issues irrelevant to improving the lot of female athletes; for example, how much skin female athletes show, or whether they are being "objectified." But, as we've already seen, a broken aesthetic is their biggest obstacle. It must go before female athletes can realize their athletic potential, and someday perhaps rival their male colleagues.

I should add one more thing before ending. The Washington Square News article says in effect that female athletes should just give up—throw in the towel so to speak. Yet the request is illogical, it transgresses a known fact—strong women don't quit.

espnW, 2010 Women's Sports Foundation gala

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:02:00 -0400

The Women's Sports Foundation held its 31st Annual Salute to Women in Sports gala in New York City last week (see video). Perhaps the most news-worthy item there was the announcement that WSF would be the "official charity" of espnW, a new brand for women to be launched soon by ESPN. On its surface ESPN's attempt to cater to women would seem a positive thing, but not everyone agrees. I too see a downside: espnW crystallizes gender segregation in sports further, taking us in the wrong direction good intentions notwithstanding.

Yes, we want to see women in sports getting more coverage. But this should be done via plain ol' ESPN (or its established sister networks, like ESPN2 and ESPNU). Segregation in sports perpetuates the second-class status, real or imagined, of female athletes. No amount of palaver or wishful thinking will materially change that.

Farah Malhass: athlete, pioneer, heroine

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:50:00 -0400

Farah Malhass has faced numerous obstacles, including death threats, on her road to becoming a competitive bodybuilder on the international stage. Saturday, she competed at the 2010 World Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation World Championship, her first international competition, where at one point she posed in an outfit bedecked with medals—quite fitting, I think.

Under Armour "Protect This House. I Will"

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:54:00 -0400

Under Armour deems athletic women crucial to its business model, attested by a new campaign that specifically targets female athletes. It's a smart move—or rather, a no-brainer—on UA's part because women have so thoroughly embraced the athletic lifestyle in recent years. Fittingly, UA shows us how great the transformation has become in one of the new ads:

That ever so cagey hormone

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:01:00 -0400

When Caster Semenya races, people talk. Sometimes in support of her, but very often it's the opposite, sadly enough. Lately, this latter sort (or something very close to it) has been coming from her sister athletes, that is, her competitors, many of whom think it unfair that they should have to race against her.

But let's forget, for a moment, Semenya. Rather, let's focus on the ignorant, gender-abasing obsession with a "male biology" that supposedly confers unfair, insuperable athletic advantage, here in particular the hormone testosterone:

"We have levels that we are not allowed to test over, so even if she’s a female, she’s on the very fringe of the normal female athlete biological composition from what I understand in terms of hormone testing," Cummins [Diane Cummins, who finished eighth in Berlin] said. "So from that perspective I think most of us sort of just feel like literally we are running against a man because what we know to be female is a certain testosterone level. And if that isn't the case, they need to change everything."

The first and most obvious problem with such thinking: There is no certain (precisely defined) testosterone level for females! Testosterone, the so-called male hormone which nearly all women have in their bodies, can be found in widely varying amounts among women, with some women having levels well into the range generally considered "male".

What is more, even a baseline testosterone level for individuals is hard to come by. Monitor someone's testosterone and you'll find that it changes constantly, responding to all manner of environmental factors, some seemingly random, others quite predictable. Strength training, for instance, increases testosterone naturally, only women have to work just a little harder and longer to get the benefit. Sex (# 8), too, raises testosterone levels. (Should female track athletes with already "high" levels abstain from sex before meets?)

Research the subjects of steroid-, hormone-, and gender-testing for a time and you see how silly and hurtful the effort to make sport perfectly "fair" has become. Anything beyond the most basic of tests is in fact pointless and counterproductive. The witch-hunt has to end sometime.

Sarah Kaufman: "As soon as she came down, I knew she was out"

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:45:00 -0400

In what can fairly be described as one of the more exciting finishes in recent MMA history, Strikeforce 135-pound champion Sarah Kaufman knocked out Roxanne Modafferi with a "power bomb" Friday night—that is to say, she lifted Modafferi high off the canvas and slammed her back down with such force that Modafferi was effectively knocked unconscious.

The happy champion explains post-fight how she got the TKO:

There is, moreover, an object lesson here. The following clip has Kaufman's coach telling us that he's never seen a fighter with better strength and conditioning, and Kaufman's performance Friday certainly gave no reason to doubt him, for it showed once more that, all else being equal, strength is often the difference in athletic competition:

Caster Semenya cleared for competition

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:40:00 -0400

After much bumbling, the IAAF has cleared Caster Semenya to compete again. I'm happy for Semenya, and slightly hopeful that the lesson has been learned so that no one else has to go through such tribulation.

Fashion's Impact on Women's Golf

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:25:00 -0400

Editor's note: Even sans the note it should be obvious that today's is a guest post. Thanks to Samantha Wheeler, our topic is one seldom covered on this blog: sports fashion. Enjoy!—Rob

For most of its brief history, women's golf clothing has been notoriously uncomfortable, not user-friendly and detrimental to the performance of women. Unlike men's golf clothes which provided some performance enhancements, ladies of the game have suffered the pain of restrictive and non-expressive golf garments.

With the massive construction of golf clubs, came the emergence of stringent clothing restrictions. Victorian ladies were required to play in high-necked, long-sleeved blouses, bowler hats, full-length skirts, and button shoes. As you can imagine, none of these clothes provided any physical benefits to the female player. It would be like playing golf in a straight jacket.

The breathable and light-weight materials seen on the links today were over a century away from being developed. Hours of playing golf in the heat with a cotton shirt and wool blazer pushed women away from the sport. Golf is a difficult sport as it is, the last thing players need are clothes that hinder their performance even more.

Women players had to live with the clothing handicap for over sixty years before a glimpse of hope emerged in the sixties. The shorter and looser skirt was taken from tennis and put on the golf courses. Women were now provided the mobility and comfort they needed to focus on their game. This is what powered the comeback of women in golf.

Not everything was perfect for the women golfer. Clothing may have increased the overall performance of women on the links but many of the styles remained masculine. Only serious female golfers looked beyond the fashionable drawbacks of golf to prove themselves with their success and not their looks. However, this mentality was not enough to put the 13 player LPGA founded in 1950 on the map.

Only in the 90s did Nike and adidas bring top quality clothing to the female golf market to provide women a benefit from wearing their clothing. With technologies such as ClimaLite and Dri-FIT, women were free to focus entirely on their game and not their clothing. Nike and adidas' successes could be attributed to pairing their clothing with talented women who would prove themselves on the course with their ability rather than their beauty. Today, the LPGA's powerhouse athletes like Michelle Wie and Amanda Blumenhest can in part be credited to this overdue disregard for standards of feminine beauty that are incongruous with an athletic lifestyle.

Samantha Wheeler
Freelance Writer, Lija Style
www.lijastyle.com

A Title IX success story

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:00:00 -0400

Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in all federally-funded education programs, and athletics programs signally, was enacted 28 38 years ago today. Never without its naysayers, Title IX has despite them been an unmitigated success. Though not the final answer to gender equality in sports—something that can't be won by mere edict—Title IX opened a path to opportunities previously denied to athletic girls.

Nothing serves better to get across the transcendent difference opportunity makes than a real-life success story. And to that end, today I offer one furnished by the California Women's Law Center:

Meet Luci Romberg

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Fri, 21 May 2010 10:02:00 -0400

During high school and college, gymnastics, soccer, and diving were the outlets for her athleticism. Now, those have been replaced by stunt work and free running. See if you think Luci "Steel" Romberg is incredible (I bet you do):

President Obama: "the best team in all of sports, any sport, any gender, by far"

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Tue, 18 May 2010 09:40:00 -0400

The NCAA basketball champion UConn Huskies were honored at the White House yesterday. Watching the ceremony, I knew they had earned every morsel of President Obama's lofty praise:

The Growth of Soccer in the United States

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Thu, 13 May 2010 09:58:00 -0400

Editor's note: You have Annette Lyndon to thank for this guest post. Annette is a contributing writer at Your Source 4 Sports.—Rob

The 2010 South African FIFA World Cup is fast approaching. Fans from all over the globe will be flocking to South Africa to watch their countries compete. Excitement is building as the opening match approaches (June 11th). Football, or soccer (US), is the world’s sport, and mounting anticipation can only be expected. However, a high level of enthusiasm is coming from an unlikely nation this year, the USA.

While sports are an integral part of American culture, soccer never really gained popularity as a primary spectator sport. For many years soccer was accepted as a popular team sport for youths and never caught on in the mainstream arena. But recently soccer has taken flight and is becoming more than recognized as part of the American sports lineup. Major League Soccer (MLS) was founded in 1993 and today has 16 major league teams. The sport has also attracted a large number of individuals from many backgrounds. Soccer teams and clubs are increasing in popularity in US inner cities. Role models, like Cobi Jones from the LA Galaxy, have demonstrated minority involvement within the sport and are encouraging youths from different ethnicities to adopt playing it as well. Soccer has also developed as an important sport for women. In the US, 35% of all soccer players are female, one of the highest percentages of women participants around the world. Soccer in America is helping to cross racial, as well as gender, lines.

While the United States has their own teams, fans are broadening their horizons and watching international play as well. Many American soccer fans have begun to follow popular foreign teams like Spain’s Real Madrid and Britain’s Manchester United. Yet, when the World Cup begins, you can be sure that the majority of the country will be supporting the USA. As of March 31st, the USA ranks 16th out of the total 204 world teams who entered to take part in the games and qualified for the tournament. The USA is scheduled to play its first match against England on the 12th of June. An overwhelming number of American fans are traveling to South Africa to see the US play. It is reported that Americans stand second after South Africans as primary ticket holders for the tournament.

While American fans may have to fly overseas this year to attend the festivities, in the future they may not have to leave their own backyard. The United States is being considered as the host country for the 2018 World Cup. Former President Clinton’s top counselor, Doug Band, has accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors as a member of the USA Bid Committee in an attempt to bring the World Cup to the US in 2018 or 2022. Adding him to the committee should increase the chance that the U.S. has at winning the bid since Doug Band is known worldwide for his international philanthropic initiatives, thus improving the relationship the U.S. has with over 170 foreign countries. Ultimately, the hope is that the committee effort will continue to boost soccer enthusiasm in the US and bring the nation to the forefront as a serious contender for the bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

Good news: More teen girls lift weights

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:45:00 -0400

But this good news comes with a caveat, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Girls are hitting the weight room more than ever before, and not surprisingly that has come with a price—more injuries occurring in the weight room.

The price, however, is a small one compared to the injuries to be prevented by girls' building stronger, more durable bodies. Not only that, it is one that can be avoided without too much difficulty.

Despite the hyperbole ("alarming rate") fated to any topic that finds its way into mainstream media, the news here is straightforward and mostly propitious; but it does require some attention:

The problem:

"Using data from 100 emergency rooms, researchers found that although men and boys still make up the majority of gym injuries, the increase was the largest among teen girls, indicating that more girls are lifting weights than ever before."

The cause:

"From that [data collected from hospitals], researchers were able to surmise that lack of supervision was the main reason girls were hurting themselves, not because they were lifting too much."

The solution:

"Getting proper instruction on how to use the machines and lift safely is essential, and always use a spotter with free weights."

See, not so hard, was it?

Strongwoman Becca Swanson lifting at Jakked Hardcore Gym

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:12:00 -0400

Aneta Florczyk owns the official title but one could make the case that Becca Swanson is the strongest woman in the world. Swanson holds every noteworthy world powerlifting record, including a 600-lb bench press that is daunting even to contemplate.

Not long ago, Swanson visited Jakked Hardcore Gym to lift with some of the strongest men in the Chicago area. The T-shirt says it all:

Somewhere there is a little girl warming up with your max

In the news: Title IX

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 10:39:00 -0400

By giving young women many more opportunities to compete in athletics Title IX made possible the awe-inspiring female athletes we see today. I am singularly grateful for that.

Never far from it, Title IX was again in the news this week when the Obama administration, of course not without fanfare, announced that it was revising (or re-revising) the rules of compliance for colleges.

I am not an expert on Title IX arcana, and have no desire to be, but ever the chronicler of politicians' capers, I can say without risking much that the move was made with political calculations in mind. The reform actually goes against the advice of the bipartisan United States Commission on Civil Rights, and is probably a political stunt more than anything else. Obama and his minions know that he needs his base intact when angry white men turn out en masse this November, if he is to keep Congress anyway.

Is the reform, then, itself wrong-headed? I don't think so, but I don't know enough about it to be counted on to say. But it is odd, I think, that the change goes against the recommendations of the USCCR. And at the Sports Economist I found another option, seemingly ignored altogether, which again made me think. Then there was the infernal logic of the Cato Institute.

I really couldn't care less about men's sports, collegiate or otherwise, and I'm always skeptical of claims suggesting that opportunities are being "stolen" from men and handed to women. Nonetheless, I do care about fairness, individual rights, rule of law—the things that make our society at least marginally better than a banana republic.

Title IX has clearly done much good. But that doesn't mean it's only benign. The handiwork of politicians rarely is (and the Law of Unintended Consequences usually has its say if nothing else). Hence Title IX supporters, and here I count myself, should always be mindful of its potential flaws.

Finally, I'll caution once more against thinking that female athletes can gain equal status simply by fiat. That must be earned in gyms and on playing fields.

(Umm, did I miss something?)

Martina Navratilova: pioneer, champion, soon-to-be cancer survivor

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 09:39:00 -0400

Most of you no doubt know by now that Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, a full recovery is expected, thanks in large part to its early detection—the key to beating cancer.

Any coherent list of greatest female athletes would have Navratilova near the top. She has profoundly influenced not only her sport, tennis, but women's sports generally. What is more, she openly challenged, sometimes at cost to her career, parochial views of gender and sexual orientation.

Reading a piece by Greg Couch of FanHouse.com brought to mind again how remarkably ahead of her time was Navratilova. Long ago, she showed the way to excellence in women's athletics, how outworn feminine ideals must be shrugged off unabashedly with brawny shoulders. Despite the backsliding we've seen at times, the changes that Navratilova and a few other pioneers ushered in seem now to have taken hold, though never should they be taken for granted:

She committed fully to building strength and fitness, which led her to become one of the greatest tennis players of all time, setting up one of sports' great, all-time individual rivalries with Chris Evert.

Navratilova won that rivalry, but Evert was always the popular one, usually seen as the good guy.

It was something Navratilova had trouble accepting.

As is often the case when someone breaks a mold, it was met with discomfort when she began to bulk up. At the time, her muscular appearance was seen as unfeminine. But she would change women's sports with it.

Even Evert, bypassed by Navratilova during her career, began lifting weights and improving her fitness, which allowed her to win another major title.

And today, the muscle and strength in women's tennis and women's sports in general, a great example to young girls, is almost mandatory.

She is an authentic heroine. We look forward to her full and speedy recovery.

Why is Maya Moore so good?

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:22:00 -0400

Probably Maya Moore would excel in any sport she chose to compete in, so exceptional are her athletic gifts. But she has opted for basketball, and tonight she will lead her undefeated UConn Huskies into battle against the Stanford Cardinal to decide the national championship.

We certainly don't need science to tell us how good Maya is. But neither can science reveal to us precisely what makes her so good—some of the elite athlete's magic remains cloaked, perhaps for ever and for the best.

O Maya!

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 09:59:00 -0400

My post from yesterday started to feel oddly prescient as I watched Maya Moore take control in the second half of the championship game last night. Considering, though, how perfectly in tune was her performance with her character and athletic talent, I probably shouldn't swap my current trade for astrology or crystal-gazing.

The magic is all hers.

Caster Semenya, IAAF ineptitude, Marx not the answer

nospam@example.com (Rob Mars) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 11:34:00 -0400

I rarely find much sound thinking in the writings of an avowed Marxist, but "Let Caster Semenya Run!" by Dave Zirin and Sherry Wolf actually contains snippets of clarity, as here:

What is really at stake here, aside from the persecution of a young athlete? Lurking beneath the salacious coverage is the sports world's underlying ethic--women are inferior to men.

The notion that there is an enormous physical gulf between men and women's athletic abilities is rarely questioned. No male athletes are tested to see if they are intersex because maleness is considered the physical gold standard against which women must be judged. Silly details like what happens when attempts are made at leveling the playing field between the sexes are ignored. For example, the 1988 Olympic record in the women's 400-meter freestyle swim would have beaten all men's times before the 1972 Olympics. In cross-country skiing, where endurance, strength and agility are key, the women's Olympic record of the fifteen-kilometer race in 1994 would have beaten all men's before 1992. In the thirty-kilometer race, the women's Olympic time in 1992 would have beaten all men's times in previous 30-kilometer races, according to the Women's Sports Foundation.

And perhaps this is also the case, once or twice anyway, in Wolf's book.

Still, the cognitive dissonance one experiences when even for a moment considering that communist thought might be the place from which human rights will spring is too much to endure. There are philosophies, nay organizations, much better suited to bring about the changes that Wolf allegedly champions.