A dissertation on

Sexism in sports: A study conducted across sports at the national

and international level

Submitted in partial fulfilment of Post Graduate Diploma course at

the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai
(2018-19)

Under the guidance of Prof. Mohan R.

Submitted by: Pathak Manasi Shivamani

Roll number: PGDJ18100
Stream: New Media

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 Acknowledgement

Firstly, I would like to thank my mentor Prof. Mohan R, for his supervision and guidance,

without which my dissertation would not have been complete.

I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Anna Kessel MBE (Co-founder, Women

in Football, and sportswriter for The Guardian & Observer) and Arti Shankar (Tamil Nadu

state under-19, under-23 women’s head coach and ex-India A cricketer) for acting as my

primary sources and helping me with their insight on my topic of study.

Lastly, my sincere thanks to Wendy Hawk (Head of Engagement and Communications,

Women in Sport) who helped me with regard to my research work, among other sources.

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 Contents

1. Understanding sexism, outlining sexism in sport Page 04

2. Gender inequality and sexism in tennis Page 08

3. Gender discrimination in football Page 11

4. Cricket’s prejudice against women Page 16

5. Sexism across other sports around the globe Page 20

6. Sexism in sports in India Page 24

7. The step forward Page 28

8. Bibliography Page 31

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Understanding sexism
Sexism is understood as prejudice or discrimination based on a person's sex or gender. Sexist

attitudes stem from stereotypes of gender roles. It may include the belief that one sex or

gender is intrinsically superior to another.

According to Fred R. Shapiro, the editor of The Yale Book of Quotations, The Oxford

Dictionary of American Legal Quotations and several other books, the term “sexism” was

most likely coined on November 18, 1965, by Pauline M. Leet during a “Student-Faculty

Forum” at Franklin and Marshall College. [1]

Specifically, the word sexism was seen in Leet's forum contribution “Women and the

Undergraduate”, where she defines it by comparing it to racism, stating in part (on page 3):

"When you argue ... that since fewer women write good poetry this justifies their total

exclusion, you are taking a position analogous to that of the racist—I might call you in this

case a ‘sexist’ ... Both the racist and the sexist are acting as if all that has happened had never

happened, and both of them are making decisions and coming to conclusions about

someone's value by referring to factors which are in both cases irrelevant.”[1]

According to Shapiro, the first time the term “sexism” appeared in print was in Caroline

Bird's speech "On Being Born Female", which was published on November 15, 1968, in Vital

Speeches of the Day(p. 6). [1] In this speech she said in part: “There is recognition abroad that

we are in many ways a sexist country. Sexism is judging people by their sex when sex doesn't

matter. Sexism is intended to rhyme with racism.” [1]

Sexism can be present in hostile acts, as well as in apparently neutral arrangements. It can be

the result of activities or arrangements that set out to discriminate or harm, or it can result

from ignorance or inadvertence. Thus, sexism can be intentional or unintentional; it may be

detected by its effects. [2]

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There is a distinction between personal sexism and institutional or systemic sexism. Personal

sexism can include insults, harassment, and discrimination directed at individual whereas

systemic sexism indicates the conventional practices or structures of institutions that have the

effect of excluding or discriminating against individuals or groups. [2]

Outlining sexism in sports

Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls. Women face sexism in

their households, at the institutional level, in their workplace, et al. While women cannot

escape sexism in their walks of life, women, especially in sport, suffer the most.

In the athletic arena, women have been fighting sexism for decades— be it the girls

performing on the field, the women putting in hours of work in the dressing room or the

ladies reporting from the sidelines.

As sport continues to be a male-dominant industry, the efforts of several successful women

go unnoticed. Gender discrimination has been an age-old barrier in the path of progress and

development of women working and/or engaged in sports. By not offering equal

opportunities to the female counterparts, sexism is plaguing the sports industry.

According to a new report by Women in Sport, nearly 40 percent women in the sports

industry face gender discrimination. [3] A survey of 1152 women and men working in sport,

plus 42 in-depth interviews revealed that some women working in sport feel less valued,

actively experience gender discrimination, believe they are paid less for doing the same role

as men, face more challenges to progress and feel unfairly judged. [3]

38 percent of the women stated that they’ve experienced gender discrimination in the

workplace, in comparison to a fifth of the men. [3] 40 percent of the women felt that their

gender can have a negative impact on the way in which they're valued by others at work,

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while 30 percent have experienced inappropriate behaviour from someone of the opposite sex

in comparison to a tenth of the men. [3]

When asked whether men and women in their workplace are treated equally and fairly, 72

percent of the men believed that they were. However, when asked the same question, only 46

percent of women agreed. [3]

As per a survey conducted by BBC Sport, which included 568 women in almost 40 different

sports, with 339 responding— only 33% said they were able to make a living as

sportswomen. [4]

The survey was sent to the representatives of archery, athletics, badminton, basketball,

bobsleigh & skeleton, boccia, boxing, canoeing, cricket, curling, cycling, equestrian, fencing,

football, goalball, golf, gymnastics, handball, hockey, judo, netball, rowing, rugby union,

sailing, shooting, skating, short-track & figure, skiing and snowboarding, squash, swimming

including diving, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting,

wrestling. [4]

While over half of elite British sportswomen surveyed said they do receive enough coaching

support, just under 45% said their governing body did not support them equally in

comparison to male colleagues. 41% admitted to experiencing sexism, but only 7% reported

it.[4]

1. Tekanji. “Feminism Friday: The origins of the word

"sexism"”. Finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com. October 19, 2007

2. “Gender Harassment and Sexism”. Equity Services. Carleton University.

3. “Women in Sport launch Beyond 30% Workplace Culture in Sport report”. Women in

Sport. June 20, 2018.

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4. “Women's Sport Week: Elite sportswomen suffer sexism”. BBC Sport. June 4, 2015.

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Gender inequality and sexism in tennis
Tennis is one of the few sports where viewers are convinced that the gap between the men’s

and women’s game— with respect to the pace, strength, rhythm, and competitiveness— is the

least. Despite the parity in the display of performance and talent, tennis still disappoints

female athletes - be it in terms of prize money, their treatment, or their representation.

Tennis has long prided itself on being a progressive sport when it comes to matters of gender,

but history shows that the financial rewards didn’t fully do justice to women champions at the

big tennis tournaments until 2007. A mission bolstered by Venus Williams nearly 20 years

ago helped win a prolonged battle for women athletes. According to espnW, Williams made

her first public mention of the need for Grand Slam events to award equal prize money to

men and women in 1998, after a first-round Wimbledon match. At the time, the U.S. Open

was the only Grand Slam tournament that awarded equal prize money to male and female

champions.

In 2007, women achieved Wimbledon parity, and thus finally ensured women’s singles

champions received equal cash prize as the men’s singles winners in the four Grand Slam

tournaments- Australian Open, French Open (also called Roland-Garros), Wimbledon and US

Open. Last year marked 11 years since women won the right to pay parity at Wimbledon and

meant the sport could officially boast equal prize money across all four majors; the US Open

having rolled it out in 1973, the Australian Open in 2001, and the French Open in 2006.

However, women champions in the lower-ranked competitions continue to suffer. At the

recently commenced premier championships, namely Qatar Open and Rotterdam Open, there

was a staggering difference in the cash prize of the two winners in the men’s and women’s

category. While Elise Mertens received USD 158,895 for being crowned the winner at Doha,

Gael Monfils bagged USD 460,000 at Ahoy Rotterdam. While the two events were not the

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same, they were termed equivalent in terms of tournament categories on the ATP and WTA

tours.

The discrimination isn’t limited to cash prizes alone- French player Alize Cornet was given a

code violation by US Open officials when she temporarily took her shirt off - having realized

it was on backwards- during her first-round match loss at the US Open last year. She was

penalized, despite male players regularly undressing at the change-of-ends and sitting topless

in their seats for extended periods. After a backlash, the United States Tennis Association

(USTA) said, ‘’All players can change their shirts when sitting in the player chair. This is not

considered a code violation.’’ [5]

Serena Williams, arguably one of the greatest athletes of all time, wasn’t spared either.

Williams was banned from wearing her catsuit at the French Open last year after

French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli singled out Williams' catsuit as an

example of the kind of attire that will no longer be accepted. [6] The 23-time Grand Slam

champion experienced life-threatening complications after giving birth to her daughter,

Olympia, and suggested the catsuit was more than just an outfit as it possessed functionality

by ensuring blood circulation.

In the earlier years, unwelcome comments have been made on women players’ dress code. In

2015, Australian Open host Ian Cohen caused incredulity while interviewing Eugenie

Bouchard after a match, when he asked her to "give us a twirl" rather than talk about the

game she had just played. The comment rightly caused outrage - with Cohen criticized for

ignoring Bouchard's victory and pointing out that he would never have asked a male player to

do anything remotely similar.

A year before that, when Andy Murray hired Mauresmo, a former world number one and

two-time Grand Slam champion, as his coach - marking the first occasion a leading male

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player had hired a female coach, the sexist attitude of the tennis fraternity was laid bare as

Murray later revealed that the move was not welcomed by all in the game.

“When it first came out in the press that I may be working with a woman, I got a message

from one of the players who is now coaching. [7]

“He said to me, ‘I love this game that you’re playing with the press, maybe you should tell

them tomorrow that you’re considering working with a dog’... The amount of criticism she

got in comparison to any other coach I’ve ever worked with, it’s not comparable at all.” [7]

The misogyny in tennis is no news- when asked about the greatest tennis players of all time,

in an interview two years ago, former player John McEnroe claimed that while Serena

Williams had dominated women’s tennis since 1999, “if she played the men's circuit she'd be

like 700 in the world.” Williams responded to his remarks with a tweet: “Dear John, I adore

and respect you but please please keep me out of your statements that are not factually

based.”

If the top names are victims to sexism, it only goes to show how common it is at the lower

levels in the women’s game. Sexism in tennis is a double-edged sword — it hinders women’s

ability to achieve success and disregards its value when they do.

5. “US Open apologises after Alizé Cornet penalised for briefly removing shirt”. The

Guardian. August 29, 2018.

6. “Serena Williams banned from wearing 'Black Panther' catsuit at future French

Opens, says tournament chief”. Independent. August 24, 2018.

7. Lizzy Goodman. “Game Changer: Andy Murray”. Elle Magazine. August 22, 2017

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Gender discrimination in football
Unlike tennis, football is viewed as a ‘male dominant’ sport and one which is mostly

consumed by the male audience. Despite all its promises of equality and inclusiveness, the

sport continues to hold prejudice against women. Now more than ever, sexism is at an all-

time high in football.

There has been an overall increase of almost 400% in the number of reports of sex

discrimination and harassment incidents received by Women in Football, a leading gender

equality pressure group, with alleged abuse on social media accounting for the biggest leap.[8]

In today’s world, social media as a tool has become a dangerous platform to spread hatred

and targeted harassment. Nowhere is the epidemic of online abuse more concentrated than in

sports, a truth alarmingly familiar to female sportswriters and presenters in football.

Former England international Rachel Brown-Finnis took up a new role recently as a pundit

for the men’s game on BT Sport. The reception she received was hostile as people took to

Twitter ridiculing her work, merely because of her gender. Some suggested that she should

‘stick to the women’s game instead of infiltrating the areas men excel in’; while remarks of

‘these feminazis are the real poison in modern football’ also followed. This was just the tip of

the iceberg of the online abuse women in football face, merely for doing their work.

Last year during the 2018 World Cup, for the first time in UK football punditry, BBC and

ITV hired women to analyze and commentate at the men’s World Cup. Eniola Aluko, who

plays for Juventus, offered detailed analysis for ITV, while Alex Scott, the former Arsenal

player, worked for the BBC.

During a game between Costa Rica and Serbia, after Aluko gave in-depth analysis of Costa

Rica’s play, to which her fellow pundit, Patrice Evra, responded by slow clapping. After

another contribution by Aluko, Evra said the other male pundit, Henrik Larsson: “This is just

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amazing, I think we should leave Henrik, because she knows more about football than us!

I’m really impressed you know.” [9] The incident led to calls for Evra to be sacked and invited

attention to the reality of sexism in British football culture.

Fast forward to six months from this incident, football’s pervasive misogyny, and sexism was

laid bare once again after first-time winner Ada Hegerberg was asked to ‘twerk’ on receiving

the Women’s Ballon d’Or, the first in France Football’s 62-year history. French DJ Martin

Solveig, after presenting the award, said, “You have seen that I prepared a little celebration

for Kylian (Mbappe), so we said we are going to do something similar.” He added, “Do you

know how to twerk?” Disgusted by the uncalled-for question, Hegerberg kept her cool and

brushed off Solveig with a flat ‘no’, which he and some others laughed off. The question

wasn’t asked to the male footballers present at the event.

When a sensation like Hegerberg is subjected to sexism on possibly one of the biggest days

of her life, it only goes to show how common it is elsewhere down the hierarchy. As revealed

by Women in Football, a total of 271 incidents of sexism were reported during the 2017-18

season and these alleged incidents occurred across clubs, organisations and online. The study

also revealed that reported incidents on match days were up by 133.3% and workplace

incidents by 112.5%. [8]

The inequality in recognition of the men’s and women’s game exists even today. Several

women footballers do not receive the acknowledgement they deserve as professional

footballers, while some continue to be underpaid and overlooked. In an attempt to highlight

the inequality between the men’s and women’s games, Argentine footballer, Macarena

Sanchez, is taking legal action against her club and federation. Sanchez is suing UAI Urquiza

and the Argentinian Football Federation for not recognising her as a professional player.

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In Argentina women’s rights are “constantly violated,” says Sanchez, ‘’in the workplace and

in all areas of women’s lives. Our society continues to be retrograde, misogynistic and

macho. Women in this country suffer from gender discrimination and all kinds of violence.

“I think clubs do not want us to be recognised as professionals because it bothers them that a

woman can occupy places that have been historically occupied by men. The macho thinking

of the people who have power is the only thing that prevents the professionalisation.” [10]

Sanchez argues that male footballers of her club, who play in the third tier of the Argentinian

pyramid, earn better salaries than the women, who are arguably one of the best teams in the

country. While she was paid USD 10 in expenses by her club, players of the men’s teams

have professional football contracts and salaries.

Sanchez isn’t the only victim of the gender pay gap; football’s gender pay gap is reported to

be worse than in politics, medicine, and space. According to the Sporting Intelligence annual

salary survey, the combined pay of those playing in the top seven women’s football leagues

equals that of a single male footballer, the Brazilian forward Neymar, who plays for the

French club Paris St-Germain. Neymar earned £32.9m from PSG for the 2017-18 season

purely for his playing contract, without taking into account millions more he receives in

commercial deals. His salary was almost exactly the same as 1,693 female players in France,

Germany, England, the US, Sweden, Australia and Mexico combined. [11]

Some women do make a good living from sport but it is nothing compared to the riches on

offer for men. Lyon, the best-paid women’s sports team in the world, which includes the

England footballer Lucy Bronze, pays an average salary of £145,000 to its players; the

English players in the FA Women’s Super League receive an average of £26,752 a year while

the men in the Premier League are paid an average of £2.64m, or 99 times that figure. [11]

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The research, conducted as part of the annual global sports salaries survey, suggested football

is perhaps the most unequal profession in the world. In politics, for example, 32% of MPs in

the UK are women; in medicine 11% of surgeons in the UK are women. [11]

Like players and broadcasters, female fans too fall prey to sexism. In the virtual world, every

female fan has once been labelled with sexist remarks like ‘go back to the kitchen’, ‘stick to

making sandwiches’ or has been called foul names for following the sport. However, for

women in Iran and Saudi Arabia, things went further. Women weren’t allowed to enter

stadiums until last year.

Witnessing Al-Ahli go head-to-head against Al-Batin in the Saudi Professional League in

January last year, ladies took their seats in a stadium for the first time. As a part of the

reforms spearheaded by the Kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, women were

allowed to spectate at a football stadium, in a first for the country. Jeddah, Riyadh and

Dammam permitted the entry of unaccompanied adult women at the start of 2018. In an

attempt to ease strict rules on gender separation, women entered through designated turnstiles

for women and families. These sections were made available specifically for women who are

not accompanied by a male family member, hereby playing host to a section which was

earlier left unattended during live matches.

In Iran, later that year in October, a select number of Iranian women were allowed into the

Azadi Stadium in Tehran to watch Iran play a friendly match against Bolivia, for the first

time since the Islamic revolution in 1979. The 2018 FIFA World Cup saw Iranian women

attend matches in Russia due to the ban in their home country, which was the first time in 38

years, Iranian women allowed to watch World Cup in the same stadium as men.

In March 2018, 35 women attempting to sneak into Azadi Stadium for a match between two

Tehran clubs were detained by authorities. A day later, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who

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was present at the match, told reporters that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had promised

Iranian women’s entry to football stadiums soon.

The two decisions of allowing women in stadiums were celebrated in the respective countries

but questions arise that women have to fight for the most basic right of enjoying live sport,

merely because of the prejudice against their gender.

8. “Women in Football reports 400% rise in alleged discrimination and sexism”. The

Guardian. May 29, 2018.

9. “World Cup: sexism in British punditry is clear for all to see”. The Conversation. June

29, 2018.

10. Suzzane Wrack. “Macarena Sánchez: the Argentinian who is suing her club and

federation”. The Guardian. February 7, 2019

11. “Oklahama City Thunder No.1 earners in sport as gender gulf endures”. Sporting

Intelligence.com. November 26, 2017.

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Cricket’s prejudice against women
“I just wanted to have an interview with you as well, that’s why I batted so well.

“Your eyes are beautiful, hopefully we can win this game and then we can have a drink after

as well. Don’t blush, baby.” [12]

These were the words of West Indies cricketer, Chris Gayle, to Network Ten journalist, Mel

McLaughlin, as he spoke to her after his dismissal, having scored 41 off 15 balls in the

Melbourne Renegades’ win over the Hobart Hurricanes in Australia’s Big Bash League. He

was fined A$10,000 for his remarks and later apologised to McLaughlin. He wasn’t thrown

out of the league, nor was he suspended for a single game. All he had to serve was the

penance of no longer being “miked up" during games.

Just four months later, he was again in the news for making lewd remarks to another

journalist, where, very ironically, he was discussing gender equality. While The

Times' Charlotte Edwardes interviewed him, he asked her, ‘how many black men she had’,

provoked her when she deflected the question, and questioned whether ‘she had ever had a

'threesome', adding “'I bet you have. Tell me'.” [13]

In the same interview, he spoke of gender equality saying “women enjoyed more than

equality.” But the player went on to add that women should please their man. “When he

comes home, food is on the table. Serious. You ask your husband what he likes and then you

make it,” he said. [13]

Chris Gayle’s misogyny is just a part of cricket’s prejudice against women. The nature of

remarks are a clear indication of his and also cricket’s perception of women— more often

than not it reduces women to their physical appearance; shows lack of respect merely on

account of the gender, and subjects them to situations and remarks which would never be

experienced by men in cricket.

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Cricket’s sexism is deep-rooted and has often been left unquestioned and unchanged. It traces

back to 1913 when Lord’s Cricket Ground prevented women from entering its pavilion, as

cricket grounds remained bastions of male privilege. In 1930, Lancashire had 1,387 female

members and 4,055 male members, but women could neither become full members nor enter

the pavilion.

At Yorkshire, a woman could sit in the pavilion, but not become a full member with voting

rights. At Lord’s, things were worse. In 1929, the Women’s Cricket Association (WCA)

wrote to Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) to ask if they would stage a women’s match, to

which they received a negative response. Nearly twenty years later, the WCA tried again. The

reply read: “The chances of being able to fit in a game for the Association are so remote that

it would be best to abandon the idea at once.”[14]

The WCA tried its luck in 1973, but the MCC again rejected, this time to host the decider in

the first World Cup. But in 1976, after intense lobbying from Rachael Heyhoe Flint, they

relented, and agreed to a one-day game between England and Australia – provided Middlesex

did not reach the quarter-finals of the Gillette Cup. It would be two decades before women –

barring typists, barmaids and the Queen – would be let into the Pavilion.

Although it has been close to 50 years since then and things have evolved, cricket still has a

long way to go in terms of the treatment of women in cricket, and women’s cricket. The press

box is, to date, is very much considered a ‘boys club’ with women being looked down on,

being questioned about their ability every now and then, or labeled as being a part of

‘tokenism’ despite their knowledge expertise. Kartikeya Date rightly points outs: ‘If the only

place in the cricket broadcast for women is as presenters whose tedious duty it is to perform

pointless celebrity interviews, then women will never be equal, empowered participants in the

sport’. [15]

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Like most other sports, cricket fails to achieve parity in terms of wages. The England and

Wales Cricket Board (ECB) showed 38% gap, as per findings in 2017. It says the disparity is

partly due to a "higher ratio of men to women at all levels", with the top pay level 88% male.
[16]

Among the Football Association (FA), Jockey Club Racecourses (JCR) and Lawn Tennis

Association (LTA), the ECB has the highest mean gender pay gap of the four, although their

median pay gap - the difference between the middle male and female wages - is 17%, slightly

lower than the national overall figure of 18.4% for all part-time and full-time employees. [16]

On Women’s day this year, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) announced new

contract system for Indian Cricket, only the second time that the board has announced a

central contract system for women cricketers, and first after the 2015-16 season. The contract

system sees men’s Ranji reserves earn more than domestic women cricketers.

Grade C category’s Jayant Yadav hasn’t played for the Indian team since the Test in Pune

against Australia last February, which accounts for 376 days ago. All-rounder Harmanpreet

Kaur, in that same time, has featured in 17 ODIs and five T20Is. Mithali Raj, who led the

team in their run to the World Cup final last year, has similar figures to her name since

Yadav’s last appearance for the men’s side. Yadav will be paid a retainership of Rs 1 crore

for the period of Oct 2017 to Sep 2018. We are into the sixth month of the said period and

Yadav has played for India zero times during that time.

For the same period, Harmanpreet and Mithali, two of the four women cricketers to be

featured in Grade A, will be paid a retainership of Rs 50 lakh for the same time period. They

both played for India 22 times. To further bring things into perspective- men’s senior

domestic reserves will be paid more (Rs 17,500) than each and every playing member of the

various domestic women’s teams (Rs 12,500).

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The gap in contracts has been linked to the lack of sponsors in women’s cricket, which in

turn leads to the lack of revenue generated. Also, the women have a very short season as

compared to the men and don’t have the same patronage. Equal pay is directly linked to

equal opportunities- until women are served same or similar opportunities as their male

counterparts, they will continue being underpaid, and therefore being given the treatment

of second-class citizens.

12. “Chris Gayle tells reporter: ‘Your eyes are beautiful, hopefully we can have a drink’”.

The Guardian. January 4, 2016.

13. “Chris Gayle makes lewd remarks in interview with female newspaper reporter”. The

Sydney Morning Herald. May 21, 2016.

14. Tanya Aldred. “Why cricket needs to improve its attitude towards sexism –

Almanack”. Wisden Almanack. January 13, 2019

15. Kartikeya Date. “The Gayle affair underlines that cricket is a boys club”.

ESPNCricinfo. January 8, 2016.

16. Jackson Skelton. “Gender pay gap: England & Wales Cricket Board figures show

38% gap”. BBC Sport. March 2, 2018.

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Sexism across other sports around the globe
As compared to other sports’ leagues, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has often

been on the forefront of social issues, including having the first openly gay athlete, Jason

Collins, in a major American sport. However, for all the social issues the NBA has addressed,

it has been far from progressive in terms of discussing gender issues. Although several

women are attempting to break into the league, the NBA is being not quite hospitable and is

thus far failing to uphold its duty to create a level playing field for all.

Women first entered the world of NBA with referee Violet Palmer breaking the gender

barrier in 1997 as she opened the door for women referees, but criticism around the league

has been loud. In 2015, during Los Angeles Clippers game against Minnesota Timberwolves,

referee Lauren Holtkamp called a technical foul on point guard Chris Paul, to which Paul

offense to her officiating, claiming that “might not be for her”. [17]

There continues to be a persisting culture of sexism towards the women’s league, called the

WNBA, too. When the Minnesota Lynx clinched the WNBA championship after downing the

Los Angeles Sparks 85-76 in a winner-take-all Game 5 in 2017, instead of praises flooding in

for the Minnesota Lynx's championship victory, Facebook became a hotbed for chauvinistic

remarks.

The first set of comments on ESPN’s congratulatory post read “Wow all 5 fans celebrated

this monumental victory with the team” – with more than 300 likes. This was followed by

comments like “When did the season start?” and “Now that the WNBA season is over, dishes

can be cleaned more often, and dinner will be made on schedule. Get back to it ladies.” This

kind of unhampered sexism is part of the reason why women’s sports, in general, have a hard

time breaking barriers.

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Apart from WNBA, the United States’ Legends Football League (LFL), earlier known as

‘Lingerie Football League’ is another example of misogyny in sport. A women’s 7-on-7

tackle American football league, the LFL is based on a false premise: that watching women

play football in a ‘crop top and short shorts’ will encourage assumed male spectators to

follow women’s football more. The players’ ‘uniforms’ consist of an athletic bra and

underwear that are more revealing than protective. Although the league’s name was

rebranded to drop the word ‘lingerie’ from its title, it has not served any purpose as the

players’ kits show very little difference.

The garters and lingerie were changed, only to be replaced with what appeared to be the same

outfit - minus the bows, which leaves the players still mostly unprotected and at risk of

injury. The official LFL video showed that ‘the ogling the women’ was still their main tactic,

as the camera operator slowly pans up the player’s bodies, from their feet to their crotch and

breasts. [18]

The problems of the league do not end here- LFL requires their players to sign accidental

nudity clauses, doesn’t pay its players, refuses to provide injury compensation and penalizes

the women if they put any protective gear under their lingerie. The LFL’s problematic nature

further extends to the evidence of harassment towards women, physical violence, nudity and

verbal abuse.

Attending the Sydney event in 2012, Collective Shout's Deborah Malcolm witnessed a

contest named ‘chase and tackle the girl’ where men were invited onto the field to chase and

grope the players. A female player lost her bikini bottoms during a touchdown and then had

the image replayed on a large screen for the viewing pleasure of the male audience. Also, a

blow-up doll was passed around while men simulated oral sex on it. [18]

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An elite sport like golf, too, isn’t one for gender equality. Augusta National Golf Club, home

of the Masters golf tournament, took 80 years to end an all-male policy after two women,

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and financier Darla Moore, were admitted

as members for the first time in 2012. The exclusive club courted controversy for years

because of its long-running refusal to allow female members. In 2003, a group of women led

by Martha Burk, the chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations, protested that

policy during Masters week.

If things are so appalling in the West, the East doesn’t set any good example either. The

Japan Sumo Association (JSA) received backlash when women were made to leave the ring

after stepping in to help a man, as they ‘are traditionally believed to be unclean’ and cannot

enter the space. As per the religion in Japan, women were considered impure because of their

menstrual blood and denied entry because of the same.

According to the local media reports, salt was thrown into the ring - a practice performed

before a match to purify the space. Any blood is believed to sully the space - if male wrestlers

bleed on the sumo ring, it is purified with salt.

Later, the association came under fire once again, after Mayor of Takarazuka, Tomoko

Nakagawa, was denied to deliver a speech before an exhibition match in the city and was

asked “to give due respect to tradition”. “Female mayors are also humans,” she said in a

speech delivered beside the ring. “I am frustrated that I cannot give this speech on the dohyo

just because I am a woman.”[19]

While women can and do compete in amateur sumo wrestling around the world, they are

forbidden from entering Tokyo's 11,000-seater Ryogoku Kokugikan arena, or compete in

professional tournaments.

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17. Rodger Sherman. “Chris Paul criticizes NBA ref Lauren Holtkamp: 'This might not be

for her'”. SB Nation. February 6, 2015

18. “Still sexist: Why we're not falling for Lingerie Football's rebrand”. Collective Shout.

February 18, 2013.

19. “Sumo wrestling: The growing sexism problem in Japan's traditional sport”. BBC

Sport. April 28, 2018.

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Sexism in sports in India
When Indian football giants Mohun Bagan kick started their 2018-19 season in high spirits,

winning the Calcutta Football League (CFL), the victory was marred by sexist remarks. In

their match against Calcutta Customs, while the Kolkata-based side was leading by two goals

to nil, club president Swapan Sadhan Bose's comments during half-time left fans of the club

and Indian football disturbed.

“Daughters were being born for the last seven years, suddenly a son has been born. How

would you like it if that was the case with you? I have the same feeling,” giggled Bose, when

asked by Sadhna News presenter how it felt after being champions and putting an end to

arch-rival East Bengal's monopoly for the last few seasons.

Bose’s misogynistic comments were followed by laughs in agreement by the people who

surrounded him, and the presenter too chuckled on this chauvinistic reply. This was perhaps

the first recorded case of sexism in Indian football.

However, Bose later went on to apologize stating he ’had gotten carried away with the

emotions’. “During half time, I made a statement out of emotion and excitement, which in

hindsight, I feel I should not have made,” his statement read. “In my own house, I have my

daughters-in-law and grand daughter and I know the importance of a woman’s role in any

family and how integral and precious they are. So I am withdrawing my statement and

hurting anybody’s feelings was the last thing on my mind.” [20]

Bose’s comments, which were made without much thought, is exactly how casual sexism

looks like. Often, similar remarks and questions are dished out for women, many of which are

inappropriate and, some insensitive. One such event happened in 2017, at a dinner held on the

eve of the Women’s World Cup, where Indian cricketer and skipper Mithali Raj shut up a

journalist.

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Mithali was asked who her favourite men's cricketer was between India and Pakistan, and had

a befitting response. “Do you ask the same question to a male cricketer? Do you ask them

who their favourite female cricketer is?” she said to the journalist in question. “I have always

been asked who's your favourite cricketer but you should ask them who their favourite female

cricketer is,” she rightfully shut the reporter’s sexist question down. [21]

Despite donning the Indian jersey for 18 years (then), breaking the record of smashing the

most number of consecutive fifties in women’s ODI cricket and very much being team

India’s best player, the question asked to her was about a male cricketer. A patronising

question like shouldn’t be normalised. This is an indication of the sexism women in sport

have to face, despite inking their names in the history books.

A similar incident happened to one of India’s tennis stars, Sania Mirza, at the launch of her

autobiography Ace Against Odds in 2016. Speaking to journalist Rajdeep Sardesai on TV

channel India Today, in an interview, Sania was asked her plans for motherhood and ‘settling

down’.

“Amidst all the celebrityhood, when is Sania going to settle down?” Sardesai asked. “Is it

going to be in Dubai? Is it going to be in any other country? What about motherhood...

building a family... I don’t see all that in the book, it seems like you don’t want to retire just

yet to settle down...” [22]

She replied, “You sound disappointed that I’m not choosing motherhood over being number

one in the world at this point of time. But I’ll answer your question anyway, that’s the

question I face all the time as a woman, that all women have to face – the first is marriage

and then it’s motherhood.” [22] He apologized immediately.

No sportsman in the recent past, or even in the last few decades, hasn’t been asked such a

question, which further strengthens the case of gender discrimination in sports in India. While

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a male athlete is often questioned of a possibility of his future in coaching, broadcasting or

entrepreneurship after having played years of sport, female athletes are asked about plans of

settling down.

Women in India, especially in the rural parts of the country, are discouraged from picking up

sport as a profession. The traditions and customs often look down on women and expect them

to be limited to the four walls of the house- performing household duties. This crushes the

hopes of several female athletes. Despite the societal barriers, financial struggles and the

inherent sexism- India boasts a range of top-notch female athletes in boxing, wrestling,

kabaddi, cricket- most of whom come from the interior parts of the country.

Sakshi Malik’s bronze medal in the 58 kg category at the 2016 Rio Olympics, which made

her the first Indian female wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics and the fourth female

Olympic medallist from the country, was a turning point for women in wrestling. Born in

Haryana, which known for having the most severe gender imbalance in India, Sakshi’s

struggles began at an early stage as women were for some time not allowed to take part in

wrestling events. Women’s wrestling commenced in the mid-1990s but it was not until 2002

that girls were allowed to train with boys in Haryana.

Viewed as an exclusively male bastion, wrestling was believed to be not suited for women.

As per reports, locals initially berated Sakshi’s parents, telling them that their daughter would

become undesirable to potential suitors. But Sakshi’s Olympic laurel, coupled with her

triumph at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Championships, has proven her bravery

against barriers, including gender discrimination.

Another history maker, barrier-breaker is Mary Kom, also known as ‘Magnificent Mary’ for

her unparalleled determination, vigour and achievement in boxing. Winning her sixth gold

medal in the Women’s World Championships 2018, Mary became the most successful boxer

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in the history of the tournament. Aged 35 then, and a mother of three boys, Mary’s fight

against society, which wasn’t supportive of her choice of boxing, is exemplary.

As The Hindu rightly put it: “At a time when the women’s competition at diverse levels and

different sporting events is being sought to be placed on a par with the men’s, in terms of

infrastructural support and remuneration, Mary Kom’s record will indeed give heart to all

women athletes (sic).” [23]

20. Sujith Nath. “Mohun Bagan Boss Makes Sexist Son-Daughter Analogy to Describe

CFL Win, Apologises After Flak”. News18. September 14, 2018.

21. Firdose Moonda. “"Don't compare us to male cricketers' – Raj”. ESPNcricinfo. June

22, 2017.

22. “Rajdeep Sardesai gets trolled for his sexist question to Sania Mirza on ‘settling

down’”. The Indian Express. December 21, 2016.

23. “Magnificent Mary: on making history at World Boxing Championships”. The Hindu.

November 27, 2018.

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The step forward
Sexism is deep-rooted in sports fans and it traces down to the mindset of these people, who

for reasons unknown, hold prejudice against women. To bring about a change in the mindset

of these followers of sport would be the aim- one that would require a collective effort from

the governing bodies in sport, members of media and the common man.

Often, as seen in the cases discussed so far, not always do athletes have legal bodies or

administrative officers to reach out to, to report sexism. As a start, all sporting bodies must

have a framework in place which makes reporting sexism and gender discrimination

accessible.

“Governing bodies in sport must have robust structures in place to deal with discrimination

and abuse. When sexism arises and you receive a complaint, deal with it. Don’t invent ways

to avoid punishing perpetrators. Support victims of abuse,” says Anna Kessel, who was

honoured with an MBE in 2016 for her services to journalism and women’s sport.

While governing bodies must ensure a strong framework, assuring diversity in their board

rooms is essential too. They must strive for gender-balanced boards, not just white women,

but all women. Further, it must be ensured that their recruitment processes are widely

circulated to all communities. The bodies must select diverse interview panels, champion

diversity and seek to understand cultural bias that creates discrimination and barriers.

While championing for diversity, gender equality must also be maintained at the grassroots

level, as educating children about equal opportunities from a young age is central to the idea

of equity in the future.

“Associations and federations must have a strategy that reaches out to schools- if girls at

school aren’t playing your sport then your whole participation strategy for women is

undermined,” adds Kessel, who is the co-founder of Women in Football, a network of

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professional women working in and around the football industry who support and champion

their peers.

The lack of visibility of women in sports can, to a large extent, be blamed on the media. The

coverage, or lack thereof, has influenced the viewers in return. Often the debate is whether

women in sports or games of women must be given coverage if people follow those or- the

interest in women’s games would increase only when they are covered extensively.

While media houses do not need to glorify women in sport, for that would be condescending,

they must maintain gender balance in their coverage. “Where national teams are successful,

or individual women’s sports stars have a strong following, the media shows interest,

therefore coverage and viewing figures are strong. However, when it comes to domestic

leagues, women’s sport is still significantly under-represented. This inconsistent profile of

women’s sport in the media needs addressing so that the positive impact of the visibility of

women’s sport can be realised,” [24] explains Ruth Holdway, CEO of Women in Sport, an

organisation in the UK that researches sport purely from the perspective of women and girls.

While the sporting associations and the media can work for better treatment and

representation of women in sport, all efforts would go in vain if the common man does not

change his/her prejudice against women.

This, for starters, can begin with addressing women as equal members of the sport as their

male counterparts. “The change in mindset has to begin with us- we need to stop looking at

sport in which women play at ‘women’s games’. When you think of a sport, say cricket, you

only think of men’s cricket. But when you think of a female player, suddenly the narrative is

changed to ‘women’s cricket’ and not just cricket. Women and men both are playing the

same sport, then why label it differently? We need to look at both genders’ games as one

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sport,” explains Arti Shankar, head coach of Tamil Nadu state under-19 and under-23

women, and ex-India A cricketer.

The quest to curb sexism is challenging but the fight would be worth all the pain, for sport,

cannot be fully enjoyed if you leave half of the population unnoticed, unacknowledged and

overall, unappreciated.

Women should be given the chance they deserve. Let them surprise you with their excellence.

Let them entertain you with their skills. They do not need to be compared to their male peers

to be proven ‘heroes’. Men are not the parameter of excellence. Let women be themselves,

and let them enjoy sport. If you cannot support them, at least don’t criticize them.

Sexism is a social disease. Don’t let it win over you.

24. “Where are all the Women?”. Women in Sport.

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 Bibliography

Websites

• BBC Sport

• Elle Magazine

• ESPNCrincinfo

• Independent UK

• News18

• SB Nation

• The Conversation

• The Guardian

• The Hindu

• The Indian Express

• The Sydney Morning Herald

• Wisden Almanack

Blogs

• Finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com

Research studies/reports

• Carleton University

• Collective Shout

• Sporting Intelligence.com

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• Women in Football

• Women in Sport

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