Essay Sample on Should Female Athletes be allowed to Play on Male Sports Teams

Specific Purpose: To provide the audience with a critical understanding of the participation of female athletes on a male sports team, and the underlying problem of this participation.

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Central Idea: In this discussion, I will be taking an exploration journey into the issue of female athletes not being allowed to play on male sports teams, then analyze the cause of the problem and finally provide some available solutions to the problem of not allowing female athletes to play on male sports teams.

Introduction

Attention: Women for a long time have been training on different grounds with male athletes. They have also been training with men in the same sports teams as men. According to Burke (2004), there are both the good sides and bad side of allowing women’s participation in the male sports teams (175). For the women athletes, the issue of physicality does not matter very much when it comes to this participation. Allowing this participation is the initial step in solving the problem of segregation in sports. Therefore, is allowing women to play on the male sports team the best way to go in letting nature decide on the quality of sporting?

Topic: My discussion topic weighs whether we should allow female athletes to play on male sports teams. The topic is a bit controversial and debatable as you may hold on to the opinion of allowing or barring the participation of the female athletes on the male sports teams. Thus, having the basic facts and statistical findings from experts in the field will help in harmonizing the different views.

Credibility: Sporting is my thing. I have been held in the same dilemma of female and male participation in the same training and sporting activities for a while, something that drove me into research on the issue. My research on the topic has yielded comprehensive findings on the topic. Therefore, I firmly believe that I am qualified to handle the topic and offer a direction.

Preview: My discussion focuses on three main areas within the topic. The first area that I will be examining is the underlying problem of the female athletes not being allowed on male sports teams. Secondly, I will analyze the cause of the problem of not allowing participation. Thirdly, I will offer some available solutions to the problem of not allowing female athletes to play on male sports teams.

(Transition: Let’s take off with the first main issue of the female athletes not being allowed on male sports teams.)

Body

My first main point for the speech is the issue of the female athletes not being allowed on male sports teams. Critics and supporters of the participation of female athletes on the male sports teams have put forth numerous reasons as to why they oppose the interactions of two genders either in the fields or in training camps. According to Katz & Luckinbill (2017), allowing women athletes’ participation in male sports teams will be like introducing them to compete with men (68). They argue that this participation is detrimental due to the biological differences between men and women. Therefore, there will be no level ground. Additionally, allowing women to play on the male sports team might reduce the concentration of the game.

The Sex Discrimination Law and the 1972 amendments on the law grant women equal opportunities to sporting activities as men provided the females are not at a disadvantaged position (English, 1978). Athletics is a sporting activity that, in most cases, does not entail a lot of physical collision between participants, unlike in football, where players continuously collide. Thus, both men and women can successfully play on male sports teams. The selection of athletes to participate in the sport depends on their ability to play. In short, a female athlete qualifies to play if she has the necessary talent, skills, and physical capacity to participate. Therefore, Glenn & King-Watkins (2019), argues that if a woman meets the required criteria to participate in athletics, they should be allowed to play on male sports teams (305). Blocking women from playing in male sports teams is a form of gender discrimination.

(Transition: Now that you have the fundamental and foundational information on the problem of not allowing female athletes to play on male sports teams, we can move on to the next section of the discussion.)

The second principal component for the presentation explores some of the probable causes of the issue of not allowing female athletes to play on male sports teams. One of the main reasons for not allowing women athletes on the male sports teams is the belief that women and men are structurally, physically, and biologically different (Lim, 2018). Most people hold on to the narrative that women are inferior to men in terms of the physical capability required in handling certain activities. Therefore, putting both men and women athletes on the same sports team would jeopardize the primary goal of the team.

Some coaches believe that segregating women athletes from male athletes increases the efficiency of training and the ultimate output of the team. Biologically speaking, women athletes should not be allowed on the male sports teams as their involvement would trigger some form of sexual relationship. The sexual relationship is one of the contributors to reduced concentration and full participation in the sporting activity. Additionally, cases of gender-based violence would increase if female athletes should be allowed to play on male sports teams (Jones et al. 2017). Such mentalities are the causes of the issue of not allowing female athletes to play on male sports teams.

(Transition: Now that we are well equipped with the causes of the problem, it is time we hop into the next main point, the solutions to the problem.)

My third and last discussion's main point is the analysis of the solutions to the problem. Most of the factors causing the problem of not allowing female athletes to play on the male sports teams is the circumstantial pieces of evidence of possible failures in their participation (Daniels & Wartena, 2011). People supporting and enforcing the challenging environment fears for substandard qualities in athletics if this were to be allowed. The best way to solve the problem is to conduct scientific studies that will actually prove beyond doubts that allowing female athletes in the male sports teams will not affect the males' performance. Jones et al. (2017) categorically argue that sporting is like any other profession (710). Cases of gender-based violence purported to take place when female athletes are allowed to play on male athletes’ sports teams are possible to solve through comprehensive professional ethics. Therefore, we can eliminate the problem by applying ethical measures in the realm of athletics.

Conclusion

Prepared Audience: In conclusion, my discussion focused on the issue of female athletes not being allowed to play on male sports teams.

Summary: The discussion revolved around three main areas. First, I outlined in detail the challenging environment in which female athletes not being allowed to play on male sports teams. Secondly, I examined the causes of the problem. Thirdly, I analyzed the possible solutions to the problem.

Provided Closure: Men and women should learn to tolerate and coexists with one another in every aspect of all. There are both men and women with inborn special capabilities that we can identify and nurture well when both genders work together. Sports and more especially, athletics is one area for identifying these capacities and capabilities. Therefore, female athletes should be allowed to play on male sports teams for mutual growth and development.

References

Burke, M. (2004). Radicalizing liberal feminism by playing the games that men play. Australian Feminist Studies, 19(44), 169-184.

Daniels, E. A., & Wartena, H. (2011). Athlete or sex symbol: What boys think of media representations of female athletes. Sex roles, 65(7-8), 566-579.

English, J. (1978). Sex equality in sports. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 269-277.

Glenn, W. J., & King-Watkins, D. (2019). Being an Athlete or Being a Girl: Selective Identities Among Fictional Female Athletes who Play with the Boys. Children's Literature Association Quarterly, 44(3), 290-309.

Jones, B. A., Arcelus, J., Bouman, W. P., & Haycraft, E. (2017). Sport and transgender people: a systematic review of the literature relating to sport participation and competitive sport policies. Sports Medicine, 47(4), 701-716.

Katz, R. S., & Luckinbill, R. W. (2017). Changing sex/gender roles and sport. Stan. L. & Pol'y Rev., 28, 215.

Lim, H. Z. (2018). Media Coverage for Female Sports: A Review of Literature.