“Maybe we’ll come out wearing dresses tomorrow. Maybe that’s what everybody’s looking for” said frustrated Toronto Blue Jays Manager, John Gibbons after an interference call the umpire made in a baseball game (qtd. in CBC News). On the surface, Gibbons joke implies that wearing dresses will make his players appear more gentle, soft, and seemingly less competitive. The deeper, underlying implication is that he is associating dresses with femininity, and if his players were more feminine they would be weaker, not play as hard, and thus avoid penalties. In the grand scheme of things, Gibbons comment is just one of many that undermine women in sports. Women have certainly made progress in all sporting fields but are still not up to par with male …show more content…
Girls can be discriminated against for playing sports as they have been traditionally tagged as being part of a masculine gender role. They may experience bullying, social ridicule as a result of gender roles, and fear of being labeled as a ‘guy’ or ‘gay’ can push girls that may not identify with these labels away from playing sports (Women’s Sports Foundation). Author, Riki Wilchins argues that gender norms are so heavily embedded in society but in reality women should be able to do anything men can, while still retaining their femininity (8). Common social insults such as ‘you throw like a girl’, ‘man up’, and ‘don’t be a pussy’ create a negative perception that being a female instantly makes a person weaker, less capable, and less than being a male. Recalling John Gibbons dress comment, it is this type of thinking that adds to the reinforcement of gender roles and creates a negative environment for girls to participate in sports. It is crucial for prominent sports figures like Gibbons who are in a position of authority to set a better example for the fans of sports in order to create more positive environment going