I found today's discussion in class pretty interesting and wanted to follow it up a bit more. As a class, we spoke about what kind of pictures were displayed in the magazines (or other media) we brought. We then discussed how the media wants us to portray it. Many of the magazines we looked at in our group were related to Sports Illustrated or Men's Health. In those magazines, men were clearly shown as the dominant gender and women played a small (if any role.) I never really thought about how much the media in sports favors male athletes until actually taking this class. It seems to me that not too many people really think twice about what is displayed everyday through media. Women need to be recognized a lot more for their success. It's sad to say that we live in a society that is so merely focused on male athletes. I found an article about a young African-American woman named Wilma Rudolph. This young woman was born with the disease of Polio and also suffered from Pneumonia. This led to a bad leg which she couldn't even walk on as a child. After a long process of seeking physical therapy and a ton of support from her large family, she somehow was able to walk without her brace at the age of 11. I found this extremely amazing because it was during the 1940's and this kind of care was by far more difficult comparing to today with technology and etc. A few years later she started getting involved in many different sports including track and field. Wilma, a young girl not healthy enough to even walk, turned into a strong Olypmic champion. She went on to set world records in multiple events and also brought home a few gold medals. I feel this is just one example of a female athlete that isn't really recognized for her achievements in and out of sports. Getting to walk again and to be healthy was her ultimate dream. With all the support she needed, talent, and a determined mindset as well as coach, she accomplished the impossible and never looked back. Women in sport should be acknowledged a lot more than they currently are. Instead of having women pose in a bathing suit in a sports or health magazine, why don't they "actually" show women training or competing in a sport as the men are shown. Wilma Rudolph faught her way through the hadships of disability and turned her life into a success story.
Sean H. Whitesitt
Kin. 332I
http://myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=wilmaRudolph
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