When you think Anna Kournikova, do you think tennis player or "hot" tennis player?

Often the appearances of female athletes can overshadow their talent in competition. Do you think we oversexualize female athletes in a way that undermines their athletic ability?

Here's a quick homework assignment. Google your local newspaper and click on the sports section. Count the number of articles profiling female athletes. Count the number of articles profiling male athletes. Take out your calculator and do the math.

The answers are not in the back of the book; they're right in front of you.

Thirty-six years after Title IX brought national attention to gender discrimination in school sports, "the mass media still spend a grossly disproportionate amount of time covering men's sports while ignoring, marginalizing, or trivializing women's sports," says Michael A. Messner, author of Taking the Field: Women, Men, and Sports. This is not so different from 1970, when "gender inequity [in sports] appeared so natural [to Messner], it was invisible." At that time, our mothers and grandmothers could participate in intramurals, cheerleading, and a few other loosely organized athletic activities. But they lacked uniforms, funding, official teams, favorable press coverage, and most importantly—respect on the playing field.

Since then, women have worked hard and played hard to gain widespread recognition for their athletic talents. Still, women's sports achievements often appear invisible to the mainstream media.

Here's your next homework assignment: analyze this trend in a broader context.

Does the shortage of women's sports coverage reflect that fewer women care about pro sports? That fewer women play sports? That there are fewer paid positions in pro sports for women? That the press doesn't care as much about women's sports? That their target audience doesn't care as much about women's sports?

Short answer: yes.

Next question: why?

Old habits and expectations are difficult to change. Girls need female sports role models. They need to see their heroines on television and in the news. They need to see professional opportunities for female athletes. They need to see that others actually care about women's sports.

Parents need to see this, too. If our culture doesn't demonstrate that women can gain respect through athletic prowess, then why would responsible parents encourage their daughters to pursue sports?

Fortunately, we've got lots of young girls and women willing to challenge archaic belief systems about femininity and athleticism. Not all of these women approach sports from a feminist perspective. They might not care about social history or gender politics. Some girls just like the feeling of sweat pouring down their mud-stained faces, muscles driving forward across the field. Some girls do it to win, training months or years for that moment when they cross the line first. Some girls just want to play, and they won't listen to any excuses about why they shouldn't.

Lack of prominent female role models in sports? Perhaps. Lack of girls and women muscling their way past social disparities and kicking butt on the field? I think not.

Many many congrats are in order for Angel Taka - the Ugandan soccer player who lead her team to defeat Austrailia in the Women's 2008 Homeless World Cup finals.

Taka has also been awarded the Nike Fair Play Award for her accomplshments.  Taka's story is quite inspirational.  Despite her father's paralyzing condition and her families financial struggles, Taka worked at a local university to help make ends meet.

According to HWC website, Taka embodies the spirit of the 2008 Homeless World Cup.  Taka asserts that because of the opportunities she's been given as a player, she's "no longer stressed."

Perhaps we all can learn from Taka's triumphant story - especially now as we all confront our own daily challenges.

Check out Taka's interview below.

 

While biking to work one morning on a beautiful summer day in Washington, D.C., I caught a glimpse of a couple of women riding fully loaded touring bicycles down 16th Street. I never pass up an opportunity to chat with cyclists on an adventure; I took a cross-country bicycle trip a couple of years ago and have retained a healthy level of curiosity when I see other bikes hauling sleeping gear. At the next light, we all came to a stop.

“Where are you coming from?” I asked, slyly checking out their gear and quietly estimating the total weight of their load.

“Oh, this is actually our first day. We’re leaving on a women’s garden bicycle tour, biking up to Canada,” she said, “We’re visiting sustainable farms and gardens along the way, to help out and to learn.”

“Awesome. You’re gonna have a total blast. Best of luck to ya—”

The red light turned green and they took off. Or to be more accurate, I took off. They were loaded down with heavy gear and moved much more slowly. I definitely remember the initial sluggish feeling of hauling equipment across U.S. cities and states. I also remember the feeling of riding on air when I finally unhitched my trailer after pulling a heavy load of tools, food, and camping gear for thousands of miles.

I had almost completely forgotten about those women until my buddy Katie sent me a link to their project: the Women’s Garden Cycles Bike Tour. Complete coincidence, but kinda cool nonetheless.

Turns out they shot a film about their journey, which documents numerous community agriculture projects. Even cooler, their documentary was recently awarded as the “Official Selection” for the 2009 Princeton Environmental Film Festival in January.

[Below: Official trailer for the documentary.]

The Washington Post noted that their focus on sustainable agriculture is part of a much broader youth movement—a movement championed by young people concerned about carbon footprints, chemical fertilizer and synthetic pesticide use, mono-cropping and soil erosion, and other environmental woes produced by industrial agriculture. Instead of griping about it, these young people are doing something about it by taking an epic bike trip and supporting community gardens.