Natasha Ali | Supplement Coordinator
Featured image: Despite the recent win for women hockey players, there’s still a long way to go regarding equality for female athletes. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
The Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) has finally paid its players after a successful run at the Winter Olympics this year. It seems bizarre these players had been competing without pay ever since the league was first created in 2007. Even more surprising is the fact that the female players all must maintain day jobs on the side to support themselves.
This is reflective of female marginalization in the sports world. Female athletic events are rarely seen on live T.V., and even if they are, they rarely rake in high viewership. Before the CWHL announced this ground-breaking news, the National Women’s Hockey League had already been the first North American hockey league to pay its female players.
Sadly, the amount of money is humble, ranging from $2,000 to a maximum of $10,000 per player. Compared to the whopping salaries received by male NHL players, there is still room for improvement for these female athletes.
The imbalance between male and female athletic events extends beyond the scope of just one sport. In the most recent Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, women were deprived the opportunity of competing in certain events, based on outdated beliefs regarding women’s physical stamina. Also, media coverage of female athletes could often be viewed as demeaning and offensive. Sports commentators, as well as radio hosts, were critiqued using sexist language when addressing the players, undermining their performance and capabilities.
An opinion piece published by the Huffington Post highlighted this issue in sports: “Female athletes are women first, to be desired and lusted after, and athletes second.” This bold statement scrutinizes the depiction of women in the media on a number of levels.
Further, the article discusses the exclusion of women who are supposedly different because “the only women worthy of the spotlight have to fit those normative roles.”
Despite all the negative aspects of women’s sports, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Paying female hockey players is a step in the right direction for their recognition in traditionally male activities.
Further, the snide comments regarding the female athletes’ physiques now getting shot down and panned by supporters, represents the desire for social change—but we still have a long way to go until we achieve that utmost equality.
