The Future of Women's Professional Sport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Future of Women's Professional Sport - Essay Example The author of the essay "The Future of Women's Professional Sport" begins with the short introduction. He mentions that until recently, women’s professional sports were considered by many to be a novelty at best. Yet to assume men’s sports have been widely accepted throughout a long period of time would be incorrect. In 1950, only one professional sport, major league baseball, was dominant in America. Men’s professional football, basketball, and hockey organizations were, by comparison, niche businesses. It was only with the advent of television that interest in all men’s sports grew, for most at a fast pace starting in the 1960’s. To understand where the future of women’s professional sports might be headed, it is important to understand its past and its present in terms of the challenges that have been overcome as well as the problems that remain to be faced. Prior to the 1960’s, U.S. women lived in a society that discouraged girlsâ €™ participation in sporting activities and work outside the home. Because of this, few females at the time had aspirations of sport as a career path. The women who did pursue their athletic goals were therefore not as advanced as their male counterparts and remained unprepared to take advantage of the new media. Girls’ and women’s sports received a boost in 1972 when Title IX became law. To sum up the author says that excluding a few sports, such as tennis, ice skating and gymnastics, low salaries and unequal publicity are some of the problems that many professional female athletes still face.