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The purpose of this magazine is to examine the challenges women in professional sports face related to gender inequality
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HOO OOPS NEVER GIVE UP FIGHTING FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN SPORTS
INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN IN ATHLETICS SERENA WILLIAMS NEEKA OGWUMIKE LORI LOCUST MARAL JAVADIFAR CASTER SEMENYA
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HOW DO SPORTS PERPETUATE GENDER NORMS?
5
LOCKDOWN EXERCISES
WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF SPORTS?
THE GIRLS CLUB LOOKS A LITTLE DIFFERENT
2
REACH NEW HEIGHTS
3
HOOPS Female Empowerment | World of Sports Editor in Chief Carina Wharton Executive Editor Bill Tariq Design & Photography Design Director Carina Wharton Senior Designers Alex Rovira & Aysha Noora Visuals Director Aysha Noora Senior Visuals Editor Carina Wharton Visuals Editor Maggie Tsang Art Assistant Maggie Tsang Research Carina Wharton Content Integrity Research Director Carina Wharton Copy Director Bill Tariq Production Manager Glenn Davis Senior Line Editor Jamie Anderson Copy Manager Danielle Paul Website & App Executive Digital Editior Sandra Lau Digital Managing Editor Cammy Neguen Editorial Assistant William Diyonge
Printer The Printing House Partnership Canadian Women & Sport Women Sports Foundation
Contact Us Hoops 100 McCaul St Toronto ON M5T 1W1
Get in Touch www.hoopsmagazine.com [email protected] Social Media Instagram hoopsdailyread Facebook Hoops Magazine
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
CONTENTS 4
FEATURES
12
SECONDARY FEATURES
18
HISTORY LESSON
Nneka .O, Serena .W and Caster .S
This issue is all about highlighting the disadvantages women in sports face based on their gender or race and celebrating the ways female athletes are challenging the male dominated arena. It is 2021, yet the white patriarchy in society is still
Addressing the Gendered Arena of Sports
running strong, as demonstrated by the storming of the United States Capital Hill in January. It’s clear that we need to set a path forward that is inclusive, encouraging and fair for all. What we do now will affect our future, and that
Who is Charlotte Dod? First Female Coaches to win a Superbowl
is why speaking out against gender discrimination in all fields is vital, but especially in sports, which originally was a male only club. We had a hard time narrowing down sources,
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because there are hundreds of inspiring stories from
6 TIMES Women in Sports Fought for Equality
around the world of women in athletics refusing to stay silent in the face of sexism and challenging gender norms. The topics are quite encompassing, but we have put together a series of articles that
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POPULAR SPORTS
36
ISOLATED
Rise of Women’s Boxing
will introduce you to the subject. As you read through the magazine we hope you will be inspired to carry on the efforts of these great women in the fight for equality in your own personal lives.
Carina Wharton, Editor-in-Chief 5
5 Lockdown Exercises
CONTRIBUTERS
MAGGIE TSANG Illustrator & Designer Maggie spends most of her
ALEX ROVIRA Graphic Designer
AYSHA NOORA Photographer & Designer
Alex’s has always had a passion for art and design since an early age. Her
Able to capture candid shots
work is influenced by the
on a whim, Aysha Noora
late Swiss Graphic Designer
takes some amazing action
Josef Müller-Brockmann’s
shots of our featured athletes.
International Typographic
Through photography she
Style. When she’s not in
has met many interesting
front of her magazine she’s
and high profile celebrities.
typing on her typewriter.
evenings with her adorable dog, but when she’s not busy on walks she’s drawing. Her designs are modern, chic and neat with a combination of pastel hues. Her input on Hoops magazine helped shape the design direction of the publication.
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HOOPS VOLUME 001
Do all genders get a level playing field? Addressing the gendered arena of sport Traditional gender norms are upheld fiercely in sports both professional and recreational. But as views about abilities and strengths change, so too is sport loosening its grip on outdated definitions. By Jane Chamberlin
“ WHEN ALL GENDERS ARE ABLE TO COMPETE EQUALLY ON THE PITCH, THEY WILL LEARN TO RESPECT AND VALUE EACH OTHER’S ABILITIES REGARDLESS OF GENDER IDENTITY.” This vision comes from quidditch. Yes, that quidditch. The sport played by broomstick-brandishing wizards in the Harry Potter stories and US Quidditch (USQ), an organization with a virtually unmatched commitment to equality. USQ even has an advocacy branch called “Title 9 ¾,” which ensures quidditch policies promote equity and inclusivity for everyone, including transgender players. (If the name “Title 9 ¾” doesn’t ring a bell, recall the train to Hogwarts, chugging off from Platform 9 ¾, and recall that Title IX is an American law combatting gender discrimination in federally funded education programs.) What does it say about the state of gender equity in sport that one of the few examples we can find is inspired by a fictional game?
IN A COUNTRY COVERED WITH ARENAS, FIELDS AND PITCHES, ISSUES OF GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN SPORT AREN’T ALWAYS EASY TO DISCUSS. Carly Drake is a PhD candidate in the UCalgary’s Haskayne School of Business, studying issues around gender, identity and the body in consumer culture. Dr. William Bridel, PhD, is a professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, specializing in socio-cultural studies of sport. Both are experts in observing sports culture through critical eyes. They look at cultural assumptions in sport, such as “men are stronger than women,” “women are more emotional than men,” “male athletes are better than female athletes,” and “good athletes look a certain way.” Shedding those assumptions is easier said than done, quidditch notwithstanding. But the larger sports culture is gradually adapting to reflect changing values in society—including gender equity. With “gradually” being the key word. Bridel notes that modern sport was created for boys and men. In nineteenth-century Canada, organized sport took root in the education system, and was geared toward upper-class white boys, along with sports clubs meant for those boys’ fathers and older brothers. “These were exclusive spaces,” says Bridel. “They did not welcome men of colour, for example, or Indigenous men. Girls and women had to fight to be involved.” Because sport is historically so linked to upper-class masculinity, it also assumes a stoic and idealized athletic body that excludes many and often contradicts principles of emotional and physical health.
THE SPORT OF PERPETUATION HOW SPORTS UPHOLD TRADITIONAL GENDER ROLES? Here are a few examples: • Grand Slam tennis: Women play the best of three sets, whereas men play the best of five. • Cross-country skiing: the mass-start event is 50 kilometres for men and 30 for women.
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April 2021
• Ski jumping: In 2009 the British Columbia Supreme Court found that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) showed gender discrimination in excluding women’s ski jumping from the Vancouver games, but the IOC did not require the event to be part of the 2010 games. • Hockey: Women must wear face masks; but for men, face masks are not mandatory at all levels. The way sports are presented in the media also perpetuates traditional gender norms. According to Bridel, many studies show that only about four per cent of media coverage goes to girls’ and women’s sports. “The exception,” says Bridel, “is the Olympics. But this coverage focuses on sports seen as traditionally appropriate for women, like gymnastics or swimming. You’re not going to see much women’s Rugby Sevens on prime-time TV.” The media can also trivialize female athletes, according to Bridel. “Just look at Simone Biles, a five-time Olympic medallist,” says Bridel. “In the media, she’s never ‘Simone Biles, Olympic great.’ Rather, she is ‘the next Michael Phelps.’ Grand Slam tennis star Serena Williams is never called the greatest tennis player of all-time; she’s the greatest women’s tennis player.” Drake says “the sporting world is complicated sometimes it subverts our traditional gender expectations, and sometimes it supports them.” Women struggle for authentic recognition as long as the male body is the gold standard in sport.
THE IDEAL FEMALE BODY — AS ADVERTISED PRESENTS SEVERAL CHALLENGES FOR WOMEN, ATHLETIC OR NOT. “Typically, the exemplary physique for female athletes is taller and slim, with not a lot of curves or fat, which simply isn’t achievable for everyone,” says Drake. “This masculine-looking body also presents something of a no-win situation when women are confronted with images of, say, the Kardashians, whose bodies are quite curvy.” The ideal athletic body conflicts with the ideal social body. Drake’s research approaches the challenges of the ideal running body through a marketing perspective. Using about 60 ads from popular running magazines, she analyzes the messages advertisements communicate about female running bodies, and she’s talked with 25 female recreational endurance runners about their reactions to the ads. Drake reflects on the norms and values that elbow their way into advertisements, shaping how we perceive women endurance runners. A runner herself, Drake is deeply interested in how these ads contribute to a vision of the ideal female running body as masculinized — tall, slim and muscular. She notes that some of the ads do depict more feminine bodies, particularly through flowing hair or flowery tights. “Those feminine bodies are there, but they aren’t celebrated as the best athletic body.” They are often associated with a more clichéd type of “femvertising,” which uses feminist messages of equality and empowerment in a relatively superficial way, leveraging these messages to sell products without clearly attempting to effect cultural change. The ideal, then, is still firmly in the masculine realm. “This comes from a long legacy of sport being a masculine domain,” says Drake. “And this legacy has lasting effects. If you have a feminine-looking body you know, at some level, that you need to occupy a certain space in sport—and it’s not the podium.”
PLENTY OF REASONS TO BE HOPEFUL ABOUT THE FUTURE OF ATHLETICS ALTHOUGH SPORT IS OFTEN MIRED IN HISTORIC GENDER NORMS. For one thing, says Bridel, our culture is beginning to loosen its definition of the male athlete. “We still hear about boys in sports like figure skating being bullied, but overall we are seeing more challenges to dominant ideas of masculinity. There is some evidence suggesting that non-traditional men’s sports are more accepted now, but of course there remains much more work to be done.” Positive stories surface in the LGBTQ arena as well. “There are more openly gay and lesbian athletes now, thanks to more open conversations in the context of sport, and there is more media coverage of ‘out’ athletes,” says Bridel. “But there also remain too many stories about homophobia, transphobia, and misogyny in sport culture.” In addition, women’s sports receive more equal funding today than in the past, says Bridel. And those sports are producing female role models who push back on gender norms. “We’re lucky to have people like bobsledder Kaillie Humphries and Hayley Wickenheiser, from the national hockey team, who are unapologetically competitive and athletic.” As male and female athletes resist traditional gender roles, the sporting world continues its zig-zagging path to equality.
sporting world is complicated. Sometimes it “The subverts our traditional gender expectations, and sometimes it supports them.
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NNEKA
OGWUMIKE
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HOOPS VOLUME 001
April 2021
LEADER FOR CHANGE BY ALEX PREWITT & TANIA GANGULI
Ogwumike is a Nigerian-American basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Besides being one of the best in her field, she is also the president of the player’s union. She advocates for members’ rights for better pay and respect.
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April 2021
O
gwumike the former league MVP has nev-
complish this year alone: The calendar opened as
er needed to worry much about her pay-
the WNBPA finalized a groundbreaking, glass-ceil-
checks, because of her endorsements and her suc-
ing-cracking collective bargaining agreement, the
cess playing in Europe. But she wants to see a time
first of its kind in pro sports with regards to ben-
when women’s basketball players can prioritize
efits for working parents. Then came talks to build
the WNBA because the finances make sense. Her
the “Wubble” and stage the 2020 season, which
education into what that would take began early.
passed its midway point last week. All the while
Ogwumike began her involvement with the union as a
WNBA players have remained front and center in
player representative for her team, and in 2016, her
the national fight for social justice, as they have
teammates voted her president of the union. “It was
for Ogwumike’s entire tenure as the face of their
intimidating because there’s so much about the busi-
union.“Nneka’s reputation as a leader in our PA is so-
ness of sports that we don’t know as players,” she says.
lidified,” says Bird, an executive committee vice presi-
“That kind of opened my eyes to the impact that we can
dent. “She’s proven that she can get things done.” This
have as individuals.” As Ogwumike sees it, it’s her job
has always been true for the 6’ 2” Ogwumike on the
not only to help the women in her league get an appro-
court, where she ranks second in the WNBA in career
priate share of the league’s revenue, but also to make
true shooting percentage (.617) and went 8-for-8 from
sure the league is growing in the right ways. In January,
the field in the Sparks’ season-opening win over Phoe-
she lead negotations for the new WNBA and players
nix on July 25. She will never be confused for a flashy
union eight-year collective bargaining agreement, with
player, but her screens are set with strength; her back
increases in player salaries and landmark benefits for
cuts are made with precision; her hustle and smarts
motherhood and family planning. The league said the
have netted four appearances on the all-defensive first
average annual player compensation—salary, bonuses,
team; and she never seems rushed with the ball in her
exhibition winnings and marketing revenues—would
hands, calmly sizing up opponents before making her
approach $130,000. “I think I’ve always kind of been
move. It is the combination of these same relent-
diplomatic in a way,” Ogwumike says. “I’ve fallen into
less traits—plus some recurring cameos from her al-
leadership positions and I’ve found the best parts of
ter egos have made Ogwumike well-suited to lead
myself doing that. I want to be able to walk away as a
WNBA players through what she refers to as a piv-
retired player saying that I did what I could to make the
otal moment in league history, when visibility has
league better.” “My role in what I do as President
never been higher and the future has never looked
is to lay out the options and make sure everyone
brighter. “Our movement has found its moment,
understands the implications of the decisions we
and we’ve capitalized on that moment,” Ogwumike
make, especially if we do it together…I ride for my
says. “It’s glaring now. It’s impossible to ignore.”
players.” “What was most important was the soli-
And while the legacy of President Nneka is far from
darity, the unity, the collectiveness of how we’ve al-
written, it’s safe to say that no player has done
ways organized,” Ogwumike later told ESPN’s Hol-
more in recent years to shape how professional
ly Rowe, wearing a face mask that said CHANGE
women’s basketball will look for decades to come.
HAS NO OFFSEASON and a T-shirt that read STOP KILLING BLACK PEOPLE. No wonder President Nneka enjoys a high approval rating from her constituents. “She has that aura about her,” Bird says. Consider everything that Ogwumike has helped ac-
11
I want to be able to walk away as a retired player saying that I did what I could to make the league better.
HOOPS VOLUME001
“
12
April 2021
Who was Charlotte Dod? The remarkable career of a Victorian athletic phenom—and the legacy that wasn’t By Helen Lewis
*charlotte
dod was only
16
when she chal -
ice-skater, champion golfer, and daredevil
lenged a man to single combat — three men , in
tobogganist. *a
fact . it was the summer of
end of the
1888,
and the brit -
sensation in england at the
19th.century,
a time of feminist fer -
ish prodigy had already won two wimbledon ti -
ment , dod was all but forgotten when she died
tles , earning her the nickname
in
“little wonder.”
1960—“a
victorian relic in a nuclear age ,”
classes, while wearing clothes chosen for modesty rather than performance. Taking stock of her remarkable versatility is tricky, too. Her omnicompetence now seems like dilettantism, but it might also reflect changing
But Dod was always eager for another victo-
as the journalist sasha abramsky wistfully
models of success. The current formula for
ry, and three singles matches, each against a
puts it .
athletic stardom is the “Tiger path,” mimick-
top-ranked male tennis player, would attract
of Lottie Dod, the World’s First Female Sports
ing Tiger Woods’s early and unwavering hy-
plenty of publicity. Two of the men knew her
Superstar," he sets out to write her back into
per-focus, but in his book “Range: Why Gen-
already, having partnered with her in mixed
the historical record. In doing so, he joins a
eralists Triumph in a Specialized World,”
doubles. One of them, Ernest Renshaw, even
well-established feminist project—the redis-
David Epstein instead endorses the more
had prior experience in taking on a woman—
covery of lost pioneers of all kinds. Research-
eclectic “Roger path”—following Roger Feder-
Dod’s great rival, Blanche Bingley. (On a
ers have not yet settled on the athletic equiv-
er, who loved skateboarding, skiing, and
In "Little Wonder: The Fabulous Story
dare, he had worn cumbersome women’s
wrestling as a child, and settled on tennis
clothing to do so; he won the match.) *the
only as a teenager. *the “lottie
men allowed dod to start at
30–0,
could request replays of up to three points in
now fallen firmly out of fashion .
each set . but the advantages did not all run
story does shed light on women’s quest to
one way : dod wore a long , high - necked dress ; a
claim their place in sports, a realm that has
shoes .
Still, Dod’s
leather
always been dominated by men—as players,
And, like most women at the time, she
officials, coaches, and viewers. Women were
corset ;
thick
stockings ;
and
heavy
habitually served underhand. Renshaw lost
banned from competing in the ancient Olym-
the first set, and upped his game. One com-
pics; in Dod’s time, the president of the Inter-
mentator remarked that once he realized “he
national Olympic Committee pronounced
had no ordinary lady opponent every stroke
women’s sports “against the laws of nature.”
was keenly contested.” He recovered to win
Sports were not, however, against Dod’s na-
▯▯▯
the match narrowly (2-6, 7-5, 7-5), but the
ture. Born in 1871 in the village of Lower
other two men were beaten by a girl. Eight-
Bebington, she had the advantage not just of
five years before Billie Jean King and Bobby
upper-middleclass comforts (among them a
Riggs fought the “battle of the sexes,” a Vic-
tennis court at home) but of a physically gift-
torian teenager showed what women could
ed family, with three siblings who also ex-
do. *dod’s
celled athletically. Early on, her elder sister,
story is all the more extraordinary
because , after winning three more wimbledon
alent of the playwright Aphra Behn or the
Ann, was her doubles partner and chaper-
victories , she abandoned tennis in the mid -
mathematician Ada Lovelace. Could Lottie
one; later, her brothers accompanied her on
Dod be that figure? *working
outdoor adventures. *to
1890s,
feeling that she had nothing left to
prove .
She went on to represent England in
out where dod
the victorians , the
fits in the pantheon of sporting , and female ,
highest aspiration for women ’ s sports was re spectability .
field hockey, win an Olympic silver medal in
greatness is its own sort of feat .
archery, and become an accomplished
played against a limited pool of amateur op-
self in public? To aspire to beat the competi-
mountaineer, expert horseback rider, skilled
ponents, drawn from the upper and middle
tion and seize glory for yourself? To train
After all, she
Was it “unfeminine” to exert one-
On the tennis court, Dod wore a long, high-necked dress; a corset; thick stockings; and heavy leather shoes 13
path ” is an
extreme variation of that approach , and it has
and she
HOOPS VOLUME 001
hard to excel, instead of resigning yourself to
from being able to at least wear skirts above
albums. Around the world, women’s sports
life as a supporting actor in someone else’s
the ankle, but soon enough she was trussed
are underfunded and under promoted. That
story? The answer was obvious, which didn’t
up and weighed down by more restrictive gar-
is why Title IX, which prohibits sex-based dis-
stop Dod from hitting the ball with “sheer fe-
ments. (For an insight into the daily life of
crimination in American education programs,
rocity,” according to Abramsky, or from
victorian women, remember that the ratio-
has been such an important and contentious
crushing more ladylike opponents, or from
nal-dress movement, which emerged in the
piece of legislation. Since its enactment in
disdaining women who “merely frivol at gar-
mid-19th century, called for reducing the
1972, women’s participation in college sports
den parties” with a racket in their hands.
weight of under garments from as much as
has increased by 545 percent; the number of
Feminine modesty didn’t deter her from keep-
14 pounds to a still-hefty seven.) *as
girls playing high-school sports has surged
ing a fat scrapbook of press clippings, either,
"little
kept thinking of serena wil -
by 990 percent. Fairness in competitive op-
though she was well aware of the patronizing
liams , whose career has unfolded in the shad -
portunities or financial prospects has yet to
spirit of plenty of the coverage—praising her
ow of the same issues more than a century
follow, however. (For example, the U.S. wom-
for being “healthy, ruddy, and as strong as a
later .
Ideas about femininity conferring re-
en’s basketball team, which has won six
man,” for example, while noting that she “has
spectability still persist in women’s sports. In
Olympic gold medals in a row, had to fight
not lost a particle of her womanliness.” *we
2018, the French Tennis Federation presi-
publicly to secure paid training sessions for
get a rare glimpse into the inner fire that made
dent, Bernard Giudicelli, said that the sleek
its stars to prepare for the now-postponed
dod such a fierce competitor in a seven - page
black catsuit worn by Williams at the French
Tokyo Games.) *it would be wrong, though, to
magazine essay on tennis that she wrote when
Open went “too far,” adding: “You have to re-
see dod as a passive victim of condescending
18. Abramsky cites passages in
spect the game and the place.” A gentle re-
attitudes . she was lucky to have supportive sib -
she was just
wonder ",
I
i read
which the teenager described a world of
minder: The French Open is played on courts
lings and other companions in her youth .
commentators who presumed that “no lady
plastered with the names of airlines and in-
Abramsky’s telling, the men she challenged
could understand tennis scoring.” She at-
vestment banks, not in the state rooms of the
did not see their matches as a way to put
tacked the editor of a popular journal, depict-
Élysée Palace. Why impose a formal dress
women in their place, as Bobby Riggs did.
ing him as being “invested with the preroga-
code on athletes sharing space with a 50-
And in her post-tennis life, her holidays in the
In
tive of an irresponsible despot” and arguing
foot banner reading Fly Emirates? Like Dod
ski-resort town of St.Moritz granted her a so-
that the quality of female competitors had
before her, Williams was being urged to play
cial circle where her athleticism was admired
prejudices
in an outfit that did not cost her “a particle of
and encouraged. She encountered men who
was also outspoken on the
her womanliness.” *williams’s huge fan base is
took her seriously, and were ready to devote
subject of one particular disadvantage faced
the exception : women ’ s sports are often still
time to coaching an exceptional athlete. After
by female athletes of the time .
treated as inferior by both male players and
passing a stringent ladies’ test in ice-skating,
ever hope to play a sound game when their
viewers , a second - class status commonly justi -
she trained for the much more rigorous
dresses impede the free movement of every
fied by market appeal .
men’s exam, spurred on by the example of
limb?” she remarked to a journalist. “A suit-
declared that prize money should be deter-
her friend Elizabeth Main, the first woman to
able dress is sorely needed, and hearty in-
mined by “who attracts more attention, spec-
pass it. * This
deed would be the thanks of puzzled la-
tators, and who sells more tickets.” But the
the
“conclusively
disproved”
against them. *she
his
“How can they
Novak Djokovic once
relationship sustained
Irish-born Main—rich,
Dod. In
twice - widowed , and
dy-players to the individual who invented an
greater popularity of men’s sports right now
charismatic —D od had finally met a woman who
easy and pretty costume.” Entering competi-
is not the result of some natural law, like grav-
could rival her for athleticism and daring .
tions as a young teenager, dod benefited
ity or the diminishing quality of Radiohead
two women took to climbing mountains to-
The
14
15
HOOPS VOLUME 001
April 2021
SERENA WILLIAMS GREATEST ATHLETE OF ALL TIME—G.O.A.T STANDS AGAINST DISCRIMINATION BY DANIELE SELBY
Why Global Citizens Should Care Around the world, women face discrimination in the workplace and their careers are often penalized because of it. Williams has been a proud advocate for women’s rights both on and off the court, and this is just another example of her commitment to advancing gender equality. You can take action here to help eliminate gender discrimination. 16
HOOPS VOLUME 001 17
CALLING OUT SEXISM IN TENNIS — AND SHE’S NOT ALONE
April 2021
“You owe me an apology,” superstar tennis player Serena Wil-
sexism in her sport during the French Open in August after she
liams told the chair umpire, Carlos Ramos, during the US Open
was chastised for wearing a catsuit to her match. Williams has
finals on Saturday. The argument between the two over code
been open about her health struggles during and after the birth
violations escalated and resulted in a penalty point and game
of her daughter, including blood clots and the catsuit aided her
against Williams, sparking controversy and debate over sexism
blood circulation. However, the catsuit was considered a dress
in the sport. Among the violations called against Williams was
code violation by the French Open, sparking a fierce debate
one for “verbal abuse” after Williams called Ramos a “thief,” but
over sexist dress code policies in tennis.
as the 23-time Grand Slam champion was quick to point out
The controversy overshadowed the outcome of the match in
during her match, male players have said far worse and barely
which rising star 20-year-old Naomi Osaka won her first Grand
received a slap on the wrist. “There are men out here that have
Slam title in a bittersweet match against her childhood idol —
▯ “Osaka’s stellar play was
said a lot things and because they are men that doesn’t happen
both women left the match in tears.
to them,” Williams told one official, referring to the severe pen-
overshadowed by an archaic tennis rule that eventually led to an
alty against her. “Because I’m a woman, you’re going
“
to take this away from me? That is not right,” she added. In a post-game interview on Sunday, No-
▯ Djokovic add-
ton Post. King goes on to criticize the rules
It blows
of tennis for enabling power abuses that perpetuate gender and racial discrimina-
going to continue to
tion in the game. “Women are treated
fight for women and to
differently in most arenas of life. This is
umpire should not have pushed Seremaybe unnecessary.”
tennis player, wrote in an op-ed for the Washing-
my mind, but I’m
vak Djokovic said he felt that “the chair na to the limit … It was, in my opinion,
abuse of power,” Billie Jean King, a trailblazing female
ed that the call changed the course of
fight for us to have equal
the match, though he also empathized
coordination …
with Ramos over the “awkward situation.” The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) also came to Williams’ defense. “The WTA believes that there should be no difference in the standards of tolerance provided to the emotions expressed
”
especially true for women of color. And what played out on the court yesterday happens far too often … Ultimately, a woman was penalized for standing up for herself,” King wrote. “I hope every single girl and woman watching yesterday’s match re-
alizes they should always stand up for themselves and for what they believe is right or nothing will ever change.”
by men versus women,” WTA chief executive Steve Simon said
For her part, Williams will certainly continue fighting for what
in a statement on Sunday. “We do not believe that this was done
she believes in. “I’m here fighting for women’s rights and for
last night [during the final].” In addition to the game-changing
women’s equality and for all kinds of stuff.
▯
For me to say
penalties, Williams was hit with a $17,000 fine over the viola-
‘thief’ and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was
tions, the Washington Post reported. During the match, Williams
a sexist remark,” Williams said in an interview on Saturday. “It
stood her ground against Ramos. “I have never cheated in my
blows my mind, but I’m going to continue to fight for women and
life. I have a daughter and I stand [for] what’s right for her, and
to fight for us to have equal coordination … The fact that I have
I’ve never cheated,” she told him, insisting on apology. Although
to go through this is just an example for the next person that
Williams was understandably emotional, she remained strong
has emotions and that want to express themselves and
and composed under pressure. Yet the sexism she faced on
they want to be a strong woman. They’re going
the court has also seeped into media coverage of the argument between the Olympian and the chair umpire.
to be allowed to do that because of today. “Maybe it didn’t work out for me, but it’s
Media outlets called her refusal to back down as a “meltdown”
going to work out for the next per-
and described the champion as “hysterical,” whereas male ath-
son,” she added.
letes are rarely described in such terms after similar game disputes.
▯
With tennis season in full swing, gender inequality in
the sport has been a hot subject of debate recently. French tennis player Alizé Cornet was issued a warning for briefly taking her shirt off, which many male tennis players do, after realizing it was on backwards at the US Open during an Aug. 29 match.
W
And Williams found herself at the center of another debate over
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HOOPS VOLUME 001
6 Times Women in Sports Fought for Equality By Maya Salam and Mihir Zaveri
On Friday, all 28 players on the United States women’s soccer team filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation, an escalation in their increasingly public battle for equality. The players have said that they play more games than the men’s team—and win more of them—yet still receive less pay. They said “institutionalized gender discrimination” affected not only their paychecks, but also where they played and how often, how they trained, the medical care and coaching they received, and even how they traveled to matches. They are not alone in their fight for fairer pay and better treatment. Here are six times in recent memory when women fought for equality in sports. FINISHING THE BOSTON MARATHON DESPITE AN ATTEMPT TO EJECT HER| Experts claimed for years that distance running was damaging to women’s health and femininity. In 1967, women weren’t allowed to officially enter the Boston Marathon, so Kathrine Switzer entered that year as “K.V. Switzer” to hide her gender. Two miles in, an official tried to eject her from the course, a moment captured in dramatic photographs. She finished anyway, becoming the first woman to complete the race as an official entrant. “We learned that women are not deficient in endurance and stamina, and that running requires no fancy facilities or equipment,” Switzer wrote in The New York Times in 2007. Women were officially allowed to enter the race in 1972. Women’s marathoning joined the Olympics in 1984. A FEMINIST TENNIS CHAMPION WINS THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES|The year 1973 was a big one for Billie Jean King, the trailblazing tennis star. She founded the Women’s Tennis Association. She led a movement for female players to earn equal prize money in tournaments that featured players of both sexes. And, on a September night at the Astrodome in Houston, she epitomized her crusade for gender equality when she handily beat Bobby Riggs, a self-described male chauvinist pig, in the Battle of the Sexes. King went on to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 for her work championing the rights of women and gay people. She is considered to be one of the most important athletes of the 20th century. “Everyone thinks women should be thrilled when we get crumbs,” King once said. “I
“
want women to have the cake, the icing and the cherry on top, too.” YALE ROWERS STRIP TO PROTEST LACK OF WOMEN’S SHOWERS|Chris Ernst is a two-time Olympic rower. But in the spring of 1976, she was the captain of Yale University’s women’s crew team — and sick of not having proper showers to use after practice. She led 18 teammates in an eye-catching protest at Yale’s athletic office. The athletes stripped to their waists, revealing the words “Title IX,” which had been drawn in blue marker on each woman’s back and breasts. The Times ran an article in the next day’s paper, and a photograph of the history-making event also ran in The Yale Daily News. Within
19
Everyone thinks women should be thrilled when we get crumbs...I want women to have the cake, the icing and the cherry on top, too.
April 2021
two weeks, the female rowers had new locker rooms. And, across the country, educators began viewing Title IX — which had been in effect for just four years — as a law that required compliance. VENUS WILLIAMS WINS A VICTORY FOR WOMEN OFF THE COURT| In 2007, after pressure from the tennis great Venus Williams and others, Wimbledon announced that women’s tennis players would receive prize money equal to the men’s. Williams had made a failed plea to Wimbledon’s governing body the night before she won the title in 2005. And in 2006, she wrote an op-ed essay in The Times of London titled “Wimbledon Has Sent Me a Message: I’m Only a Second Class Champion.” “Have you ever been let down by someone that you had long admired, respected and looked up to?” she wrote. “Little in life is more disappointing, particularly when that person does something that goes against the very heart of what you believe is right and fair.” After the policies changed in 2007, she was awarded $1.4 million for her fourth Wimbledon victory, the same amount as the men’s champion, Roger Federer. A FIRST FOR WOMEN’S HOCKEY| In April 2017, the women’s national hockey team announced that it would boycott the coming world championship if U.S.A. Hockey, the sport’s national governing body, did not increase the women’s wages. “It’s hard to believe that in 2017, we have to fight so hard just to get equitable support,” Meghan Duggan, the team’s captain, said at the time. “We want to do the fair thing, and the right thing — not just for hockey but for all women.” They put their careers on the line, but the risk paid off. Less than two weeks later, the team reached a four-year deal with U.S.A. Hockey. It provided the female players a $2,000 training stipend each month from the United States Olympic Committee and larger bonuses for winning medals. The team also received the same travel and insurance provisions that the men’s national team did, and a pool of prize money to be split each year. FEMALE SURFERS RECEIVE EQUAL PRIZE MONEY| Four prominent female big-wave surfers, Bianca Valenti, Andrea Moller, Keala Kennelly and Paige Alms, spent years fighting for equal pay in the largely male sport where they regularly risk their lives. Last July, the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing, an organization formed by six women, sent letters to the California Coastal Commission arguing that by treating women unequally, the World Surf League was in violation of state civil rights law. Months later, in September, Valenti and other female surfers earned a victory when the World Surf League announced it would offer equal prize money to men and women. Valenti, along with Sabrina Brennan, the president of the San Mateo County Harbor Commission, and Karen Tynan, a labor lawyer, also successfully pushed for women to be included in the Maverick’s Challenge, a big-wave surfing competition that had traditionally invited only men. “Some people would tell me that by trying to get the (prize) pie redistributed I was ruining it for everyone,” Moller said in December. “But I would just say: ‘That’s wrong. We’re fighting for the industry. People love watching women 20
CS HOOPS VOLUME 001
CAS TER
SEMENYA Why her case is a human rights issue
Using testosterone to classify athletes test arguments around inclusion and fair competition BY MEGHA MOHAN AND JACQUELINE DOOREY
By ruling against Caster Semenya’s appeal of new rules introduced by track and field’s world governing
body (IAAF), the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is saying that testosterone is officially a tool to
decide whether someone is a man or a woman. But as self-identity and gender politics continue to
evolve, finding the science to back that up is getting harder. And the repercussions of using testosterone
levels to classify athletes can test arguments around inclusion and fair competition—as well as possi-
bly infringe on basic human rights. We’ve already seen that in the case of Kristen Worley, a Canadian
cyclist-turned-activist who was born male but transitioned to female in 2004. Twelve years later, Worley took on her national and international sport organizations, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the
International Olympic Committee, to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. A judge eventually ruled the
process she went through to compete as a transgender athlete infringed on her human rights.
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S
April 2021
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ATHLETICS MIGHT HAVE INTRODUCED... A ‘PROTECTED’ CATEGORY BASED ON HORMONE LEVELS, RATHER THAN GENDER
” 23
April 2021
Who is Caster Semenya? In short, one of the most dominant stars of modern athletics. A double Olympic gold medallist and three-time world champion over 800m, the 30-year-old South African has won her past 29 races over the distanceHowever, since her rise from unknown teenager to world champion in 2009, her gender, and possible advantages in her biology, have come under scrutiny. The results of gender testing carried out 10 years ago have not been made public, although media reports claimed it showed both male and female characteristics including a higher-than-normal level of testosterone. The IAAF, which runs the sport, proposed a rule to restrict the level of testosterone permitted in female runners in events between 400m and a mile. Semenya unsuccessfully challenged the proposal.
▼ What are disorders/differences of sex development (DSD)? People with a DSD do not develop along typical gender lines. Their hormones, genes, reproductive organs may be a mix of male and female characteristics. The term “disorders” is controversial with some of those affected preferring the term “intersex” and referring to “differences in sex development”. Most people with a DSD stay with the gender they were assigned as a baby. However others, who feel their assigned gender doesn’t represent who they are, may choose to change their gender. People with a DSD may be infertile and need hormone therapy and psychological support to help them come to terms with their condition.
▼ What is ‘intersex’? “Intersex” is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with sexual anatomy that doesn’t fit typical definitions of female or male. Doctors define the terms as disorders of sex development. There are more than 40 variations of intersex traits. Genitals could be ambiguous at birth, or they may become so at puberty. The individual may be anatomically or genetically male but appear female—or vice versa. Hormone function may also vary with individuals. Sex is a biological classification and gender has been described as a more social construct pertaining to identity. Intersex traits are biological and therefore refers to sex, not gender identity.
▼ What about elite athletes like Semenya? Research commissioned by the IAAF showed in 2017 that female athletes with elevated testosterone had “a competitive advantage”, claiming that high testosterone was responsible for as much as 3% improvement in runners. However those findings were contested by Semenya and her team. They claim it is not clear how much DSD athletes benefit from their naturally higher levels of testosterone. During the early 1990s, Spanish hurdler Maria Jose Martinez-Patino successfully fought against a ban imposed after she was discovered to have XY chromosomes typically seen in men. She demonstrated that her condition made her insensitive to the ‘excess’ testosterone in her blood.
▼ Why is Semenya’s case so important? Sport has traditionally been divided into male and female categories, but Semenya’s case and the science it has brought to the fore shows it may be an artificially binary distinction. It had been suggested that, had the verdict gone against the IAAF, athletics might have introduced an ‘open’ category that men and women could, in theory, compete in side by side, and a ‘protected’ category based on hormone levels, rather than gender.
▼ And what about the future for Semenya now she has lost the case? A leading sport scientist has suggested she would be five to seven seconds slower over 800m if she reduces her testosterone in line with the proposed limits. She could change to a longer distance. She has run the 5,000m twice this season, winning on both occasions.
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HOOPS VOLUME 001
The Rise of Women’s Boxing | By Katie Richcreek
25
Women’s boxing has long lived in the shadows of the sport. It’s
her professional debut on Saturday. Shields chose to begin her
a cycle that begins and ends with television networks, a cycle
professional career rather than stay an amateur (and have the
that stems from a perception that the quality of female talent is
guarantee of eligibility to return to the Olympics in 2020) in part
thin. Yet, without the ability to sell women’s fights on televised
because of the potential the timing presented. At 21 years old,
cards, the signing and developing of female fighters is rendered
amid what already feels like a revolution in women’s boxing,
an unprofitable business for promoters. The opportunity for
Shields is primed to take up the baton and carry the sport over
women to make a living fighting thus becomes virtually impos-
the line it has come so close to crossing so many times. “I don’t
sible … and the cycle continues. “I’m a little embarrassed we
want to let this flame burn out that we have right now,” Shields
haven’t gotten to it sooner,” said Stephen Espinoza, executive
said. “You have to seize the moment and take advantage of it.
vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports, about
“I’m not doing it for the money. I’m doing it for women’s boxing.”
the network’s plans to put women’s fights back on its air. “We
Shields has marinated on this concept of being the change for
aim to rectify that very quickly — and not on a one-off basis but
some time. It was a primary reason behind her decision and a
on a meaningful regular basis as well.”
seed that was planted before she won her second gold medal
While Showtime still hasn’t promoted a fight since 2001, it
in Rio de Janeiro, when she had a conversation with Hardy
plans to do so, and women’s boxing will be televised Saturday,
about the two fighters’ mutual hope for the future of their sport
when Claressa Shields makes her professional debut on Satur-
and the respect it deserves.
day in a four-round super middleweight bout against Franchon
The way Hardy understood it, Shields’ turning pro would
Crews. It will air on ESPN3 on the “freeview” undercard of
send a message: This is what women do. Women fight. Women
Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward’s pay-per-view fight on HBO.
box. “We weren’t just thinking about each other making millions
Coupled with the previous strides made in 2016, it appears
of dollars; we were thinking about the other women coming
that a new era of women’s boxing is dawning. Claressa Shields
up behind us,” Shields said. “This is a new era, and that’s no
has dubbed this era as the “reintroduction to women’s boxing.”
disrespect to Christy Martin or Lucia Rijker or Laila [Ali]. But
The era took a giant step forward on Aug. 21 when Shields
the women of this generation are just different. And me? I’m
became the first American fighter, male or female, to defend an
one-of-a-kind. You only get one of me every century.” New
Olympic gold medal. That same day, Heather Hardy and Shelly
York-born and bred, Hardy used to dream about becoming a
Vincent became the first women to be featured on a Premier
Yankee. As a child she would even envision herself running out
Boxing Champions nationally televised undercard. Now, that
of the bullpen at Yankee Stadium. She watched every game. She
era is primed to move ahead even further. Well aware of her
knew every stat. But little girls didn’t play baseball. “I remember
role in what could be the surge needed to finally carry women’s
feeling like I was sorry I liked it,” she said. “I was sorry I was
boxing from out of the shadows, Shields is preparing to make
a girl.” Later in life, Hardy adopted a new dream: becoming a
April 2021
professional boxer. But as she transitioned out of the amateurs, she was confronted with a harsh reality: Women don’t make much money fighting. “A bunch of the girls who are pro [told me], ‘Just know this isn’t a life for you; this is a hobby because you’ll never make any money off of it,’” Hardy said.“And 20 years later, I have that same feeling. I’m sorry I’m a girl.” Hardy was the first woman to be signed to a long-term promotional contract with Lou DiBella’s company, DiBella Entertainment. DiBella, one of New York’s premier boxing promoters, has been one of the main actors at the forefront of the current revolution. In addition to Hardy, DiBella has signed deals with other prominent women fighters, including WBO featherweight champion Amanda Serrano and Hardy’s last opponent, Vincent. While DiBella said he doesn’t make money off their fights, the fact that he puts on shows in New York and throughout New England means Hardy and the other female fighters in his stable who are from the area sell enough tickets to cover a “good portion” of the costs of their bouts. DiBella, who admits he was once hardened to the idea of women in the ring when he was an HBO executive, has said that promoting his female fighters has become a cause for him. “I admire their dedication. I admire their spirit to want to bring about change,” DiBella said. “I’d say a number of these women right now are not only out there as fighters; they’re out there as trailblazers, as advocates. They’re trying to change the status quo, to be agents of change, so that other women coming forward in the sport in the future have an easier road and an opportunity to make a living the same way men do.” The difference between the money that male and female fighters can make fighting doesn’t necessarily stem from a gap in fight purses—in fact, according to DiBella, male and female fighters on the same card will generally make similar money for the same level of fight. The difference, then, is the fact that televised fights come with much bigger purses, and without opportunities to fight on televised cards, women simply don’t have the option for bigger paydays. As DiBella put it, it’s a wage “ceiling.” “While male fighters are going after that $100,000 payday—the $50,000, $150,000 or $1 million payday—those paydays don’t exist for women because television has been closed to them,” DiBella said. Female fighters with untelevised bouts thus become more reliant on whatever percentage of ticket sales they get, which can often mean more aggressive promotion of their own fights, spreading the word and hanging up posters to try to sell tickets. Hardy, a single mother, has considered taking MMA fights to help pay the bills, a proposition that recently became even more real when DiBella had to cancel the cards he had scheduled in New York through the end of the year because of a new provision that requires promoters in the state to secure $1 million of
THE WOMEN OF THIS GENERATION ARE JUST DIFFERENT. AND ME? I’M ONE-OF-A-KIND. YOU ONLY GET ONE OF ME EVERY CENTURY
”
while DiBella has signed some of the best female talent in the United States, his stable is missing the biggest star in Shields, who told ESPN in September before announcing her pro debut that the only company she wanted to sign with was Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. However, Shields’ agent said she has yet to make any decisions regarding a promoter as of this week. DiBella’s investment could turn out to be a gamble that pays off if the status quo changes. The current pool of female talent is ripe for a chance at the big time, with fighters on the rise from coast to coast. Even across the pond, where women’s boxing is already more prominently televised, 13-year Irish amateur and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Katie Taylor has too decided to turn professional. “The skill level and talent base is all there,” Espinoza said. “It’s just a matter of providing the opportunity.” Espinoza wants Showtime to provide that opportunity. The five-year executive said that putting female fights back on the network’s airwaves has been on its to-do list for some time, and that he hopes to get one on a card in the first quarter of 2017. Espinoza and DiBella have elevated conversations even further, with “pretty extensive” discussions about the prospect of an all-female card sometime next year. DiBella said that, that type of card would ideally feature a Hardy-Vincent rematch, possibly even for a world title, if Hardy ends up fighting for one in March, as DiBella suggested she might. An all-women’s card is certainly an ambitious goal, considering it likely would require the cooperation of various promoters, but Espinoza doesn’t consider it insurmountable “if we can be the unifying force to bring this aboard, we’d be happy to,” he said. The concept of elevating women’s presence in combat sports by making opportunities possible isn’t new for Showtime. Ronda Rousey fought her final three Strikeforce fights before signing with Dana White and the UFC in 2012, and those bouts aired on Showtime. Other female mixed martial arts stars such as Gina Carano, Cris “Cyborg” Justino and Miesha Tate also came up through Strikeforce before making the same jump. “When you look at the business opportunity, which has been really argue that the audience
demonstrated in MMA, you can’t the market isn’t ready or isn’t ready,” Espinoza said.
The momen-
tum that peaked in August,
with Shields’
Olympic win and Hardy
and
Vincent’s televised bout, is palpable and has
insurance per fighter in the event one suffers a traumatic brain
picked up steam.
injury. Unfortunately for Hardy, one of those events DiBella had
For women in
to cancel was a show at Barclays Center on Dec. 16 that Hardy
the sport, it’s
was supposed to fight on. “As much as I’d like to discourage
a fight for
her as a promoter from [moving to MMA], I’m not going to
their
because she has to do what she has to do to maximize her revenue streams, to take advantage of her popularity and to try to make a living for her and her daughter,” DiBella said. “I can’t fault her for needing a supplemental income.” It’s worth noting that
livelihood
and
fo r
equality in the
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HOOPS VOLUME 001
These Women Were N.F.L. ‘Firsts.’ They’re Eager for Company Two women will coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in this year’s Super Bowl, a milestone in the N.F.L.’s gender diversity efforts. By Gillian R. Brassil and Kevin Draper The football pioneers arrived quickly over the past year: the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl, the first woman chosen to officiate a Super Bowl, the first Black woman to be named a full-time coach in the N.F.L. They can’t wait to have a lot more company.“What is really going to excite me is when this is no longer aberrational or when this is no longer something that’s noteworthy,” said Amy Trask, who in 1997 became the Oakland Raiders’ chief executive and the first woman of that rank in the N.F.L. Few have followed in similar roles. The coaching ranks took much longer to welcome women — until 2015. Eight female coaches were on N.F.L. staffs this season, the first time there had ever been more than two women coaching simultaneously in the league, according to The Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sport, which tracks hiring across a variety of roles in five major sports. Other professional sports had groundbreaking moments, as well, in the past year. The Miami Marlins hired Kim Ng as M.L.B.’s first female general manager and Becky Hammon became the first woman to serve as a head coach in the N.B.A. But the ascent of women to top sports jobs remains an aberration and not the norm, as it is for men to lead many women’s professional and college teams. Jen Welter, the first female to coach in the N.F.L., said that she initially turned down her first opportunity to coach a men’s team in
27
the Champions Indoor Football league, because she was worried about feeling isolated. “I was a highly decorated women’s player — two gold medals, an eight-time Pro Bowler — also had a master’s degree in sports psychology and a Ph.D. in psychology, and my instinct was, ‘no,’ because there were no women,” Welter said recently in a telephone interview. “Representation matters.” Callie Brownson, the chief of staff for the Cleveland Browns, said players were unfazed when she had to fill in as coach of the tight ends for two games this season and the wide receivers for one, when the full-time coaches for those positions were out on paternity leave or placed on the Covid-19 reserve list.“I remember walking up to the tight ends at practice on Wednesday and saying, ‘Hey, just so you guys know, I got you guys this weekend, I got you on game day,’” she recalled in a phone interview. “And it didn’t faze them at all, like: ‘Cool, OK, great, looking forward to it, let’s roll.’ That was powerful to me as a woman.” But, Brownson said, she has encountered resistance elsewhere. She recalled that at least one job interview felt like “checking a box,” and said that she had heard insulting quips including “It’s funny to hear a woman talk about routes”—from men inside and outside the game. Like Trask, Brownson said: “I look forward to the days where we stop talking about how ‘she’s the first this’ and we’ve
April 2021
accomplished all those things, and women can just naturally fit into these coaching roles, scouting roles and operational roles.” Trask, who left the Raiders in 2013 after nearly 30 years in various jobs with the franchise and now serves as an analyst for CBS, recalled only a few moments when people questioned her role because of her gender. Once, she said, a reporter called out to Gene Upshaw, a Hall of Fame offensive lineman, at the end of a long practice: “Hey Gene, what’s it like having a girl on the team?” Trask recalled that Upshaw, who became the longtime leader of the N.F.L. players’ union, spun around and replied: “She’s not a girl. She’s a Raider.” Al Davis, the Raiders’ former team owner who hired Trask, also hired Tom Flores, the league’s first minority head coach to win a Super Bowl, and Art Shell, the first African-American head coach in the N.F.L. since the 1920s. “This was someone who hired without regard to race, gender or any other individuality, which has no bearing on whether someone can do a job,” Trask said of Davis, who initially hired her as an intern in 1983, when the team was based in Los Angeles and she was a law student who
What
cold-called the Raiders’ headquarters seeking a job. “And he was doing this decades and decades before this was discussed as a subject within the football world, the sports world and much of the world in general.” Mold-breaking employees seem to be concentrated in certain organizations, such as the Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who will face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Sunday. The Bucs will have two female coaches on the field—Lori Locust, a defensive line assistant, and Maral Javadifar, an assistant strength and conditioning coach—just a year after the San Francisco 49ers’ Katie Sowers became the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl. Also on Sunday, Sarah Thomas will become the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl game. Buccaneers Coach Bruce Arians, who made history by hiring Welter as an intern for the Arizona Cardinals in 2015, also has the only staff in the N.F.L. on which the offensive and defensive coordinators are both Black.
is really going to excite me is when this is
no longer aberrational or when this is no longer
”
something that’s noteworthy
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HOOPS VOLUME 001
“ hopefully
the teams , like tampa bay , have set the ex ample
to start to look at candidates regarldess of gender or colour and really start to broaden their talent pool ”
29
April 2021
Meet Trailblazers Maral Javadifar and Lori Locust, the First Female Coaches to Win a Super Bowl By Jenna Laine With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar have become the first female assistant coaches to win a Super Bowl. This week they became the first pair of female coaches on a single team to coach in the Super Bowl, while referee Sarah Thomas became the first official to work a Super Bowl. Thomas became the first woman to referee full-time in the N.F.L. in 2015 and first officiated a playoff game in 2019. She was profiled by The New York Times in 2009, when Thomas was major college football’s only female referee. Last year, Katie Sowers became the first female coach to coach in the Super Bowl, when the San Francisco 49ers lost to the Chiefs 31–20. Locust, who took up semiprofessional football at age 40 and most recently coached in the AAF and was an intern with the Baltimore Ravens under renowned defensive line coach Joe Cullen, was hired last offseason as the Bucs’ assistant defensive line coach. Javadifar, a former college basketball player at Pace with a doctorate in physical therapy, was hired as the Bucs’ assistant strength and conditioning coach/physical therapist. Arians hopes this will lead to more opportunities for teams to hire deserving female coaches. “It’s awesome,” Arians told ESPN. “I hope it breaks down more doors.” “Hopefully the teams, like Tampa Bay, have set the example to start to look at candidates regardless of gender or colour and really start to broaden their talent pool,” Locust said earlier this week. Arians has also been a champion of racial diversity. All three coordinators—offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and special-teams coordinator Keith Armstrong are Black coaches, as is run game coordinator/assistant head coach Harold Goodwin.
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Self-isolating? Here are Five Lockdown Exercises to Keep you fit, Focused and Sane By Christel Saneh
It’s 2021, so if you have internet access, you have an entire world of free online workouts, many of which require nothing more than a small amount of space. Youtube has a video for every exercise niche—but the sheer choice can be a little overwhelming. So to start fairly simply: the NHS here in England has a really good site with 24 videos, from 10-45 minutes a piece. If you find something you really like then you can explore that in more detail, using the countless apps and subscription sites—or even face-to-face ones with an instructor over FaceTime or Skype. But really, you don’t even need that. You’ve got your own gym at home already. Looking sceptically around you? No, honestly, you really do! Do you have a step or stair? A suitcase or holdall? Some books? Any bags of sugar or flour? If you are lucky, perhaps an old skipping rope lying around somewhere? Just a few of these, and you have a home gym. Here’s a short suggested selection of exercises you can do with stuff you have lying around anyway (or using nothing at all). But there’s plenty more that you can do with nothing more than your own bodyweight and 20 minutes. So do yourself a favour: take that 20 minutes, close down the alarming news, step away from social media, and try and raise some endorphins. SIMPLE HOME WORK OUT EXERCISES Planks First of all, clear a little space—push back chairs or tuck away things from the hallway. If you have a yoga mat, set that up somewhere. It’s not essential, if you have carpet you don’t need anything, if it’s a hard floor maybe put a towel or two down just to protect your arms. Get into position: lie on your front with your forearms on the floor (parallel to each other), toes tucked under, then push up your bodyweight so you are resting on your forearms and your feet. Keep your body in a straight line—brace your core muscles, don’t sag in the middle. Hold! Work up to holding 1 minute. If you’ve never done it before, have a google of “plank daily challenge” and follow that—in days you’ll move from 10 seconds to 60, and possibly well beyond. If you’ve already a regular planker (which sounds, to my English ear, horribly close to an insult, sorry) then try variations like side planks or harder adaptions. Check online videos for correct form but also always remember my own personal plank rule 1: while planking you must spend the time thinking about the fact that the world record for a plank is 8 hours and 15 minutes. It’s strangely cheering, mainly because no one is making you do it. Farmer carry Just when you thought holidays were a dream, it’s time to fill your suitcase! Use books, tins, old CDs—whatever you’ve got. Squat slightly to pick it up (don’t bend over) and make sure you brace through your core and then walk, keeping nice and even and straight backed. Of course, you can do this with one “weight” in each hand but that might be tricky to balance properly at home—unless of course you happen 31
to have two sacks of rice lying around. Again there are some good online videos and explainers by better qualified people than me, but please do start light and gradually add weight if it’s too easy, rather than the other way round. Ideally, you will work up to using an amount of weight you couldn’t carry more than a couple of hundred metres max. Step-ups Things you can use for this: a step, a low bench, a toddler’s chair—anything that won’t move and can comfortably take your weight. Stand in front, step up with one foot, bring the other up stand up on the step. Step backwards using the same leg. Repeat on the other side. So basically it’s a constant up-and-down but each time you are alternating your ‘lead’ foot. Try to keep your back nice and straight again and your core braced. Do as many reps as you can until you feel like your form is starting to go a bit. Maybe keep a count of how many that is, and aim for a few more next time. Free Weights Time to unpack again! Get some of those tins or bags out of the suitcase and use them as weights. There’s almost an endless list of exercises you can, from simple bicep curls to deadlifts—but there’s also a really good BBC workout set here using only cans. You can also use them when you get super good at planks. Skipping Skipping with a rope is a truly fantastic cardio exercise, challenging a lot of muscle groups and working your hand/eye coordination and timing into the bargain. Of course you do need a bit more space for this but if you can, it’s a brilliant way to get the heart rate up and fantastic particularly for runners who can’t get out. Only the truly hardcore could probably manage to skip for any serious length of time but mix in repetitions of, for example, a minute of skipping then working through the other exercises above—then repeat times . Or just see how many skips you can do before you snag yourself with the rope, then try and beat that each time.
April 2021
BREATH IN, BREATHE OUT. YOU CAN DO THIS.
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DAVID VS. GOLIATH
NEVER GIVE UP
CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO
HOOPS www.hoops.com