Sexism in sports is evident in how female and male athletes are treated when they achieve the same or a similar amount of accomplishments in their sports. Simone Biles, one of the most awarded gymnasts in history, and Tom Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, give a great example of how gender affects public perception and treatment.
Tom Brady’s longevity and dominance in the NFL have been widely praised, along with his 7 Super Bowl wins. He is often applauded for his discipline and strategic mind. He has implemented rules to protect quarterbacks, which can help extend the careers of players. His continued success is often attributed to his intelligence and skill rather than just his physical ability. Throughout his career, he prioritized his mental and physical health and took breaks so that he can focus on longevity.
Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast, including men and women, with a total of 30 medals. She is praised for her power, athleticism, and skills and at the same time faced criticism that Brady never had to deal with. In the media, there are underlying sexist expectations that women in sports should be humble, grateful, and unproblematic. When she confidently acknowledges her own greatness, she gets labeled as "arrogant"—a label rarely attached to Brady who would often do the same.
In the Gymnastics world, instead of adjusting rules to recognize her groundbreaking skills, judges have downgraded her routines to discourage others from attempting them. Instead of rewarding her with her innovation, the sport has penalized her for being “too good” and “always winning.”
When Biles withdrew from events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to mental health concerns, she was accused of being "weak" and "selfish" and attacked for not pushing through. Instead of being recognized for prioritizing her health - like when Brady would take breaks to focus on longevity, she was scrutinized.
Fortunately, the rise of feminist voices on X, Instagram, and TikTok has made it easier to call out sexism in real-time. When Biles faced backlash for not participating in the Olympics, feminist activists and everyday people were able to conquer the negative narratives by pointing out how male athletes have been praised for taking care of their bodies and longevity in their sport. Hashtags like #SimoneBilesIsTheGOAT and #MentalHealthMatters trended, reframing the conversation and challenging those who tried to label her as weak.
Both Biles and Brady have achieved historic success, yet their different treatment reveals deeply rooted gender biases. While Brady’s success is celebrated as a testament to his greatness, Biles is often scrutinized and held to impossible standards, and even penalized for excelling too much.
This type of treatment can be seen in the NBA and WNBA. Same sport, but completely different treatment. After all of this reflection between Tom Brady and Simone Biles, what do you think is the reason behind why NBA players get paid millions per year while WNBA players barely get paid $150,000?
I think this post is interesting, not just when considering the double standard with showing emotion for male and female athletes, but male and female everything else. I've always considered my mom to be my hero, and I always remember growing up how differently she was treated when she would get emotional about something as opposed to some of her male coworkers.
ReplyDeleteWhile I've always leaned more towards athletes who try and stay humble despite their status (Tim Duncan was my favorite NBA player growing up), I also don't see the issue with being a little arrogant when you are the best at what you do, which both Brady and Biles are.
Again, I would say that the biggest difference here is how the public has always viewed women versus men from an emotional standpoint. Serena Williams is the most decorated female tennis player of all time, yet people will often tell her to 'simmer down' when she labels herself the GOAT.
As far as your question regarding the NBA versus the WNBA, the short answer is that the WNBA generates far less revenue than the NBA does. However, the percentage of revenue for the women's players is far less than the men's players, which is something that the league has pushed towards fixing for a very long time.