Search Results for: women in sports

Green Dildos and Fragile Egos: Misogyny’s Latest Play in Women’s Sports

The latest headline to make me question reality: green dildos thrown on the court during WNBA games.

Yes, that happened. And no, it’s not harmless.

When they can’t match our talent, they reach for props. When they can’t silence us, they try to embarrass us.

In an era when women’s rights are being stripped away—when reproductive freedom, bodily autonomy and basic equality are under siege—this is not the moment to shrug off “pranks” aimed squarely at women. We are already fighting to keep our resilience and focus intact. We cannot pretend that degrading women in the public eye—particularly women who have achieved power, visibility and influence—is just part of the game. It isn’t. It’s misogyny with a juvenile laugh track.

We Heart: Nike Champions Women’s Sports in First Super Bowl Ad in 27 Years

In the middle of the Eagles vs. Chiefs Super Bowl game, Nike’s “So Win” ad encouraged women to take control not just on the playing field but in the narratives that surround women in traditionally male-dominated fields, such as sports.

A voiceover from Grammy-winning rapper Doechii echoes frequent limitations leveled at women in sports and in life (“You can’t be demanding,” “You can’t dominate,” “You can’t be emotional”) before urging women, “Whatever you do, you can’t win … So win.”

Transphobia in Women’s Sports Is Dangerous for All Women

Olympic athlete and women’s boxing gold medalist Imane Khelif recently became a target for anti-trans activists and know-it-all couch potatoes. They decided Khelif was a man based on her perceived appearance and strength, rather than actual facts. So hyped are the anti-trans police that any woman who doesn’t seem to conform to gender norms is suspect and fair game, particularly if she’s public and successful. This is dangerous for all women, no matter their gender identity, and especially women of color.

If we accept transphobes’ arguments against all trans women in all sports, we inevitably accept a set of assumptions that harm women, trans and cis alike.

Women’s Sports Are an Economic Force

Female athletes are making an impact on the court and, with the right opportunities, can make a significant economic impact off the court too. 

Sports fans of all ages are on to something big. The media can no longer bury the lead. Women excel in sports. Now companies and their brands need to see the writing—and the opportunities—on the sports page.

Keeping Score: Montana Judge Rules Climate Change Denial Harms Young People; S.C. Court Upholds Near-Total Abortion Ban; Interest in Women’s Sports Sets New World Record

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: At least 20 states have enacted some kind of ban on transgender care for minors; appeals judge tries to overturn FDA approval of mifepristone; Democrats urge Biden to further pursue student loan forgiveness; three Black residents killed in Jacksonville by white supremacist; educators sue Idaho for banning discussion of abortion in class; FDA approves RSV vaccine for pregnant patients; Montana judge ruled in favor of young environmentalists; South Carolina Supreme Court reinstitutes abortion ban; “when we allow efforts to fight racism to be framed as racism itself, loss of life is not far behind”; and more.

Male Sports Commentators Should Shut Up and Let Women Athletes Play—Starting With Angel Reese

The NCAA women’s March Madness tournament just broke all records for attendance and TV viewership. But what pundits and fans have been talking about is LSU forward Angel Reese’s giving Iowa’s sharp-shooting National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark hell with a couple of hand gestures.

Still, Reese has everyone talking, doesn’t she? Is that really a bad thing for women’s basketball?

Sports Ethic Drives Women Athletes in Congress, Too: Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation

Sports Ethic Drives Women Athletes in Congress, Too: Weekend Reading on Women's Representation

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation.

This week: examining the depth of the $648 billion (and growing!) untapped opportunity in the care market; electing more women to office also correlates to greater overall happiness; the many women winners in New York’s ranked-choice voting primary; D.C. pushes for ranked-choice voting; women who serve in Congress who were/are athletes; the barriers women face as athletes and the over-representation of men on the International Olympic Committee; women hold 63 percent of seats in Spain’s Cabinet; and more.