… “It’s now three years longer than any other league has lasted, but there is no divine right to exist,” former United States Soccer president Sunil Gulati told The Post recently. “It needs support, it needs strong owners, it needs players who are committed. And we’re not at the level we want to be in terms of player compensation, in terms of standards, any of those things.
“But it’s gotten better every year, and many people would say it’s already the best league in the world.”
A watershed deal last year between US Soccer and the women’s national team strengthened that foundation. Ending a public dispute that took off in March 2016, when a group of players filed a wage discrimination complaint, the two sides struck a collective bargaining agreement the following April that, among other terms, committed more dollars to national team players’ salaries and more resources to improving playing and living standards. It runs through 2021.
For the past 24 hours my inbox has been full of abusive messages from online trolls. Their messages range from just plain offensive to the genuinely frightening. The reason? Six-year-old photographs of me in a bikini have ended up all over the internet and in several national newspapers. To explain how this happened in a concise and logical way is pretty difficult because fair logic doesn’t apply here.
To try to explain: I was asked to comment on a recent rule change in pro surfing that prohibits photographers from gratuitously zooming in on female competitors wearing bikinis. As a former competitor I was happy to comment on this, having experience of being zoomed in on many times. I referred this news group to a blog post I’d written on the subject, where I discussed the hyper-sexualisation of women in the media, the objectification I have experienced and the importance of overcoming this unconscious bias to move away from a potentially damaging archetype of female surfers. I also discussed the fact that female cold water surfers are not being represented by many surfing media outlets.
Katie Ledecky, the five-time gold medalist, 14-time world champion and the most marketable swimmer in America not named Michael Phelps, turned professional on Monday.
In doing so she will be allowed to tap into considerable endorsement and sponsorship opportunities. In the build-up to the 2020 Olympics, that could mean millions.
It was done, however, begrudgingly because she can no longer compete for Stanford. The 21-year-old just completed her sophomore season, winning two individual NCAA titles, one relay title and helping the Cardinal to consecutive team championships.
The purpose of this study was to investigate anthropometrics, body composition, aerobic and anaerobic fitness of collegiate Division II female soccer players throughout a calendar year. Eighteen (20 ± 0.9y) NCAA division II female soccer players from the same team participated in the study. Anthropometrics and body composition variables were assessed in addition to the Counter Movement Jump (CMJ), Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAT), and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak). Data were collected over five time points: end of competitive seasons (ECS1 and ECS2), beginning of off-season (BOS), end of off-season (EOS), and pre-season (PS). Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to compare test scores among all five data collection points. Where appropriate, Bonferroni post-hoc tests were used to determine which points were significantly different. Hip circumference (HC) decreased significantly (p < 0.001) from EOS (98.47 ± 6.5 cm) to PS (94.46 ± 6.8 cm). Fat mass (FM) (12.73 ± 5.4 kg) was significantly different in ECS2 compared to BOS and EOS means (p ≤ 0.05) and percentage of body fat (%BF) (20.08 ± 5.44) significantly different in ECS2 compared to ECS1, BOS, and EOS means (p ≤ 0.05), while fat-free mass (FFM) was maintained from ECS1 to ECS2. CMJ, WAT, and VO2peak performance did not significantly change from ECS1 to ECS2. Anthropometrics and body composition results are similar to previous studies measuring Division II to professional female soccer players. CMJ results remained consistent and are comparable to results on Division I female soccer players. Coaches and researchers can use these data to help design and evaluate training programs throughout a calendar year.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of match-factors on the match-running of elite female soccer players. Players from the same women’s national team (n = 45) were monitored during 47 international fixtures (files = 606) across four years (2012-2015) using 10-Hz global positioning system devices. A mixed model was used to analyse the effects of altitude, temperature, match-outcome, opposition ranking and congested schedules. At altitude (>500 m) a small increase in the number of accelerations (ES = 0.40) and a small decrease in total distance (ES = -0.54) was observed, whereas at higher temperatures there were decreases in all metrics (ES = -0.83 to -0.16). Playing a lower-ranked team in a draw resulted in a moderate increase in high-speed running (ES = 0.89), with small to moderate decreases in total distance and low-speed running noted in a loss or a win. Winning against higher-ranked opponents indicated moderately higher total distance and low-speed running (ES = 0.75), compared to a draw. Whilst the number of accelerations were higher in a draw against lower-ranked opponents, compared to a win and a loss (ES = 0.95 and 0.89 respectively). Practitioners should consider the effect of match-factors on match-running in elite female soccer.
This study aimed to determine the suitability of the load-velocity relationship to prescribe the relative load (%1RM) in women, as well as to compare the load-velocity profile between sexes and participants with different strength levels. The load-velocity relationship of 14 men (1RM: 1.17 ± 0.19) and 14 women (1RM: 0.66 ± 0.13) were evaluated in the bench press exercise. The main findings revealed that: (I) the load-velocity relationship was always strong and linear (R2 range: 0.987-0.993), (II) a steeper load-velocity profile was observed in men compared to women (Effect size [ES]: 1.09), with men showing higher velocities for light loads (ES: – 0.81 and – 0.40 for the y-intercept and 30%1RM, respectively), but women reporting higher velocities for the heavy loads (ES: 1.14 and 1.50 at 90%1RM and 100%1RM, respectively); and (III) while the slope of the load-velocity profile was moderately steeper for weak men compared to their strong counterpart (ES: 1.02), small differences were observed between strong and weak women (ES: – 0.39). While these results support the use of the individual load-velocity relationship to prescribe the %1RM in the bench press exercise for women, they also highlight the large disparities in their load-velocity profile compared to men.
Samford University’s women’s soccer team had a problem. Despite impressive wins and multiple Southern Conference championships, the athletes were suffering tears to their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at higher rates than other athletic teams at Samford, particularly in non-contact situations.
“We didn’t have our heads in the sand about the ACL trend in women’s soccer,” the team’s head trainer, Brandon Evans, told WBRC. “We really want to do as much as we can to prevent the injuries and keep them on the field.”
Objective To estimate the incidence proportion (IP) and incidence rate (IR) for ACL injury in athletes.
Design Systematic review with meta-analysis
Data sources The PubMed, CINAHL and SPORTDiscus electronic databases were searched from inception to 20 January 2017.
Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Studies were included if they reported total number of participants/population by sex, total number of ACL injuries by sex and total person-time by sex.
Results Fifty-eight studies were included. The IP and IR of ACL injury in female athletes were 3.5% (1 out of every 29 athletes) and 1.5/10 000 athlete-exposures over a period of 1 season-25 years. The IP and IR of ACL injury in male athletes were 2.0% (1 out of every 50 athletes) and 0.9/10 000 athlete-exposures over a period of 1–25 years. Female athletes had a higher relative risk (RR) for ACL injury compared with males (RR=1.5; 95% CI 1.2 to 1.9; P<0.01) and a higher incidence rate ratio (IRR) of ACL injury compared with males over 1 season–25 years (IRR=1.7; 95% CI 1.4 to 2.2; P<0.010). When accounting for participation level, the disparity in the IR between female and male athletes was highest for amateur athletes compared with intermediate and elite athletes (IRR=2.1; 95% CI 1.3 to 3.4; P<0.01; I²=82%). Amateur female athletes remained at higher risk of ACL injury than did with amateur male athletes. In studies where follow-up length was <1 year, female athletes had a higher IR of ACL injury than did to males (IRR=1.7; 95% CI 1.3 to 2.2; P<0.01). Where follow-up was 1 year and beyond, there was no sex difference in the IR of ACL injury (IRR=2.1; 95% CI 0.9 to 4.8; P=0.06; I²=65%).
Summary/conclusions One in 29 female athletes and 1 in 50 male athletes ruptured their ACL in a window that spanned from 1season to 25 years. The IR of ACL injury among female athletes in a season was 1.7 times higher than the IR of ACL injury among male athletes and the IP of ACL injury among female athletes was 1.5 times higher than the IP of ACL injury among male athletes. The reported sex disparity in ACL injury rates is independent of participation level and length of follow-up.
Injuries are an inevitable part of competitive sports as well a recreational activities. Research shows that one of the most common musculoskeletal complaints that accounts for approximately 48 out of 1,000 patients are knee related injuries.1 As noted, approximately nine percent of these knee complaints are related to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.2, 3 The ACL is commonly injured in contact sports via a non-contact action such as planting, cutting, landing on a hyperextended knee, or pivoting and sudden deceleration.4 Typically, athletes report feeling immediate pain, hearing a pop and resulting in progressive knee swelling; as well as difficulty ambulating. The ACL is one of the major ligaments that provides stability to the knee joint by preventing anterior translation of the femur in the closed kinetic chain.5 Therefore, most of the time, a ruptured ACL results in reconstructive surgery aimed at repairing the ligament. Athletes will often choose reconstructive surgery in efforts to return to physical activity. A major outcome measure that assesses the success of an ACL reconstructive surgery is the ability to return to sports or recreational activity.6 While surgery is effective at repairing the ruptured ligament and restoring ligamentous function, for the most part, the percentage of athletes that return to a competitive level of physical activity is only 44%.4 Of these 44% that report not returning to pre-injury activity, 24% report that the main factors preventing their return is fear or reinjury and pain.4, 7 The inability to return to previous level of activity can be stressful and mentally frustrating for athletes. Taking into consideration how the psychological aspects of the injury affect an athlete’s sports performance, it is crucial to address psychological factors during physical rehabilitation for an athlete to rebuild confidence and overcome fear of reinjury. Currently, most physiotherapy and rehabilitation research has primarily focused on the physical treatment without focus on the psychological aspects of recovery following an injury.5, 7 The use of imagery as a psychological interventions has been suggested to be effective at reducing anxiety, tension and pain while promoting and encouraging healing after an injury. Imagery is defined as a process of performing a skill in one’s mind using the senses (touch, feel, smell, vision, etc.,) without any overt actions.8 Incorporating a therapeutic intervention that targets the psychological effects on an athletes’ ability to return to sport is necessary to assure that the patient is both physically and mentally prepared to return to activity. Therefore, the purpose of the critically appraised topic (CAT) was to determine if imagery training in combination with standard physical therapy is a suitable option to reduce the fear of reinjury and pain perception among first time ACL reconstruction patients.
Who are the most powerful women in U.S. sports? In an industry that for decades has been dominated on the field and in the boardroom by men, a select group of women have made tremendous progress in not only breaking through the proverbial glass ceiling but shattering it altogether.
Atop that list is Michele Roberts, executive director of the National Basketball Players Association. As the first woman to lead a major professional sports union in North America, the 62-year-old Roberts, a UC Berkeley Law graduate and former trial lawyer for Skadden Arps, now plays a pivotal role in representing the interests of some 350 NBA players and more than $3 billion in league salary distributions.
I watch more men’s sports than women’s, because my job revolves around contributing to the national conversation in this space. And the national conversation centers on men, unless something in the women’s arena temporarily shifts the focus. Men dominate the sports media landscape, too, as Berri pointed out. There aren’t many female editors and writers; look at these stats he includes about the demographics of the sports media industry:
Approximately 90 percent of sports editors are male.
It is estimated that only about 10 percent of sports coverage is created by women.
Although 40 percent of athletes are women, women’s sports receive only about 4 percent of sports coverage.
Major sites are more likely to cover animals than women’s sports.
The Harvard Sports Analysis Collective, Chase Aldridge from
When people think of March Madness, they often focus on the men’s tournament because of its history of Cinderella’s making deep runs into the tournament (ie. Loyola-Chicago this year). There seems to always be an unpredictable upset every year. This year, the men’s tournament’s first round saw UMBC defeat Virginia, only the second time in tournament history that a 16 has defeated a 1 seed. The first time occurred when Harvard defeated Stanford 20 years ago in the women’s bracket. Despite this unlikely upset, the women’s bracket has become known for its lack of randomness. For example, in 1999, the top 16 seeds made it to the Sweet 16. In addition, only 2 number 1 seeds have been eliminated before the Sweet 16 since Harvard knocked off Stanford.
Recently, Fivethirtyeight wrote an article suggesting that the other teams are catching up to UConn; however, this focused on other top teams like Baylor. In this year’s tournament, both Buffalo and Central Michigan have made the Sweet 16. This is the first time that 2 double digit seeded mid-majors have made the Sweet 16 this century since 1996. Thus, I was curious to see if the women’s half of the bracket has actually become more prone to upsets.
When asked to draw a scientist, school-age kids in the United States are increasingly sketching women. That’s the main conclusion of a new study that compiled information about 20,860 pictures drawn by students age 5 to 18 over 5 decades.
In the 1960s and 1970s, less than 1% of students depicted scientists as female. But the percentage of women in the “draw a scientist” sketches—like the one pictured, drawn by a third grade girl in San Antonio, Texas—has increased over time, reaching an estimated 34% by 2016. And the numbers are even more stark when looking at drawings penned by girls: About 1% drew women in the first 2 decades—but in the past decade more than half have drawn women, researchers report in Child Development.
Scientific American; Keith Payne, Laura Niemi, John M. Doris from
When is the last time a stereotype popped into your mind? If you are like most people, the authors included, it happens all the time. That doesn’t make you a racist, sexist, or whatever-ist. It just means your brain is working properly, noticing patterns, and making generalizations. But the same thought processes that make people smart can also make them biased. This tendency for stereotype-confirming thoughts to pass spontaneously through our minds is what psychologists call implicit bias. It sets people up to overgeneralize, sometimes leading to discrimination even when people feel they are being fair.
Studies of implicit bias have recently drawn ire from both right and left. For the right, talk of implicit bias is just another instance of progressives seeing injustice under every bush. For the left, implicit bias diverts attention from more damaging instances of explicitbigotry. Debates have become heated, and leapt from scientific journals to the popular press. Along the way, some important points have been lost. We highlight two misunderstandings that anyone who wants to understand implicit bias should know about.
How do college athletes, among Title IX’s principal beneficiaries, feel about sex equity in sports? A new study surveyed over 1600 current college athletes in the Big Ten Conference and found significant support for sex equitable treatment between women and men in college athletics, and a willingness among many athletes to mobilize politically when they observe discriminatory treatment. This research*, forthcoming at the peer-reviewed journal Political Research Quarterly, demonstrates that forty-five years after the passage of Title IX, college athletes – particularly women athletes, and men who perceive the persistence of sex discrimination in American society – remain aware of and politically engaged about the problems of enduring sex inequalities within college sports.
Researchers investigated three questions to audit opinion regarding equality concerns. They examined: 1) how current athletes believe resources and opportunities should be distributed across women’s and men’s teams, 2) how college athletes perceive the actual treatment of male versus female athletes in their own athletic departments, and 3) whether current athletes are likely to take action when they observe inequitable treatment.
To assess these issues, researchers investigated athlete opinion toward how athletic departments should treat women versus men on twenty-four different measures, from athletic scholarships, participation opportunities, coaching, recruiting, and more (full details regarding all survey questions can be found in the study appendix). Researchers then asked how survey respondents think women and men are actually treated on the same metrics. The twenty-four measures were selected because they include the methods used by the U.S. federal government to assess sex equity practices of athletic departments under both Title IX and the E