Before the establishment of multi-gendered participation in sports, the sports industry was a strictly male dominated domain that prohibited any female concurrence without consequences. This action is called sexism which is defined as "prejudice and discrimination based on a persons gender or institutional”. Sexism often occurs within sports that contains different genders within separate leagues. Such sexism is capable of causing depression, anxiety, binging, purging, and anorexia.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) was created on August 3, 1949 after the merging of the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League. Through this existence of this league the usual salary of an athlete is $5.5 million a year. Along with such a high paying annual salary, male athletes don’t appear to be often criticized based upon their weight or appearance. They are often acknowledge for their great ability presented on the basketball court. On the other hand, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) was not founded until April 24, 1996, by the National Basketball League. The average female athlete’s salary is $105,000 a year. Although the existence of a professional women’s league is considered progress and a promotion of egalitarianism within the sports industry, this pay disparity between athletes of the National Basketball Association and the Women’s National Basketball Association has become quite controversial for it is often argued if this sexism shall be tolerated. After several interviews held by sport commentators, that female athletes are often sexualized and acknowledged based upon their physical attributes while male athletes are often acknowledged by their performance within the profession they pursue. Female athletes are forced to encounter sexism from sport broadcasters, commentators, sport sponsors, and even the general society. Sexism is capable of causing emotional repercussions. This digital forum will investigate sexism from the perspective of male and female leagues separately along with a perspective from different sponsors of male and female athletes. |