THE BEAR Vol. 41, Issue 1, October 2019
FACTS
Ursuline Academy of Dallas
theuabearfacts.com
Can Female Athletes Be Simply the Greatest? By ELLIE SKELLY ‘21 The greatest of all time, a coveted phrase that all athletes yearn to gain. It inspires countless trips to the gym, the practice fields and the courts. It is the drive reflected in every athlete at every tournament, at every match and in every point. Yet, it seems being the greatest includes a conditional for women. “There is systematic sexism in sports that leads to unequal pay, which starts with how women are marketed by their own leagues,” reports the Guardian. This argument is one consistently reinforced and argued by female athletes. Despite the female competition, men are often called the greatest, not only by fans but also by the companies who decide to invest in sponsorships. When referring to men’s accomplishment in sports there is never is a conditional, no warning label. For women, their accomplishments are belittled in the form of small words put in to denote their sex, making it clear that she is not competing on the same level as a man. Four-time Olympic medalist and 14-time World Champion Simone Biles at the 2018 World Gymnastics Championships in Doha, Qatar. Courtesy of Odyssey
Two-time Olympian Megan Rapinoe celebrates after the U.S. team defeats France during their 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup quarter final match in Paris. Courtesy of CNN
Serena Williams serves during the 2018 US Open. Courtesy of Yahoo
Lindsey Vonn, 4-time World Cup alpine ski champion, at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Courtesy of Time
World famous tennis player Serena Williams sees this frequently, with articles like one published on the ESPN website reading, “Is Serena Williams the Best Female Athlete Ever?” While seemingly harmless, is the denotation of female necessary? Even the phrasing as a question seems to cast doubt on Serena’s accomplishments. Williams has won 23 grand slams, the most won by any player in tennis history. She set a record for the most acres served in a tournament, 102. Williams holds the record for the most hardcourt grand slam titles. She is the only person to win three of the four grand slams six times. Williams is the third player to achieve a Career Grand Slam in singles and doubles after Margaret Court and Martina Navratilova (notably both women). She is the only player to hold all Grand Slam titles simultaneously. Williams is the first player to win over 80 matches at 3 of the 4 grand slam events. As of the 2017 Australian Open, she is the only player to win over 10 grand slam singles titles in two separate decades. Yet, Williams is still the greatest female player. Continued on pg. 12
U.S. figure skater Mirai Nagasu makes history in 2018 as the first American woman to land a triple axel in an Olympic competition. Courtesy of ABC News