Pushing advocacy for female health in athletics

STORY ELLIE NAKAMURA ILLUSTRATION ELLIE NAKAMURA

Prominent athletes prioritizing their mental wellbeing has brought new emphasis on personal health in the sports industry. Despite unprecedented success among both men and women, we often only see men’s accomplishments recognized in the news. The glaring disparity in female-to-male based research comes at the price of women’s health, revealing a dangerous flaw in the implementation of athletic routines. It is long overdue for female athletes to receive proper support specific to their health needs, separate from their male counterparts. Women are more likely to develop injury, disordered eating, and mental health issues, resulting in a drop in performance. These issues are manifested in the form of RED-S, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports. The main symptoms of RED-S are extreme weight loss, irregular to no periods, and stress fractures. What was once a passion can easily become a health hazard; female athletes are illequipped to identify toxic behavior.

In South Pasadena, coaches are beginning to address these issues. Michael Parkinson, a coach for cross country and track, thinks coaches and athletes have an important role to play.

“[Students should begin by] reading about it,” Coach Parkinson said.” It comes down to fueling enough, eating enough to have the energy necessary for our sport. That’s true for girls and boys, so we need to bring more awareness to that topic.”

Biomedical research is primarily based on men’s physiology because of the complicating effect women’s hormones may have on study results. This means treatments are based on male subjects, which can be detrimental when applied to women’s health. Coaches fail to acknowledge health issues commonly faced by women, meaning a disproportionate amount of female athletes are treated incorrectly and miss more time due to injury.

With little to no awareness or access to resources to support their own health needs, females experience immense pressure to perform. Many become hyperaware of their bodies, specifically body weight, in comparison to other athletes. The belief that relative thinness equates to superior athleticism in sports like basketball, tennis, and running can lead young women down the path to disordered eating, which includes skipping meals, extreme dieting, and restrictive eating.

The reality is that, while body composition can contribute to athleticism, it is not the only factor in determining success. Conditions like amenorrhea can be developed due to hormonal imbalances, low body fat, and stress. Long term, having these conditions can lead to osteoporosis and problems with growth and development.

Along with physical pressure, women face stigma around their identity. Male athletes are recognized for their athleticism and strength. Rather than emphasizing their athletic achievements, meager coverage on female athletes focuses on traditional feminine values like appearance. This objectifies women to illegitimize their athleticism and appeal to a male audience.

In comparison to their male counterparts, female athletes get less recognition and pay under the belief that women’s sports are easier. With less representation, young girls in sports face a fear of being judged and low self-esteem especially regarding body image.

Many women struggle to initiate conversation regarding their menstrual health and other health issues due to embarrassment or fear that coaches will fail to understand.

“I would like to see more open dialogue between players and coaches about mental health, stress both unrelated and related to school, and physical stress, in order to hopefully create an understanding for the coaches about what their players experience but might not have an easy time expressing,” an anonymous girls’ basketball player said.

Ultimately, a better way to reduce inequality in sports is to require female athletes and their coaches to be educated on their health needs, similar to the concussion presentation all are required to attend. Women need to be included in important conversations regarding training and health. Continuing to raise awareness on women’s health needs will allow new generations of female athletes to train in a safe and healthy environment.