Most people think of sports as simply a form of entertainment and an escape from reality. What are we escaping keeping from when we watch sports? When do we look at the media coverage and the lack of coverage of women’s sports? We are escaping from the world in which women are equal to men. Female athletes face a lot of problems as compared to their male counterparts. When the media proclaimed the year as the year of women in sports, it sent the message to view words and to the audience that women’s sports are somehow special and out of the ordinary. it’s not a part of the everyday. We haven’t heard the news media proclaiming that it was the year of men in sports because it’s generally every year and it’s very common. The year of women in sports is also problematic because it lets the news media off the hook. It gives them a pass from engaging in a sustained and systematic coverage of women’s sports.
Another challenge that women athletes face is being paid half or less of what is given to their male counterparts. Female athletes are also objectified on the field as much as they are on the streets. They are looked at as commodities showcasing themselves for men’s pleasure, and not as entities of potential and talent. A female athlete has to also worry about their job security as it is thought that they can not work after being a mother or getting married. Some people also claim that women’s bodies are not built for sports and they aren’t into sports anyway. Menstruation can bring a lot of side effects such as fatigue, nausea, pain etcetera. Women athletes fight against all odds to showcase their best. In India, women are not allowed to or not given the correct resources to build a career in sports. Women all over the world are fighting all the obstacles to be in the position they are today.