Abstract des Autors

The objective is to illustrate discriminatory practices towards professional female sports in America by describing and comparing historical and current attitudes and the effect they have had on the growth of female professional sports. The research methods will include an analysis of literature. The results and conclusions will show that throughout history professional sports in America have been dominated by men. While legislators have amended laws insuring women's equal rights in educational institutions, female professional sports have been largely confined to golf and tennis. Professional women's sports teams have been established, but widespread support from the media has not been evident. Thus, female professional team sports are essentially nonexistent compared with men's professional team sports. Three American women in history who helped promote the image of female athletes and contributed significantly towards the recognition of women in sport were Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias, Althea Gibson, and Billie Jean King. "Babe" Didrikson was among the first well-known professional women golfers. Althea Gibson was the first black female tennis player to win the championship at Wimbledon. Billie Jean King competed against, and beat, a former professional champion male tennis player. She was instrumental in the passage of Federal Law, Title IX. There are cultural, economic, and social attitudes which must be addressed as to why female professional sports have not grown on a recognizable, national level, except in tennis and golf. Title IX has not affected womens's professional sports. The question must be raised as to how, and how much, female professional sports need to be promoted. Verf.-Referat