Football+for+girls?


 * Name: Brendan Ward **
 * Student Number: 7558074 **
 * Tutor: Colleen Niland **


 * Cultural Artefact **

 Lingerie Football League video: media type="youtube" key="4MSk9F7aRGI" width="425" height="350"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MSk9F7aRGI

 You Tube clip ‘2011 Lingerie Bowl Commercial - Lingerie Football League (LFL) “This clip promotes the Lingerie Football League (LFL) which is a competition made up of twelve teams from America and Canada. It is one of many forms of second tier gridiron competitions that exist in America in the shadow of the National Football League. However it is the premier competition for women who play the game. The idea was born at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2009 and has become a phenomenon ever since. The game is played between teams of seven and has the same padding worn by the NFL players. The major difference in the gear is the fact that while the women wear shoulder pads, helmets, elbow pads, knees pads etc, their uniforms consists of a matching bra and underwear set. This competition is a prime example of girls playing a sport that is conventionally associated with a male audience and is altered to appear more attractive to that demographic. Poor body image is a well publicized issue facing females of all generations. Many females would benefit physically & mentally from greater participation in sport. However, instead of being presented with female athletes they can relate to & aspire to be like, they are confronted with images of unrealistically scantily-clad women. The promotion and popularity of the Lingerie League reinforces the negative stereotype that female athletes have to be sexually appealing.
 * Public Health Issue: **

 **Literature Review **

A study by the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health (BCCEWH) (2000) was initiated to investigate the relationship between the health of women and girls and physical activity. The study was initiated after it was concluded that evidence was increasing showing that physical activity and recreational sport have positive effects on participant’s lifestyles. This fact was also supported by a United Nations report written by Dr Carole Oglesby (2007) outlining the benefits of physical activity for women. These participants ranged from perfectly healthy women, women who are coping with many varieties of illnesses such as osteoporosis and heart disease. This study included a wide variety of women who came from different socio-economic statuses, health standards and socio-cultural to incorporate the diversity to legitimize the study being conducted. The study conducted by BCCEWH found that there were nine specific health concerns that were associated with a lack of physical activity. They were listed as following; 1. Psychosocial health and well-being (including stress, anxiety, depression, premenstrual syndrome, self-efficacy, mood state, cognitive functioning, well-being and quality of life) 2. Body image and self-esteem,3. Eating disorders, 4.smoking cessation and drug rehabilitation,5. Cardiovascular disease and hypertension, 6. Osteoporosis, 7. Estrogen-related cancers, 8. Menopausal symptoms, 9. Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

 As Oglesby (2007) found in her UN report there is one major policy currently in place to protect women’s rights on sports field which is called the “Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport” The Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport (1994) specifically request that there is equality in all sporting cultures. Secondly to build adequate sporting facilities that satisfies the requirements of women. Thirdly it requires a rise in the number of women who hold power in the sporting world such as coaches, administrators and advisers within the games. Fourthly it requires adequate training education and training programs that concentrate on gender equality. Finally the policy states the requirement of resources for female athletes and their respective sporting programs. Policies such as these therefore make playing sport and being physically active women are now able to have access to the appropriate condition in which they haven’t been able to achieve previously.

 **Barriers to participation **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">There are multiple minor barriers that women encounter when trying accomplish certain goals they have set in regard to physical activity. However there are two barriers that are most likely to be encountered and pose the biggest problems to women participating in physical activity or competitive sport.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> The first barrier is the resource barrier which is linked related to finances and time of sporting organisations and of independent women. According to UK Physical and Health Alliance (2009) “women tend to have less leisure time than men as they take on the greater burden of responsibility for housework, childcare and care of elderly or infirm relatives”. As a result of this barrier many women are reluctant to sign up for anything over an extended period of time, believing it would be selfish to do so.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> The second barrier is the interpersonal barrier as women also identified lack of self confidence to participant in sport which can be connected to concerns over a woman’s sexual identity. According to Dr Kerry Flanagan of the University of California-Berkeley, “society at large tends to discourage girls and women from pursuing traditionally "masculine" activities such as contact sports and team sports for fear of being labelled a homosexual(Flanagan, 2008). This reinforces how many women feel if they play certain sports where their body image will be discriminated. Regardless if a woman is a heterosexual, females will still be hesitant about playing a particular sport and they will generally decline to play in fear of being branded as a homosexual.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> In the past three decades world sport has become more diversified. In this regard gender equality in sport has been improved tremendously. However according to Australian Women sport and Recreation Association girls’ and women’s sport institutes are still generally under-funded, and women still too often have to fight for full and equal access as opposed to men (AWRA, 2009). Since there is a lack of resources for women’s sport training, it leads to the shortage of professional women sportsmen. Therefore, it has led to a lacking of resource in order to provide a professional performance leads to a less opportunity for women sports appear on commercial TV. In order for participation levels in women sports to increase, women need to see realistic role models. Men’s sports have developed around an appreciation of commercial practices such as audience-building, news and highlights shows, commercial sponsorship deals and relationships with sporting corporations. Unfortunately women’s sport has not undergone such development. The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) (1997) reported that in 1996 that only two percent of all televised sport was women’s sport, which is not sufficient to expand this issue. However a government report shows that of women’s sport had a meagre total of 9% of air time in television news and a current affair programs. A more recent report by the ASC (2010) conducted in 2009 stated that women in sport made up only 7% of all other sport programming in Australia during the year of 2009. As a result of this lack of awareness women’s sport continues to struggle to gain the media attention it needs to flourish Administrators of women’s sports need to make their games more commercially viable if they are to gain support of TV networks. Unless authorities adapt in the way men’s sports have, women will be increasingly confronted with coverage of unrealistic body images, such as those in the LFL or beach volleyball. These female sports have shown the ability to draw viewers’ attention. According to PRWEB’s Kathy Merrill, (2009) in 2008 the LFL drew 52 million viewers away from the Super Bowl half-time spectacular. Similarly, women’s beach volleyball attracted a large Australian audience during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The Sydney Morning Herald’s Phillip Derriman (2008) reported that it was the fifth highest ranking sport, bringing in more viewers than cycling, hockey, or basketball. Derriman (2008) also alluded to a survey conducted by Sweeny Sports also found that the viewing audience was dominated by men aged 50+ over, than the female demographic aged 16-29 that had most in common with the female players.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Social and Cultural Analysis **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> There are many advantages to being physically active or by playing sport such the main example being increased life expectancy. However a lack of Physical activity can lead to several health concerns. As the ABS (2006) states “Physical inactivity can result in adverse health outcomes and greater health care costs. Being physically active is of clear benefit in six of the seven current Australian national health priorities - arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions; cancer control; cardiovascular health; diabetes; injury prevention and control; and mental health”. The ailments listed are a major reason why it is a necessity for females of any age need to be suitably physically active in order to combat such health issues. There are certain constitutions that are in place to help protect the rights of female athletes regardless of standard of competition in a sporting arena. The prime example of this is the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport which aims to develop a sporting culture that values the efforts and input of female athletes. However there are still barriers that exist despite such policies already existing. With many female athletes able to substitute into modelling and photo shoots magnifying the sex appeal of that particular athlete to gain media attention. As a result of this media coverage is increased however, these activities encourage the use of female athlete as sexual enticements in order to attract bigger audience particularly the male contingent of society. This is where media bias plays a major role in the profiling of particular women’s sports which highlights the inequality sportswomen face. There has been improvement in media awareness however as the government recognised that the profiles of women’s sport needed to grow and a direct solution was to provide funds to particular sports in order to build awareness. This resulted in $32 million over 4 years to the Football Federation Australia, which includes supporting a televised Westfield Women’s League (AUSSPORT, 2010). The other major boost was for netball which received $2.4 million to support the Trans-Tasman netball competition, including funding to support and promote free-to-air television coverage of the ANZ Netball Championships (AUSSPORT, 2010).

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Analysis of Artefact ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">This particular topic that has been analysed is represented well by the chosen artefact. The artefact depicts girls as a sexual commodity when playing sport at a semi-professional level. Sport has generally been regarded as a male domain with particular sports suited to males rather than females. One such sport is gridiron where audiences prefer to watch the recognised men’s gridiron competition, the National Football League (NFL) over watching the LFL. This is reinforced by the media coverage allocated to the male completion over the female competition. A prime example is the Super Bowl lead up week where there are allocated media days, which allows reporters to interview players and coaching staff of the teams playing in the Super Bowl. According to the Los Angeles Times’ Sam Farmer (2012) fans paid $25 to gain access to the stadium in which the media conducted interviews leading up to the Super Bowl. In comparison the Las Vegas Sun’s Robin Leach (2012) reported that the Lingerie Bowl has numerous glamour and red carpet events leading up during the Lingerie Bowl weekend. This brings attention to the sport however this attention is mainly focused on the glamour aspect of these events rather than the actual game that gets played. This further reinforces how sex appeal is cherished more in female athletes rather than the actual fixture that takes place. It also further reinforces that female athletes must be attractive if they are going to be watched and therefore turns a majority of women away from participating in sport. Overall this example shows how women’s sport can raise its profile however it is through the use of sex appeal to attract male audiences. The LFL is a sport that can successfully use this strategy to boost its growing profile in the US and now Australia. Australia is more open to the idea of having its own LFL according as reported by Doug Estwick of the Ipswich News. Estwick (2010) surveyed over 1200 people to gauge their views and over 78% were in favour of a competition being started within Queensland. According to the Daily Telegraph’s Christian Nicolussi (2011) the emergence of Australian female athletes such as Chloe Barker and Lauryn Eagle who have established themselves in the LFL, the sport is gaining more exposure in Australia. However it reinforces the stereotype that female athlete must be of a certain beauty in order to gain recognition in their chosen field which is the wrong message to send to females who are self conscious about body image. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Profile Comments:

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Reference List:

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Australia Bureau of Statistics. (2009, May 25). Feature Article 3: Women In Sport. //Australian Bureau of Statistics.// Retrieved from Australian Bureau of Statistics’ website []

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Australian Sports Commission. (1997). Media Coverage of Women in Sport. //Australian Sports Commission.// Retrieved from Australian Sports Commission’s website []

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Australian Sporting Commission. (2010, May 21). New report reveals poor coverage of women in sport. //Australian Sporting Commission.// Retrieved from Australian Sporting Commission’s website []

=<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">Australian Women’s Recreation Association(2012). Women’s Sport and the Media. //Australian women’s recreation association.// Retrieved from: [] =

=<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">The Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport. (1994). //The Brighton Declaration On Women and Sport.// Retrieved from: [] =

=<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">Derriman, P.(01/11/2008). <span class="citationarticleorsectiontitle" style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">Big turn-on: beach volleyball dominates older men's purview. <span class="citationsource" style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">Sydney morning herald <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">, <span class="citationspagelabel" style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;"> p. <span class="citationspagevalue" style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">66 <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">. Retrieved from: [|http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/ehost/detail?vid=2&hid=112&sid=916f5950-8b09-4551-891c-f3da49b72f7a%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=anh&AN=SYD-5MFPXS13O1CY20Y4GEB] =

<span style="color: #411528; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Dyck, L. ‘et al’. (2000). The Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Girls and Women. //<span style="color: #411528; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health. //<span style="color: #411528; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Retrieved from: []

=<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">Estwick, D. (2011, September 14). Lingerie ladies launch gridiron league in Queensland with help of X Girl Tala Schultz from Ipswich. //Ipswich News.// Retrieved from: [] =

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Farmer, S. (2012, January 31). NFL sells tickets to Super Bowl media day, and 7,300 fans attend .//Los Angeles Times.// Retrieved from:[]

=<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">Flanagan, K. (2008, February 13). Gender Barriers in Sport. //University California-Berkeley.// Retrieved from: [] =

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Leach, R. (2012, January 30). Brady who? Manning who? Hard Rock is Lingerie Bowl IX party central. //Las Vegas Sun//. Retrieved from: []

=<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">Merril, K. (2009, September 3) Lingerie Football League App. //PRWEB.// Retrieved from: [] =

=<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">Nicolussi, C. (2011, November 29). Lauryn Eagle eyes glory in Lingerie Football League. //The Daily Telegraph.// Retrieved from: [] =

<span style="color: #411528; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Oglesby, C. ‘et al’ (2006) Women, Gender Equality and Sport. //United Nations.// Retrieved from: []

==<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.6667px;">Sport England & Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation. (2008, August 1st). Barriers to sports participation for women and girls. Sport England & Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation. //Physical Activity and Health Alliance.// Retrieved from: [] ==

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The cultural artefact chosen by this particular student shows another example of how female athletes use sex appeal as a means to gain media attention. It provides a legitimate example of use sex to sell sportswomen to particular audiences, particularly a male demographic. However the student then goes on to cite particular Australian female athletes have become marketable without using sex to sell. This shows how Australian sportswomen can become marketable and draw attention to their respective sports without having to perform magazine photo shoots that are of a sexual nature. Overall this report presents a report that focuses heavily on the recognised sex appeal that is associated with female athletes in the modern sporting environment. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The student has chosen a terrific cultural artefact to support her analysis as this issue is not uncommon amongst girls. Girls and women constantly see female athletes who can easily make the transition from the sporting arena to a glamour event. This directly affects whether girls and women decide to play sport because of the perceived image in society that all recognisable female athletes double as glamour girls. As a result this inhibits participation of the target audience of girls and women who are being encouraged to participate in sport or any form of physical activity. Overall a very insightful report into a highly debatable topic that continues to draw the wrong attention in modern society.
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