Feminist issues in sport

Abstract

Diverging feminist perspectives are examined in the scholarly literature on women and sports. One perspective aims at dispelling myths about women being athletically inferior to men. Another perspective emphasizes the benefits of athletic competition for women, claiming that female athletes maintain their feminine attributes while acquiring healthy, traditionally male behaviors and attitudes that enhance their self-concept. A third perspective focuses tn the defects of male-constructed athletics, and it calls for a new, more feminine approach to sports that elevates cooperation and community over competition.