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13 Times Women In Sports Fought for Equality


Even so, glaring equality gaps persist: At the 2014 and 2018 Winter Games, men had three separate ski jump events, while women only had one. “It’s like, ‘Here, we’ll give you a little piece,’ and then, ‘Go away, leave us alone,'” Lindsey Van, a now-retired American ski jumper who helped lead the discrimination lawsuit, told the Chicago Tribune in 2018. “I still think that it’s an old boys’ club.” According to 2022 Beijing Games website, there will be a new mixed team event in ski jumping; there is no mention of any new women’s-only competitions.

Olympic Runners Speak Out About Poor Industry Maternity Policies

Last spring, several Olympians-slash-mothers—including Alysia Montaño, Allyson Felix, and Kara Goucher—spoke out about the sporting industry’s lack of support for women athletes both during and after pregnancy. “The sports industry allows for men to have a full career,” Montaño said in an op-ed video for the Times last May. “When a woman decides to have a baby, it pushes women out at their prime.” The women specifically called out Nike, Asics, The United States Olympic Committee, and U.S.A. Track & Field. “I asked Nike to contractually guarantee that I wouldn’t be punished if I didn’t perform at my best in the months surrounding childbirth,” Felix wrote in an op-ed for the Times published in May. “I wanted to set a new standard.”

Three months after the allegations, Nike (who Felix said had previously denied her asks) announced a new maternity policy for all sponsored athletes that guarantees pay and bonuses for 18 months surrounding pregnancy. Three other athletic apparel companies adopted maternity protections for sponsored athletes as well, according to the New York Times.

Mary Cain Calls for More Women in Power

Last November, former teen phenom runner Mary Cain waged allegations of emotional and physical abuse against Nike’s Oregon Project. In a powerful op-ed video by the New York Times, titled “I Was the Fastest Girl in America—Until I Joined Nike,” Cain described how the all-male staff of the elite training team, helmed by coach Alberto Salazar, constantly pressured her to lose weight. While running with the team, Cain said she didn’t get her period for three years, broke five bones, started to cut herself, and had suicidal thoughts. And when the young athlete shared her self-harming habits with Salazar and the team’s sport psychologist? The men “pretty much told me they just wanted to go to bed,” Cain said.

Cain called on more women to assume leadership roles in the sporting world. “We need more women in power,” Cain said in the video. “Part of me wonders if I’d worked with more female psychologists, nutritionists, and even coaches, where I’d be today. I got caught in a system designed by and for men which destroys the bodies of young girls. Rather than force young girls to fend for themselves, we have to protect them.”

After the video went viral, eight other athletes with Nike’s Oregon Project quickly backed up Cain’s claims with some sharing their own stories of mistreatment. Salazar denied the claims, and Nike announced it would investigate the allegations. Meanwhile, the video’s ripple effect continued: In December, hundreds of Nike employees protested the company’s support of Salazar and treatment of its female employees and sponsored athletes. And in January, the U.S. Center for SafeSport placed Salazar on its “temporarily banned list,” which could result in a lifetime ban.

Serena Williams Takes Aim At Gender Inequality in Sports

Legend Serena Williams is not afraid to speak her mind and challenge the status quo. From calling the pay gap for female athletes “ludicrous” to candidly sharing the struggles of motherhood to accusing an umpire of sexism during the 2018 U.S. Open, Williams has shown that she’s willing to speak up loud and clear on issues that matter to her.

Earlier this year, Williams announced a partnership with Secret that addresses inequality in sports. “Just because I am a woman doesn’t mean I deserve less—I work just as hard,” Williams told Glamour. Through the partnership, Williams and the brand are launching a study on gender inequality in sports to pinpoint three to four areas of need. From there, they’ll distribute $1 million to hopefully create true change. “I’ve given up so much in my life and I’ve sacrificed so much. Why do I have to get paid less?” Williams said. “I feel like women in sports are fighting with that right now.” And with Williams’s influence and Secret’s backing, perhaps that fight can go one step further.

*Special thanks to [Paula D. Welch](https://vivo.ufl.edu/display/n14886) and [Bonnie J. Morris](http://www.bonniejmorris.com/) for providing invaluable insight on the history of women in sports.*



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This 'Bored' Sports Broadcaster Filmed A Play-By-Play of His Dogs Racing to Eat Their Dinner and It's Brilliant


People are finding all sorts of interesting ways to stay busy while social distancing, but this sports broadcaster’s play-by-play of his pups racing to eat their food is exactly what we all need right now.

Though many sporting events have been canceled and postponed across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic—including the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games—BBC sports broadcaster Andrew Cotter found a new way to keep doing what he loves.

The clip, which was posted to Twitter on Friday, March 27, shows his two Labradors, Mabel and Olive, racing to see who can finish off a bowl of dog food the quickest. However, it was Cotter’s colorful commentary that made the footage so brilliant.

“I was bored,” Cotter captioned the recording, which has garnered over five million views in just 24 hours.

In the video, he put all his skill and experience to good use by describing his dogs’ mealtime as though it was a competition. It featured all the elements of a real sporting event and there was even a sassy person in the “crowd” telling him to “get on with it” at the beginning of the race.

“You can see the contrast in styles. Mabel’s heavy tail use. Happy to be alive. Everything’s amazing. Olive more steady, wasting little energy,” Cotter commented before delivering the best line of the video, “Focused, relentless, tasting absolutely nothing.”

You can watch the video for yourself below:

In the end, the winner was Olive, who finished her bowl first. “What a final we’ve had here. Great rivals, but great friends,” Cotter concluded. “Join us again tomorrow live coverage of a snooze on the sofa.”

The clip has been so well received online that people are urging Cotter to release a sequel.

They’ve also been thanking him for providing them with this feel-good content.

It’s safe to say people are obsessed. Here’s hoping there are more funny dog videos like this one to come from Cotter. We deserve it.



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Serena Williams And Secret Are Launching A Study on Gender Inequality in Sports


There’s scarcely a woman on earth who isn’t impacted by the fight for gender equality—but no where does that fight feel so visceral than in the world of sports. A world where Megan Rapinoe and the USWNT can dominate on the global stage and then come home to fraction of the pay their (less-qualified) male counterparts have up for grabs. And where top-of-their-game champions can lose their jobs just for getting pregnant. And where Serena Williams can work harder and longer than her male colleagues can still be asked to prove herself—over and over and over.

“Just because I am a woman doesn’t mean I deserve less—I work just as hard,” says Williams. “I’ve given up so much in my life and I’ve sacrificed so much. Why do I have to get paid less? I feel like women in sports are fighting with that right now.”

They definitely are. From the ongoing high-profile lawsuit filed by the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team to the historic equal pay deal just won by the women of the WNBA, female athletes have become the face of the gender gap.

But it isn’t just about the money. Equal pay is a nuanced issue that touches everything from amateur training conditions to the lack of maternity leave protections for female athletes. Entire systems have to change.

Williams, the athlete, advocate and force behind the multi-million dollar Serena Williams brand, wants to change them. So today, she and Secret Deodorant announced that they are teaming up to move the needle, pledging $1 million to supporting gender equality in sports.

The first step is calling out inequalities—relentlessly—to change things for this generation and the next. “I use my voice because I know if I keep talking, someone is going to eventually hear,” says Williams. “Maybe not today, but maybe for my daughter. Now that I have a daughter, it’s even more important. You just have to keep using your voice to change it for the next person.”

Next comes getting those who can to put their money where their mouth is. “I feel so much hope that these conversations are happening,” says Sara Saunders, associate brand director for Secret Deodorant. “But we’re trying to push to make sure those conversations result in action because talking about it doesn’t necessarily help us solve the issue.”

To that end, Secret and Williams are launching a study on gender inequality in sports. By surveying high school athletes, college players and professional athletes, the study will pinpoint three to four areas where Secret and Williams can deploy cash to make a real difference.

Secret has already shown what that can look like. “After we heard the chanting at the World Cup game, we realized that we needed to step up and do even more,” Saunders said. After that, the brand made a $529,000 donation to the United States Women’s National Team Players’ Association to close the gender pay gap in soccer and purchased over 9,000 tickets to National Women’s Soccer League games to help women’s teams get more visibility. In 2020, they hope to make that impact even bigger for the women and girls facing down the gender gap every day.

For Williams, that means bringing as many players into the conversation as possible—including men. “I feel like what people don’t realize is that we need men to use their voice as much as women. You are not going to get equal anything if men aren’t helping and vice versa,” she says. “A group singing is louder than a solo singer. It’s important to have a group get together and to sing.”

Macaela MacKenzie is a senior editor at Glamour.



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Dick’s Sporting Goods Is Investing Millions in Women’s Sports and Products


Before you ask, Dick’s Sporting Goods will not be changing its name to appeal to female customers, but it is investing millions of dollars into women’s sports and expanding its selection of products for girls and women.

On February 4, the largest U.S. sporting-goods chain revealed their multi-tiered plan to win over women—you know, over half the country. The plan starts with revamping their stores to actually include more room for women’s and girl’s products, according to Bloomberg, but also pledges a $5 million grant to the U.S. Soccer Foundation, a USA Softball sponsorship ahead of the sports return to the Olympics this summer, and a “national ad campaign supporting women’s sports.” All in all, the company is making a “low-eight-figure investment.”

“Today is a proud moment for our company,” Dick’s Sporting Goods President Lauren Hobart said in a statement.

The plan is promising. Social stigma and lack of role models are two leading factors behind why girls drop out of sports, according to research from the Women’s Sports Foundation. Making girls’ gear more visible and accessible is a step in the right direction.

So is supporting top female athletes. The grant to the U.S. Soccer Foundation should come as no surprise to those paid attention to the World Cup this past summer. Interest in women’s athletics skyrocketed as the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team took home their fourth World Cup. Yet, somehow they’re still being forced to fight against gender-discrimination and pay discrepancies—a battle being fought by female athletes across sports.

“At the crux of everything is that when we play a game—win the game, lose the game, tie the game, whatever—what we’re asking is that we’ll have the same opportunity to make the same amount of money,” Rapinoe, a 2019 Glamour Women of the Year honoree, told Glamour. “We should be treated equally.”

Dick’s three-year soccer grant will reportedly go to a U.S. Soccer Foundation program that aims to engage 100,000 girls in underserved communities by 2023.

As for the official partnership with USA Softball, the team will be returning to the Tokyo Olympics this year for the first time since the sport was dropped after the 2008 games. Dick’s will also be the official merchandise vendor for the team’s pre-Tokyo tour across 35 cities beginning this February.

Still think revisiting the whole “Dick’s” thing could also help, though!



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Simone Biles, Coco Gauff, and Brigid Kosgei All Made Sports History This Weekend


Over the weekend, while the rest of us were contemplating a trip to the pumpkin patch or binge watching Netflix with a bag of Halloween candy, Simone Biles, Coco Gauff, and Brigid Kosgei were all making history in their respective sports—gymnastics, tennis, and running.

Young women out in the world breaking records and making history is always something to celebrate, so let’s break down exactly how these three are changing the world of sports.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Biles breaking records is certainly nothing new—she’s been doing it pretty much every day she competed over the past week at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. On Sunday (October 13), she won gold medals in the individual floor and balance beam competitions bringing her Worlds career medal total to 25. That means she is now officially the G.O.A.T. becoming the most decorated gymnast—male or female—in history.

Of her 25 medals, Biles said: “It’s older than my age, so I’m pretty thrilled with it,” Per NPR

Coco Gauff at the US Open
Chaz Niell/Getty Images



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IFGfit Bra Review: Can a Sports Bra Really Help You Slouch Less?


Courtesy of IFGfit

The concept of wearable posture-improving pieces isn’t exactly new—nor does it need to be so expensive, explains Dr. Joseph E. Herrera, D.O., FAAPMR, director of Sports Medicine and chairman of the Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine. “There are a number of different braces and devices to help with posture and breathing,” he says, with many available online for around $20. Plus, posture-focused brands like Intelliskin and AlignMed that “act as reminder” to straighten the spine, mainly via compression, have been around. What IFGfit brings to the table, apart from the sleek design, is the way it relies on horizontal tension—not traditional compression—to provide that support.

Dr. Herrera suggests that IFGfit’s sports bra function like built-in partial braces, doing the posture-improving thing because the garment “acts as reminder, and ‘pulls’ at you” to encourage a straighter spine. “But it only works if you’re compliant with it,” he says—meaning that, just like a $20 brace meant to be worn under your clothes, IFGfit’s bra could help improve posture “when the bra tugs at you to remind you” to sit or stand straighter… and you actually do it.

“If you’re constantly slouching despite the reminder, [the bra] is not going to help you. A brace alone is not good enough to change your posture,” Dr. Herrera says. “Yes, you’ll have improvements with back pain, neck pain, and breathing. Does it do that by itself? I don’t think so. You’ll need to do physical therapy, and/or at-home exercises” to truly feel a difference.

Still, I decided to give IFGfit’s bra a shot.

IFGfit Women’s Lisa Posture Bra

IFGfit

$178

Buy Now

When I put it on, I felt a subtle tug on my shoulder blades and head—as if someone was gently pulling my shoulders back, like a puppeteer. It’s not uncomfortable, but it does feel slightly odd at first (kind of how it feels to put in retainers.) Within 10 minutes, I actually did feel some mid- and upper-back aches subside. Worn for 10 to 12 hours straight, the chronic, sometimes-burning knot in my right shoulder and neck, while not completely gone, got significantly less bothersome…both during and after wearing the bra. Added bonus: The bra made my boobs look extra-perky by guiding my shoulders back, and chest upwards.

At $178, it’s certainly a splurge for a bra, period. I tried the Lisa, and while I dig the sculpted, interesting, not-too-sporty silhouette, it was tricky to conceal under my summer wardrobe. (It’d be easier to hide in fall and winter’s sweaters, turtlenecks, and hoodies, though.) The neckline and back are cut high, so I felt mostly limited to crewneck tees—anything with a deeper or wider neckline looked awkward. But unlike sports bras, the fit is flattering and smoothing without being aggressively tight, and there are no skinny or criss-crossing straps that cause back or armpit spillover. I did wear the Lisa as a crop top with a high-waisted skirt, a rare styling move for me because it usually means over-exposure somewhere, and was pleasantly surprised: its full-coverage, 8-panel design looks chic and legitimately passes for an actual top, instead of seeming like I was wearing a bra in public.



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