The world of professional sports for women is ever changing. Perhaps it hasn’t been the fastest or the most seamless smooth change but a change none the less.
The first professional women’s sport team founded over 40 years ago in 1974 which was football followed by basketball in 178 since then it’s been a slow rise as the Canadian Women’s Hockey league was formed in 2007 but has since stopped operating in 2018. The United States National Women’s hockey was only founded 6 years ago in 2015 and is the first professional league that they are to pay their athletes.
The 1960’s through the 1980’s is where women were being to see the light of modern day. This period of time was extremely successful for women in sports, and it highlighted their potential and skill. In 1981 the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in sports was form Which is now know as “Canadian Women and Sports”.
The Canadian Women and Sports is an association that helps women to progress in sports and to stand up for their safety. They are committed to gender equality and giving women the resources to use their voices.
As women establish themselves in the world of professional athletes, they are now starting conversations on abuse in their fields. Many female athletes are coming forward about their abuse they received because there were many years before that would punish their careers for standing up for themselves.
"We have been failed."
Simone Biles blamed the FBI, USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee at a Senate panel for allowing disgraced former team doctor Larry Nassar to abuse dozens of women and children. https://t.co/zGcDh4kwzJ
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) September 15, 2021
Women sports are now seeing fans of their sports raising their voices for them in inequalities they see. In the recent Olympics held in Tokyo fans made it known about their disappointment on the fact that Women’s Softball had to share and play on a Baseball field not a standard Softball field.
There is still a long ways to go for women in sports but now they are no longer forced to be silent. They conversations of money, abuse and inequality are being had and they are no longer falling on deaf ears.