The Relationship Between Sexist Naming Practices and Athletic Opportunities at Colleges and Universities in the Southern United States

Abstract

This research examines the phenomenon of sexist naming of women's athletic teams at four-year colleges and universities in the southern United States. Drawing on theoretical and methodological insights from feminist scholarship on gender and sports, gendered language, and intersecting systems of race and gender inequalities, the author analyzes (1) the forms of and the extent to which sexist names are used, (2) the typical characteristics of schools that use sexist names, and (3) the relationship between sexist naming and the uneven distribution of athletic opportunities among female and male students. The findings demonstrate that sexist team names are the norm at southern schools and that the use of sexist names is negatively associated with equitable athletic opportunities for women students. They reveal that sexist naming and the overall gender equity climate of athletics departments are related to the persistence of gender inequities in collegiate athletics.

Rabid Fans, Death Threats, and Dysfunctional Stakeholders: The Influence of Organizational and Industry Contexts on Whistle-Blowing Cases

“…One final characteristic of the collegiate sports industry, its gendered inequality, is especially relevant for an examination of whistle-blowers. Scholars have long asserted that organizations are gendered, favoring masculine communication styles, values, and ways of thinking (Buzzanell, 1994); this maxim persists in collegiate sport, an industry marked by hypermasculinity (Butterworth, 2008;Pelak, 2008). Initially, NCAA rules limiting athletic participation to only males reinforced the gendering of sport (Sack & Staurowsky, 1998); however, expansion of women's athletic departments and participation of female athletes has increased greatly, largely through the passage of Title IX.…”

“…Men's sports traditionally receive greater resources, media attention, visibility, and legitimacy than women's sports (Benford, 2007;Butterworth, 2008). Hegemonic gendering of sports persists in a number of subtle ways, including the sexist naming of collegiate women's teams (Pelak, 2008), overly feminized representation in marketing practices (Buysse & Embser-Herbert, 2004), and unequal coverage by campus newspapers (Huffman, Tuggle, & Rosengard, 2004). The net result of such practices is the trivialization and marginalization of women in collegiate athletics (Pelak, 2008), while society deems men's sports as the norm (Meân & Kassing, 2008).…”

Ladies of Besiktas: A dismantling of male hegemony at Inönü Stadium

“…Since the term lady is connected to systems of inequality, like race, gender, class, and sexuality (Pelak, 2008), Muhtar's criticism also fits with the Marxist criticisms of power struggles, class contention and commercialization of football. Hence, he seems to be critical of the commodification of the sport itself and the denigration of the 'traditional fan' (Jones, 2003), the partisan supporter who would die to see his team win, by the affluent middle-class female fan who comes to the stadium in tailored jackets rather than the all-equalizing black and white jersey.…”

Sexism in Haya Language Personal Names Selection

“…The study by Pelak (2008) examines sexist naming of women's athletic teams at four-year colleges and universities in the southern United States. It focuses on the extent to which sexist names are used, the characteristics of schools that use sexist names, and relationship between naming and distribution of athletic opportunities among female and male students.…”