By Allison Ortega-Benites ’26
The topic of whether or not women should be allowed to play on professional men’s sports teams is a complicated issue that affects society in many different ways. This issue could be dangerous because men can cause harm to women. People who advocate restricting women from participating in men’s professional sports often presents several arguments for this, primarily revolving around physical differences, competition, and the preservation of women’s sports.
One of the biggest reasons is the physical differences between men and women. Studies have shown that men are naturally stronger than women and it wouldn’t end right if men took advantage of that. On the website HealthLine.com it states, “Experts say men still outperform women in many sports due to greater muscle mass and other physical attributes.” This can lead to concerns about safety and fairness when women compete against men in contact sports such as football or hockey. Allowing women to compete in men’s leagues could result in an uneven playing field where the physical disparities may put female athletes at a higher risk of injury.
“This argument seems to be brought forward out of completely different motivations,” states The University of Oxford’s website. This means that it can affect the way both genders will take it to play. Maintaining separate leagues for men and women allows for the development of training, competition and successful work. It’s a 50/50 win for each gender because it can have its own pros and cons. Not having both genders on the team can prevent each player from getting injured by everyone’s different amounts of strength. A positive thing about both genders being on the same team is that everyone would be able to help each other out with everyone’s different skills.
“While men and women may differ in physicality, they do not differ in their skills capacity,” states the website ThePerspective.com. If women were to compete in men’s leagues, it could undermine the visibility of women’s sports, leading to fewer sponsorships. This could be seen as fewer opportunities for female athletes and a wall in the progress made towards gender equality in sports.
The discussions around gender and sports show the need for continued support of women’s athletics. Athletes have their own ways to inspire future generations to ensure that sports will still prosper. The importance of separate but equal opportunities can help give the sports industry where all athletes can be successful. It will be better off if both genders would play separately and not together for their own good.
The Raider Press 