Cedars, April 2019

April 2019 14 SPORTS Female Sports’ Popularity Rising Due to Social Media by Abby Hintz T he difference between male and female sports is a topic that domi- nates conversations in the world of sports. Outside factors such as pay, airtime and viewership contribute to both sides of the argument, but there is no denying the recent positive shift in the perception of fe- male sports. Powerful female athletes are stepping up and sharing their stories, which has led to a growing interest in their sports. The tool that is making all this possible is social media. Star athletes like Ronda Rousey, Ser- ena Williams and Alex Morgan, use social media to promote sponsors, give advice and show fans parts of their lives they wouldn’t otherwise know about. They have the ability to impact mil- lions of people through their social media — 28.8 million through their Instagrams combined. It is well-known that male and female athletes are not viewed equally. Because of the way God created the female, the performance and caliber levels of females often is not on par with males. Therefore, the sports media world tends to place male sports on a pedestal, while female sports fight to reach it. However, now that female profession- al athletes do not have to rely solely on broadcasts to share their talents and their stories, they have developed a unique fol- lowing that is influenced by their presence on social media. Grace Norman, a Paralympian and junior cross country and track athlete at Cedarville, has seen the impact of social media first hand since her time at the 2016 Paralympics where she came away with a gold and bronze medal. For Norman, social media has been a way to share her inspiring story which has prompted others to share their stories in return. Looking at this from her Christian background, she can fully appreciate the possibilities. “Female athletes in general have been pretty good at just promoting them- selves and wanting others to come along,” Norman said. “I think females have done a really good job encouraging other females to get involved in sports. And that’s ob- viously going to raise a higher caliber in sports.” Norman was diagnosed with congenital constriction band syndrome of the left leg at birth, causing her to lose the limb. Her story has influenced people from all over through her trip to the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro and her life at Cedarville. More than anything though, she has been able to share her story through social media. “It’s kind of a two-way street,” Norman said. “I can share my story; people can share their stories with me. It’s a very important part of growing the people who know who you are.” Logistically, social media has given all athletes the opportunity to get their name and their story out into the world. This of- ten comes in the form of sponsorships. As Norman closes in on the end of her college career, sponsorships are becoming more and more important. “My coach has been a big push for so- cial media,” Norman said. “He’s like, ‘Just post once a day just get your name out there once a day. People will see it. Play the game of social media.’ It’s a huge part of what it is to be a professional athlete nowadays.” Norman also made a point to acknowl- edge the dangerous side of sponsorships, especially for female athletes. “A lot of female sports can be pushed toward the sexual side,” she said. “Where- as [for] men, that’s not really the focus. But if it’s used just to get your sport and your name out there in a modest way, I think it can elevate it to equality because that’s what it should be focused on in sports.” What people love about sports are the stories — the epic comebacks and the dominating victories. People love ath- letes for the unlikely success they often find themselves in. No matter their back- ground, as long as they have work ethic and maybe a little bit of God-given talent, they can make it to the top. Social media has made these triumphant stories much more accessible. Norman said she believed social me- dia has played a huge part in raising female sports awareness. The ease of access to free- ly promote an athlete allows for women to earn increased recognition. “People will emulate them because they have the perfect workout or they’re just encouraging people,” Norman said. “So, I think it has been a really good plat- form in order to get more women into sports.” Abigail Hintz is a freshman journalismma- jor and sports writer for Cedars. She loves sending people GIFs, reading books and watching way more soccer than the aver- age person. Photo courtesy of Grace Norman Grace Norman, gold and bronze medal Paralympian, has enjoyed an elevated platform thanks to her global success in running.