The Stronger Women Get, the More Men Love Football: Sexism and the American Culture of Sports [Paperback]

Mariah Burton Nelson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This eye-opening book links gender-based pay and scholarship inequity with male violence and male domination in sports and society at large. As this book points out, athletes who rape and male coaches who brag of beating their wives are often dismissed by our culture with a "boys will be boys" attitude. Formerly competitive co-ed sports have been replaced with sex-segregated sports after a woman wins against male competitors. Those dubious signals sent to boys such as "don't throw like a girl" are all designed to glorify masculinity and keep it safe from so-called female interference and contamination. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

A former professional basketball player with the New Jersey Gems of the Women's Pro Basketball League, Nelson ( Are We Winning Yet? ) has firsthand knowledge of the ways athletics are used to preserve male dominance in our society. Besides their role in reinforcing sexism, she presents the corollary argument that "manly" sports, particularly football, set the stage for violence against women. The fear of strong females, Nelson contends, is the chief reason that female athletes are unsettling to men and are discriminated against in every area from college athletic budgets to media coverage of their events. She also makes telling points about so-called male bonding on teams as socially acceptable homoeroticism. In closing, she exhorts women to keep fighting for equal treatment, to continue viewing sports as an extension of personal goals and a source of pleasure, not as a road to dominance of men or other women. Nelson argues forcefully, with a fine sense of humor. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Quill (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380725274
• ISBN-13: 978-0380725274
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #511,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, entertaining -- and scary, January 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Stronger Women Get, the More Men Love Football: Sexism and the American Culture of Sports (Paperback)

I'm a woman who has been puzzled and bemused for a long time by the male fixation on sports. How can a man remember the batting averages of all the players in last year's World Series, but not know the shoe size of the woman he's been married to for 10 years? Why does a man buy a newspaper, read every word of the sports section, and throw away the rest without even glancing at it? Why is a professional basketball player paid a salary that rivals (and often exceeds) that of the CEO of a major corporation, who is responsible for managing a trillion-dollar budget and thousands of employees? And why, when a local writer received a major national award, was she relegated to a few column-inches in the Local section of the paper, while the firing of a high school football coach made the front-page headlines?
Nelson's book confirmed what I'd long suspected: as women have gradually broken through one glass ceiling after another, men have retreated into sports as the last bastion of traditional masculinity. It's a world in which "girl" is used as an insult, where men are permitted to express their affection only by punching each other, and where the only females allowed on the premises are decorative servants. But for those who claim that this is harmless male bonding and dismiss its critics as man-haters, Nelson shows the darker side: high school athletes who rape with impunity, glorification of mindless violence, and perpetuation of a concept of "masculinity" defined by behavior that would make a Neanderthal blush.
While it's possible to pick holes in some of her arguments (I know female sports fans who are as ardently partisan as any man), I think Nelson's analysis is generally well done and convincing. My only criticism is that I would have appreciated more suggestions on "Where do we go from here?" But I think awareness of the problem is more than half the battle, and she's certainly done an excellent job of that! Every parent in America should read this book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Feminist Sports Enthusiasts, October 1, 2000

By	"readerfromla" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Stronger Women Get, the More Men Love Football: Sexism and the American Culture of Sports (Paperback)

I discovered this book only recently and it is a remarkable work. Nelson eloquently describes many of the obstracles of sexism that remain in women's sports today. While much progress has been made, many inequities remain as she clearly reports. While this book was initially published in 1994, it is still very relevant. The disparities in the money made by elite female athletes when compared to elite male athletes remain vast and disturbing. All feminists who also love sports will love this book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing. Could NOT stop reading this book., May 20, 2001

By	little penguin (new york, ny) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Stronger Women Get, the More Men Love Football: Sexism and the American Culture of Sports (Paperback)

This book is truly enlightening. While i know some of her claims are contestable (as all theory is), i still want to sew her thoughts into my brain so they will be available for instant access and referral. I have always been wary of our sports culture; Nelson tells me why. Nelson in no way condemns athletics or sports, but rather the sexism that has evovled around American sports culture, and the possible reasons for this evolution. Unfortunately i know that this book would not be palatable for many sports fans; for that reason it is so utterly poignant.