Centre Athletics Through a Gendered Lense

By Brylin Isaacs

One of the many disparities between men’s and women’s athletics at Centre throughout the years is in the ways the different teams are referred to on campus. The men’s sports are simply known by the sport they play such as the football team or the soccer team, but the women’s teams are given nicknames. In 1905, some of the names given to the various intramural sports were the Lady Colonels, the Colonelettes, and the Gym Dandies. (Cento, 1905). These nicknames are meant to show a feminine side to women’s sports to prevent the stereotypes that surround them about their perceived masculinity. By doing this, everyone who uses these nicknames are reinforcing the idea that women’s athletics should not be taken as seriously as men’s. These nicknames may seem like terms of endearment, but these are ways to undermine women’s sports in an acceptable way. Another example of this is referring to cheerleaders as “rah rah girls.” (Scrapbook). Not only are these women being demoted to girls, but all of the time and effort they are putting into their sport is being attributed to cheering on men. They are completely disregarded as athletes and seen solely as spirited fans of men’s sports. 

Another interesting aspect of Men’s and Women’s athletics at the time was different rules in basketball. In 1915, These rules were put into place to reduce the stress on women’s bodies. These rules, “divided the court into sections and confined players to those sections”. (Hill, 152). This allowed women to play a version of basketball that involved less running to make it easier on their feminine bodies. KCW rejected these rules and chose to play by the men’s rules. The reasons for rejecting these rules are not listed, but it did result in a lot of confusion and canceled games. Many schools adopted the women’s rules and refused to play KCW if they insisted on sticking to the men’s rules. Many referees also did not know both sets of rules and would not learn the other. This caused some referees to refuse to learn the women’s rules or work the women’s games entirely. In one game in 1963, the referee failed to show up and the head coach, Kitty Baird, threw on a striped shirt and refereed the game herself. (Hill, 158). This shows that women were the ones who had to stand up for themselves and make their voices be heard. They were the ones who made it happen for themselves. After a while, KCW finally adopted the women’s rules to maximize their playing opportunities. 

In the early 1920s, there was a common belief that “the female anatomy was unable to stand the stress of the game”, and women’s athletics became nonexistent. During this time walking became a major sport for women as it was seen as not strenuous. (Hill, 153). Women at Kentucky College for Women formed an intramural club and began walking four to seven miles a day. One group even walked to Harrodsburg and back, adding up to 16 miles in total. This was a way for women to push back against the dominant beliefs and prove that women’s anatomy is just as strong and able as men’s anatomy. While this did not change opinion overnight, it was a great way to show that female bodies were not incapable of sports and that they wanted to play as well. 

There is an outline for what the Physical Education class at Centre should consist of in a report of the Special Committee on Physical Education in 1957. This class is a requirement for men and women at Centre College, and this is explicitly stated in the outline, but the outline only uses he/him pronouns when referring to students. This along with the different curriculum for male and female students shows what they believe is appropriate physical activity for men and what is appropriate for women. An example of the curricular differences was found in an interview done by a classmate of mine. According to Jane Skidmore, “We really did practice going up and down the steps with a book on her head. No lie. And I've learned --  I'll never forget the things I learned that I needed to know, as a freshman, I learned how to hold my picnic plate, and my drink and sit down on the ground cross-legged and get back up.” Women were not taught physical health and wellbeing, but rather how to be proper ladies. Another example of inequalities shown in the curriculum of the Physical Education class is modern dance classes for women. Modern dance trains women to be elegant and graceful without exerting themselves too much, whereas men learn official sports and workout routines in their physical education courses. The women had to practice their dance choreography all semester and then they had to perform it at a recital for the entire school. Having this be an aspect of a mandatory class is not only derogatory but also reinforces the idea that women are meant to be physically pleasing and delicate. The interviewee never said that this curricular difference upset her, but she described the entire class by saying, “the big thing that was hammered into the women and not into the men I'm sure is that we needed to be ladies”. (Jane Skidmore Interview) Their bodies are not meant for physical contact and therefore cannot withstand contact sports of any kind. This reinforced beliefs in the 1950s that women could not and should not be doing the same activities as men because it was both socially unacceptable, and too physically strenuous. 

There was a strong overall belief that “sports were good for women as long as they did not require intercollegiate competition, or imitate the more commercial men’s programs.” (Hill, 154). This resulted in Play Days in the late 1920s. This allowed women to play in one-day tournaments against other schools and forced them to rely mainly on inter school games or “recreational” games against other Kentucky schools throughout the season. This limited amount of time given to women’s athletics to compete shows that women’s sports were not taken seriously and were constantly monitored to ensure they did not lose their role as women first and athletes second. 

The first mention of the Women’s Recreational Association, or WRA, in a Centre yearbook was in 1961. The WRA had many duties, but their most important job was supplying the budget for all of the women’s athletic programs when the school did not recognize them as official teams. The WRA would put on events such as carnivals, school dances, and other fundraising gatherings to raise money for the women’s sports programs. Women were forced to raise money on their own to play because no one else would take them seriously. There is no public record of the amount given to each of the teams, but having to form an organization in order to afford the sport you play is a clear sign that women’s sports were not taken seriously during this time at Centre. 

A questionnaire was sent out to the student body about the satisfaction rate of sports on campus, both intramural and intercollegiate. This survey was sent out to 666 students, and 176 students responded. The results from this survey were that 21% of the respondents were dissatisfied with intercollegiate sports, and 65% of that number were women.(Athletic Subcommittee Report). This shows that women were far less satisfied than men when it came to college sports. There are no personal quotes attached to these surveys which leads us to wonder why these women were so unsatisfied.

Not only were women’s athletics discriminated against in these concrete ways, but they also lacked support from the community. In a letter that does not specify the year it was written, the Women’s Basketball team wrote to Centre’s faculty asking them to attend an upcoming game. They needed to personally invite fans to come watch their games because they knew they would not attend if not asked. One line from the letter reads, “At this time, you, the spectators, will witness a fantastic display of coordination and skill on the basketball court.” (Basketball Letter). The vocabulary they used makes it sound like they are trying very hard to convince the faculty that they will not be bored if they attend the game. There is a tone of desperation in the promise of their skill. At the end of the letter, they included a comment that suggests another game to come to if this one does not fit into their schedule well. The humility these women are showing to receive some recognition for all their hard work is heartbreaking. While there is no record of who attended certain games, there is something to be said for finding this letter, and nothing similar by men’s sports teams. They had fans come to support them in their competitions and never had to formally ask people to come which shows that women’s sports were not taken as seriously by others. This sadly continues on to today. As a female athlete, I can say I have seen a total of 4 faculty members at softball games in the past 3 years of being on the team. While women’s athletics is regarded as mostly equal to men’s, people do not have the same enthusiasm and support for women’s sports as they do for men’s. 

The main complaint of inequality amongst men’s and women’s athletics is budget. In a Title IX report in 1976, many complaints about unequal budgeting for women’s sports were discussed. These complaints included costs of trips and equipment, unequal coaching staff, and the use of college doctors. The women’s teams were not allotted the same amount of money to be spent on equipment as the men’s teams which resulted in the inability to receive warm-up jackets and shoes. This meant that the women were expected to purchase their own equipment for their sports when the men had it provided for them. This is an obvious example of discrimination when it comes to budgeting in the athletic department. Another major issue is within the coaching staff. Men’s athletics had a total of five full-time coaches, five faculty members, and 4 volunteers. Women’s athletics had two full-time coaches, one faculty member, and one volunteer. This inequality in the coaching staff shows the student body that women’s sports are not appreciated or taken as seriously as the men’s sports teams. The final inequality brought up in this report is the lack of college doctors at women’s sporting events. This complaint includes men’s sports as well because in the report it says, “College doctors are on call 24 hours a day, but the only sporting events they attend are home football games”. Football is a contact sport that can result in many injuries but other sports are like this as well, regardless of gender. Within this report, a very interesting comment was made. The writer, Mr. Bryant, was arguing that women’s athletics should be able to have schedules like men’s athletics, but he did so by saying, “I do not anticipate that all women’s teams will elect to play as heavy schedules as the comparable men’s teams, but the women should have that choice.” (Title IX Report). This report is about fighting toward equality in women's athletics yet there is a comment implying women will not want to work as hard as men, or will not take their sport as seriously as men do. This reinforces the idea that women play sports as a hobby or pastime rather than a serious commitment.

Women at Centre and across the world have had to stand up for themselves and show that the female species is not inferior to men. Sports are a great way to prove ourselves and fight for equality. It has been and continues to be an uphill battle, but the strides towards equality are well worth it. Women have been told we are fragile, weak, and not as able-bodied as men. Throughout history we have been expected to sit back and allow others to tell us what we can and cannot do. This time is over. Women can be and do anything they want, and sports is just the beginning.