In class this week we
talked about intersex athletes and how they are often viewed in the wrong way
and are said to have an unfair advantage.
We talked about athletes such as South African Olympic Sprinter Caster
Semenya and Brittany Griner. We talked
about these athletes because the world views these girls as more “manly” than
their peers. Many believe that they have
an unfair advantage because they may have higher testosterone levels than other
females. My question is are the
naturally higher levels of testosterone in these women an advantage or a
gift?
I ask this question
because if something you are born with puts you at a better advantage I consider
it a gift. For instance, should Lebron
James not be able to play in the NBA because he if naturally quicker, taller,
and faster than most? Many will say that’s stupid of me to even think but it’s
the same for these athletes that are born with higher testosterone levels. If a person isn’t subject to ridicule because
they are born with the genetics to be more athletic than another person then
neither should these athletes such as Caster Semenya be criticized because she
was born with more testosterone. It wasn’t
something she asked for, she was born with it.
In Conclusion, I believe
the sports industry needs to stop criticizing women and calling them more “manly”
than others. I believe that it is very
offensive to a lot of women and it doesn’t show respect. These women who naturally have higher levels
of testosterone didn’t choose for it to happen, it just happened. And just like they have to just deal with it,
we should just deal with it like we have to deal with playing against someone
naturally taller or faster. In my eyes
it’s a gift not an advantage.
I think naturally higher levels of testosterone in women is both an advantage and a gift. It is an advantage because women with higher testosterone dominate in their sport, but it is also a gift because not every female athlete has that high of testosterone. I do not think it is right to judge women that were born differently than other women. They still put in the time and effort it takes to compete in sports, their genetics are just different than other women's. I also think that people make a big deal out of it because we are not used to women being so dominate. For instance, you were saying how Lebron James is faster, stronger, and quicker than every NBA player, but we do not look at him and say that he has higher testosterone than other male athletes. We just enjoy watching him dominate and go on with our lives. But for some reason if we see a woman dominate in their sport, then she is usually considered to being “manly”. I believe woman can be and should be able to be dominate in their sport and not get criticized for it. If a woman has more testosterone than another woman, then she should be considered lucky I think. And for the woman with regular levels of testosterone, I think a situation like this should give them the motivation to work harder and try to be better than the select few that have higher testosterone. All in all, women with higher levels of testosterone are gifted athletes, and I believe that we should cherish their skills because it is only a select few that have the ability to dominate in their sport.
ReplyDeleteKody Burlingame
It's interesting that these natural testosterone enhancements are only brought into public eye on the women's side. I like the point you made about Lebron and his "physical" abilities that may be superior to a guy like Steve Blake. It's because of the fact that women, even though they're competing in sport, are meant to still look beautiful to the public. If someone like Castor or Griner come along, then something has to be wrong. With over six billion people on this planet, there are bound to be people that have greater talents/abilities than other people and that doesn't mean they should suffer or lose their natural gift because it's unfair to others. There aren't penalties for a person with an extraordinary IQ, they are in fact respected.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPVom7Z1uA8
This video is about Jayshawn Augusto, a basketball prodigy that has V02 levels off the charts. V02 refers to how much oxygen lungs can take in. This gives Jayshawn a major advantage if he were to run track. If he competes should he or even would he suffer any penalties?
Nate Dudzik
I think that the extra testosterone is gift that is naturally given. These athletes cannot help being born this way and should not be brought down by governing bodies just because of genetics they cannot control. Would these governing bodies question male athletes if they had an abnormal amount of estrogen? would they be punished for being successful athletes, despite this difference? Granted, I know testosterone is definitely the more helpful hormone of the two in the realm of sports, but it is just something to think about
ReplyDeleteJennifer Zoellick
I think that the extra testosterone is both a gift and an advantage. I think it is a gift because they didn't ask for it, and they were just created with it. It is an advantage because even in their own races/games, they are still playing with people their age, but it is like they are just one or two steps quicker/faster/taller than your opponent, that is how I see it as an advantage. I also agree with Jennifer Zoellick (the girl who left a comment before me) when she asked if governing bodies would question if males had an abnormal amount of estrogen. I strongly believe that that kind of news would not even amount to what Caster Semenya and Britney Griner gets. It just seems like, if a male is extremely good at something, it's okay, but if a female is, and she is built muscularly on top of that, it is a problem, and she has to be tested, at the end of the day, it just isn't fair, and that is what we want it to be.
ReplyDelete-Turea Moore
I would have to say that it is both an advantage and gift. The gift of is that it gives the female athlete the advantage over others. Many people are quick to use physical appearance as a means to make fun of an athlete, and these ladies with high testosterone have to know that and be able to cope with it. If they cannot do that then they shouldn't put themselves out there to be exposed to the media. This is totally wrong for people to do in my opinion but let’s face it, fans are ruthless and don’t want to see anything other than their team winning. When their team does not win, those snide and judgmental remarks get said.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I don’t see this ever stopping because there will always be those people that don’t care what’s coming out of their mouth. Fans need to focus their attention more on great athletes rather than the record of their favorite teams.
As far a using LeBron as an example I agree because he is a great athlete and understands the game well, but he is not comparable to Griner. James is in a league where there are athletes that match up with his build and size. Griner is better because of her huge height advantage caused by her higher level of testosterone and she is just able to play at a more aggressive and faster pace than the other players. It’s not her fault though, it’s just the way she was born which is why I think it is both a gift and advantage.
BY: RJ Hefflinger
DeleteI completely agree with comparing the Griner and Semenya situations to LeBron. He is easily the most athletically built human being to play any sport to this day, and quite possibly he will remain that for decades to come. It truly is a special gift of how much stronger, faster, and bigger he is than everyone. I know he's not the best in all these categories individually, but all together he is easily the alpha male. It's going to be a long time until someone similar to his physique comes along, and to ridicule him for having an advantage is outrageous.
ReplyDelete-Michael Discipio