By Erin Arends
Sky Brown receiving bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics via Sky Sports.
The world of sports has historically been known to be a male-dominated area, however, in recent decades, female representation in sports has evolved dramatically. Today, powerful women such as Simone Biles, Serena Williams and Casta Semenya have all shown dominance in their respective sporting codes. The month of August is all about celebrating women which includes celebrating their achievements in the world of sports.
Throughout history, there have been pioneering women who have made significant strides in the sports industry and have set new standards. Naomi Osaka became the first Asian tennis player to be ranked number one in the world. At the age of 13, Sky Brown became the youngest female skateboarder to win an Olympic medal. Samantha Kerr is currently the all-time leading Australian international goal scorer, with 69 international goals. These women have dominated their respective sporting codes and have made a huge impact on the world of sport. Osaka, Brown, Kerr and many other influential female athletes have broken societal barriers and created opportunities for aspiring female athletes.
UCKAR in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa is currently home to 28 different sporting codes with both male and female participants. However, these sporting codes see male teams earning more appreciation than female teams. The male teams are normally the ones that attract the supporters and earn cheers from the crowd. Athletes feed off of a positive crowd and if the ladies’ teams attracted the same amount of attention as the male games, the female athletes would be more motivated to play to the best of their abilities. There is one ladies’ team at UCKAR that earns support from multiple students and members of the community. The Titans women’s team is the female basketball team at UCKAR and is the most anticipated female team at UCKAR attracting huge crowds week in and week out.
Titans ladies' basketball team against Madibaz ladies' team during the RU120 Festival via Instagram.
The RU120 Sports Festival which took place during the weekend of the 9th and 10th of August, saw the Titans women’s team reach the final against the UCT ladies’ team. The game started with UCT gaining a strong lead against the Titans after the first period, however, this quickly changed after the Titans women gained a newfound stamina and caught up to UCT. The second, third and fourth periods saw the two teams fighting for the lead which ultimately saw regular time end in a tie. Since this game was a final, the two teams went into a tough extra time resulting in a win for UCT. Even though, the home crowd did not earn the result they were hoping for, their cheers for the Titans women never stopped once. Alec Mullins Hall roared with praise for the Titans women for the entire hour and a half due to the enthralling game. The shouts and cheers from the crowd made a huge impact on the gameplay of the athletes and that is what they feed off of. Honouring other women’s teams in the way that the Titans women are honoured and praised could see the growth of women in sports at UCKAR.
Despite the progress females have made in the world of sports, they continue to face challenges. These include gender disparities in funding, media coverage and support. Addressing these challenges requires the combined efforts of various people including organisations, stakeholders and media outlets. In the context of UCKAR, granting the ladies’ teams an equal amount of funding as the male teams and better equipment could see an increase in results by the ladies’ teams. Giving female teams the same treatment as male teams is essential for creating a level playing field.
Supporters showing their spirits at one of the games during the RU120 Festival via Instagram.
Celebrating women in sports is more than honouring individual accomplishments; it is about recognising the broader significance of their contributions to society. Women have broken records that have defied the societal expectations of women. Sports has become a place for everyone to excel, regardless of their gender. Encouragement and showing our appreciation for female athletes can aid in their overall performance and we can start by supporting the talented female athletes here in Makhanda.
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