NEWSBYCHRISTINA CARR

I'm sure by now, many of you have heard of the controversy surrounding 18-year old South African runner Caster Semenya, whose victory in the women's 800-meter race in the World Championships of Track and Field spawned an investigation into her gender. While the results of the testing have not yet been released, the 5 foot 7 inch tall, 140 pound athlete has become the center of a debate on the merits of gender testing in athletics, and opinions on the topic are widely varied.

Phillip Cohen wrote a piece featured in the Huffington Post, in which he claims that

For fairness at the top levels, you have to police that sex boundary. Of course, as Alice Dreger explains, female elite athletes are not typical women. They are likely to have succeeded in part because they have some of the hormonal advantage that men have -- sex is a continuum, and top female runners are more likely to have bodies closer to the male side of the social dividing line (wherever that happens to be).

He goes on to explain some of the policy behind this assertion:

And contrary to the impression left by some critics, the International Association of Athletics Federations is not rigidly imposing a stereotypical line between "male" and "female," so that women who are "too good" are thrown into the "male" category. In fact, they have a very complicated explanation of their "Policy On Gender Verification," which attempts to identify and exclude from female competition only those who possess a hormonal advantage over other women. Unfortunately, while they helpfully list intersex conditions that are allowed in "female" events, they don't define those that are disallowed, except in the case of sex reassignment, which is what the policy seems intended to address.

Cohen eventually concludes that the so-called "line" between male and female should be drawn closer to the male side of the spectrum, using what could arguably be called a "better of the two evils" argument. In his opinion, "since the alternative is forcing women with some ambiguous hormonal advantage to run with the top men, against whom they would lose, and thus effectively excluding them from top competition.

Even if you subscribe to Cohen's arguments, there are a few problems that arise. First, there hasn't been all that much research done on the idea of a gender continuum, so we're working within a theory that hasn't received much of a strong backing from the scientific community. Moreover, opinions concerning gender concepts in our society are steadfastly held, and even the idea of a gender continuum would likely trigger much controversy, especially in places that have a long history of promoting gender role stereotypes.

Still, if the theory has merit, then should it be investigated further in order to make a fair assessment? And until then, where should a line be drawn?  Should it be left up to the gender identity of the athlete him/herself? Would this encourage false claims in order to gain competitive advantage of some kind? Or is it a small risk to take in favor of respecting the individual? To what degree should privacy of the athlete enter the conversation?

With all of this in mind, I ask you- should hormone and gender testing be implemented more widely in athletics? If so, at what level of competition should this apply? For solely professional athletics? Or at a certain level of prestige? And if this type of testing should be conducted, then where should a line be drawn?

Last Thursday, the International Olympic Committee voted unanimously to add women's boxing to the 2012 Olympics. While this is a great step in the direction of equal recognition of women's sports, the New York Times did recognize one major problem with the way women's boxing will be structured, at least in 2012: only three weight classes will be included. This means that each of the female boxers will be required to fit into one of only three nonconsecutive weight ranges: flyweight (48 to 51 kilograms, or about 106-112 pounds), lightweight (56 to 60 kilograms, or about 123-132 pounds), or middleweight (69-75 kilograms, or about 152-165 pounds).  This structure is unique to women's boxing; female participants in judo, wrestling and tae kwon do, who are also divided into weight classes, don't have to worry about these gaps.

The problem with this structure lies not just in the number of women that will be excluded from participation because their weight ranges fall above or below the limitations, but also in the large gaps between each class. A woman weighing 140 pounds, for example, would be required to either gain 12 pounds or lose 8 in order to be able to participate in any of the designated weight classes. This presents a situation that could promote unhealthy eating or exercise habits among women who desire to participate in Olympic boxing, but whose natural body structures render them ineligible. This is especially true because most boxers in this situation would probably chose to lose weight in order to compete as a heavier athlete in a lower weight range rather than gain weight in order to be a lighter competitor in a higher weight range.

Though the weight class structure was probably created out of budgetary concerns or some other similar issue, it is still a disappointing concession. Though there will be some protective concerns in place- namely pre- and post-fight physicals and monitoring of weight loss and gain over the years, placing such a strong emphasis on weight restrictions will likely have consequences that reach beyond the obvious health concerns of the individual athlete. Undeniably, there is a large emphasis throughout our culture on weight and body image, especially for females, but its especially disheartening when this creeps into the world of women's sports, where of all places, varying body structures should be celebrated, at least in terms of the strengths that women of all shapes and sizes can bring to the arena or playing field. Let's hope that by 2016, the International Olympic Committee will consider adding a few weight classes to women's boxing to remedy these issues.

Want to expand your women's sports fandom to the world of Twitter? Give some of these professional female athletes a follow- who knows, maybe some will even add you back!

• Tanith Belbin (Figure skating) @TanithJLB
• Erica Blasberg (Golf) @EricaBlasberg
• Essence Carson (Basketball) @Pr3pE
• Irene Cho (Golf) @TheIreneCho
• Sasha Cohen (Figure skating) @SashaCohenUncut
• Marissa Coleman (Basketball) @MarissaC_25
• Natalie Coughlin (Swimming) @NatalieCoughlin
• Tara Dakides (Snowboard) @TaraDakides
• Lashinda Demus (Track and Field) @LashindaDemus
• Allyson Felix (Track and Field) @allysonfelix
• Jenny Finch (Softball) @jfinch27
• Meaghan Francella (Golf) @mfrancella
• Brianna Glenn (Track and Field) @briannaglenn
• Biba Golic (Table tennis) @Bgolic
• Natalie Gulbis (Golf) @natalie_gulbis
• Natasha Hastings (Track and Field) @natashahastings
• Charde Houston (Basketball) @Charhouston
• Janell Howland (Golf) @janellaxo
• Tameka Johnson (Basketball) @Quickdeuce
• Christina Kim (Golf) @TheChristinaKim
• Mindy Kim (Golf) @MindyKim89
• Anna Kournikova (Tennis) @Kournikova
• Kristi Leskinen (Freeskiing) @KristiLeskinen
• Stacy Lewis (Golf) @Stacy_Lewis
• Akiba McKinney (Track and Field) @MsAkiba
• Kristy McPherson (Golf) @Kristy2208
• Dominique Moceanu (Gymnastics) @Dmoceanu
• Danica Patrick (Indy Racing) @DanicaPatrick
• Lauren Perkins (Skateboarding) @LaurenPerkins88
• Sanya Richards (Track and Field) @AaronandSanya
• Olympia Scott (Basketball) @olympiahoops
• Tangela Smith (Basketball) @tgotnext
• Kellie Wells (Track and Field) @KellieWellz
• Tamera Young (Basketball) @tyoung11

Have any other favorite female athlete Tweeps? Share them in the comments!

Exciting news for aspiring female athletes in Saudi Arabia: an eight-year-old girl recently asked Prince Khaled al-Faisal, a powerful Saudi prince and the governor of Mecca, why she was not allowed to play sports in school like the boys can. The response?  The prince stated that he hoped that state-run schools would soon allow playing fields for girls.

Prince Khaled al-Faisal's statement is arguably the strongest-yet government endorsement for such equality in a place where even physical education classes are banned for females in government-run schools and where female athletes are not permitted to participate in the Olympics. In addition, Princess Adelah, the daughter of King Abdullah, has also recently made a public statement advocating for the introduction of sports in girls' schools as a way to address the "rise in diseases linked to obesity and lack of movement."

The Saudi Arabian ban on many sports-related activities for females is becoming a controversial issue in the country. Some attempt to reason that sports activity can damage a woman's hymen, and therefore ruin her chances of getting married, and argue that limiting women's physical activities can help to prevent this. However, there has been some recent progress, and some women are beginning to come together to form sports teams and leagues that remain largely underground.

With growing government support in addition to these quiet underground movements, that eight-year-old girl may soon have the chance to "play sports like the boys.

Today is the 47^th Anniversary of Title IX, arguably one of the most important pieces of legislature regarding women's rights. Though for many, mention of the act conjures images of female athletes, Title IX banned gender discrimination from all education programs and extracurricular activities in federally funded schools and school programs. In honor of this anniversary, I encourage you to learn more about the Act, and the legislation arising from it.

For starters, some quick facts:

Full Name: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, or The Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act

Date Enacted: June 23, 1972

The Gist: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be

• excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be
• subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

Areas covered: All educational and school programs and activities that receive federal funds. This can include academics, access to school-related healthcare services, dormitory facilities, school-related athletics, school-related activities and clubs, assignment to classrooms, employment policies, treatment of teen parents, and standardized testing.

Areas not covered: Social fraternities and sororities, sex-specific youth clubs (such as Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts)

The Results: Before Title IX, women made up only 2% of college athletes. In 2001, 43% of college athletes were women.  Likewise, before Title IX, women made up only 7% of high school athletes. In 2001, 41.5% of high school athletes were women.

Before Title IX, 42% of college students were women. During the 2003-2004 school year, 57% of college students were women.

Title IX in Court: Title IX has frequently been challenged in court, but the Supreme Court has upheld the act and even expanded its reach. In 1992, the Supreme Court ruled in Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools that students who are victims of sexual harassment and discrimination could be rewarded monetary damages. In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled in Jackson v. Birmingham Board of Education that Title IX prevents schools from retaliating against individuals who protest gender discrimination.

For those who are legal-minded, the full text of the statute can be found here.

For some interesting statistics, check out the Feminist Majority Foundation's Title IX Fact Page.

To keep up to date with the latest cases arising from Title IX and for some interesting and timely discussion regarding the act, be sure to visit the Title IX Blog.

Danica Patrick is back in the spotlight, this time after issuing an apology for comments she made to Sports Illustrated before the Indy 500. In a radio interview with Sports Illustrated columnist Dan Patrick, the following exchange took place:

Dan: If you could take a performance-enhancing drug and not get caught, would you do it if it allowed you to win Indy?

Danica: Well, then, it's not cheating, is it? If nobody finds out?

Dan: So you would do it?

Danica: Yeah, it would be like finding a grey area. In motorsports we work in grey areas a lot. You're trying to find where the holes are in the rule book.

Danica apologized for her statement in an interview with USA Today columnist Christine Brennan, stating:

"The whole interview with Dan Patrick, and every other interview I've ever done with Dan, the questioning comes from left field. It was just a joke and I really apologize if it came across any other way...It was a bad joke. There is a lot of sensitivity in our culture about [performance-enhancing drugs]. With all the baseball stuff, I've followed it and this is a real [roblem. It's a shame kids think they have to do this to get ahead. It's very dangerous...It's absolutely not what I'm about. I've learned my lesson on what I should be joking about."

This isn't the first time that Danica Patrick has surrounded herself with a bit of controversy. Her racy commercials for GoDaddy.com (see here, and here) and her Sports Illustrated swimsuit appearances both caused a stir, and caused many to question whether her behavior was appropriate for someone who is in a position to be a role model to so many young girls.

The debate goes like this: on one side, people are praising Danica for "putting herself out there," for embracing her femininity while "proving herself" a more-than competent female athlete in a male-dominated sport, and for "being herself," and having the guts to joke around about a sensitive topic. On the other side, people are criticizing her for "plac[ing] barriers for women...by normalizing objectification," and for lacking the personal accountability that should be expected of someone in the spotlight.

On one hand, we all know that sex sells, and Danica's actions do draw attention to a highly successful female athlete in a traditionally-male sport. And we all know that at the end of the day, she's nothing more than human, and she makes mistakes and oversteps boundaries like the rest of us. But on the other hand, is Danica furthering stereotypes by allowing the media to objectify her?  Is she doing more damage than good when the attention she draws as a woman driver serves more to highlight her "otherness" as a female athlete, and the vast differences between herself and her male counterparts? And when she gives interviews such as the one above, whether she claims to be joking or not, does that undermine fans' ability to take her seriously?

So, here's my question to you: How is it best for female athletes to garner attention for themselves and their sports? How far is too far when the goal is to increase visibility of female athletes, whether they participate in traditionally male- or female- dominated sports? What types of behavior should be off-limits, and what is acceptable?  And where should personal accountability enter the conversation?

A few weeks ago, I posted about the possibility of women's baseball being added to the growing repertoire of Olympic sports. Now, there's one more potential sport to be added to that list: women's ski jumping.

Currently, women can't compete in ski jumping- it, along with Nordic combined are the only Winter Olympic sports in which only men can compete. But, according to a post by Ron Judd of the Seattle Times, a group of women's ski jumpers have filed a lawsuit in an attempt to gain themselves a place in the Games in time for the next Winter Olympics, to be held in Vancouver.

Judd brings up a great point- the exclusion of women from the sport seems counterintuitive, given that the Games have already spent the excessive amounts of money to build the ski jump for the men's competition. Opening the sport to women would cost little extra, which strikes down the cost-control argument that could be fronted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

At a time when the IOC is under fire for its lack of support of women's sports, it seems to make little sense for the Committee to fight the inclusion of what is sure to be an exciting sport with the potential to garner much attention for the Games and the athletes involved. And over 10,000 people who signed this petition in favor of adding the sport seem to agree. It's time for the IOC to step up and take one more step towards equality.

For those of you interested in both women's sports and reality television, there's a new show airing this summer.  ABC's "The Superstars" will premier on Tuesday, June 23 at 8 p.m., ET, pitting athlete-celebrity pairs against one another to compete in various sporting events for the title of "The Superstars Champion."

The eight athletes on the show include four female athletes. Tennis star Jennifer Capriati, who was the 2001 AP Female Athlete of the year and has one three Grand Slam titles, 14 singles titles, one doubles title, and an Olympic gold medal in 1992, will pair with David Charvet, from "Baywatch" and "Melrose Place" fame.

Soccer star Brandi Chastain, most famous for scoring the winning goal during the 1999 World Cup, and who has won multiple Olympic medals in the sport, will pair with Julio Iglesias, Jr., latin singer and songwriter.

Kristi Leskinen, a well-known X Games action sports athlete and Women's Skiing Superpipe champion, will pair with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, a dancer best known for his work on the ABC show "Dancing with the Stars."

Lisa Leslie, one of the best-known athletes of the Women's National Basketball Association, the first player to dunk in a women's professional basketball game, and the first basketball player (male or female) to win four consecutive gold medals in the sport, will pair with Dan Cortese, whose television hosting and acting credits include hosting "MTV Sports," and acting in "Joey," "Seinfeld," and currently as a recurring case member on ABC's "Surviving Suburbia."

Other competing athlete-celebrity matchups will include NFL star Terrell Owens with model Joanna Krupa; baseball player Jeff Kent with actress Ali Landry; NBA athlete Robert Horry with actress and former synchronized swimmer Estella Warren; and skier Bode Miller with carpenter, author and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" star Paige Hemmis.

The teams will be challenged in events including swimming, biking, running, and kayaking, as well as other athletic challenges. Every week one team will be eliminated until one team is proclaimed the winner.

Though reality television might not be the most likely venue for the advancement of women's sports, a likely diverse audience will bring more visibility for these women, and maybe even generate some devoted followers of their athletic careers. Each of these ladies comes to the show with an impressive athletic resume, and the competition promises to be intense. So tune in this summer, and cheer on your favorite athlete-celebrity duo, and maybe learn more about your favorite female athlete in the process.

In 2005, Sophomore student-athlete Jennifer Harris was dismissed from the Penn State women's basketball team, allegedly for breaking one of Coach Rene Portland's infamous training rules: No Lesbians. After the dismissal, Harris and her family approached the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), which filed charges against Portland, athletic director Tim Curley, and Penn State University, alleging discrimination based on perceived sexual orientation, racism and gender stereotyping.

This weekend, nearly two years after Portland resigned from her coaching position, the documentary Training Rules debuted in Philadelphia.  The film chronicles Harris' story, as well as those of other student-athletes whose lives were affected by Portland's dismissals.

This case is representative of the continued climate of homophobia in women's sports, which largely goes unrecognized. While Harris and other promising young athletes were being persecuted for their sexuality, Portland was twice voted "Coach of the Year" by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). Granted, nobody has challenged Portland's coaching ability, and the team's winning record is a testimony to her talent. But it's a dangerous situation when those who are aware of such discrimination refuse to speak out- essentially selling the self-esteem and personal well-being of young athletes in exchange for a talented coach who can bring revenue to the athletic program.

It's crazy to think that this could have occurred as recently as four years ago, and I wonder, how many other schools still face similar situations?  How many lesbian student-athletes are forced to hide their sexuality in order to retain an athletic scholarship, or playing time on a school athletic team? And what can be done to stop the widespread homophobia in the world of women's sports?

Training Rules will be screened at various film festivals throughout the spring and summer, and hopefully the film will begin a dialogue about an issue that seems to get so little recognition. Perhaps the NCAA could even use the film as an educational tool about the problem and costs of sexual orientation discrimination in collegiate sports.

After the Portland issue fully came to light, a group called Penn Athletes and Allies Tackling Homophobia (PATH) was formed at Penn State University in an attempt to provide resources for LGBT student-athletes.  If Training Rules can do for other schools what it did for Penn State in bringing attention to this issue and inspiring action to be taken, then I think the film will be a huge success.

Move aside, boys...there’s now a possibility that women will be joining the ranks of Olympic baseball athletes. That’s right, baseball.

Baseball is considering adding a women’s team to the sport’s proposal for Olympic reinstatement. This comes after softball refused to partner with baseball to submit a joint Olympic reinstatement bid, but instead offered an elite men’s softball team proposal. It’s refreshing to see, for once, the separation of these two sports. Perhaps this is one step toward recognition that softball, while a great sport, is NOT a substitute for baseball in the women’s sports world.

In order to qualify for inclusion in the Summer Olympics, a women’s sport must be played in at least 40 countries spread over at least three continents. A survey is currently being conducted to determine whether women’s baseball meets this criteria, and according to Around the Rings Olympic Briefs, about 30 countries playing women’s baseball have been counted so far.

The American Women’s Baseball Federation, which regularly hosts amateur tournaments around the country, is currently recruiting players interested in playing with the women’s national baseball team in 2010. No word on whether this could open the door to future Olympic competition possibilities, but hey, it’s worth a shot.