Free Australian Sports Law Essay Sample

There has always been debate over separation of women and men when it comes to sports activities. It is obvious that anatomically the two sexes are different. Different sports activities require different skills, strength and stamina which are difficult to establish. Furthermore, deciding on the skills required for a certain sport could be a difficult task. The Australian Sex Discrimination Act 1984 – Sect 42 prohibits discrimination against any gender in sports activities. These include administration of the sports, coaching, umpiring and even sports by children under the age of twelve years. This law deliberately makes an assumption that there is no physical capability that is attributed to any gender. Moreover, it seeks to state that any discrimination in sports is illegal. In this regard, the law on sports authorizes competition of women against or alongside men.

There is nothing in particular that warrants exclusion of women from any sports requiring a great deal of strength and stamina. Furthermore, sports such as tennis, golf, and skating do not require physical strength and stamina for proficiency. In addition, some sports have no set standards dictating that certain activities are exclusively for one gender, or that they require any special capabilities. The discrimination of women from competing with or against men is to a larger extent unfounded sexual discrimination. Several events in history depict a scenario where women compete fairly against men in events such as basketball. In addition, recently, women have performed well in tennis and other sports traditionally reserved for men. Consequently, the men use sexual ridicule and harassment in argument that they are better off in the sports. Some women have been at the center of attention in sports such as tennis because of their exemplary performance, which disputes that women are physically inferior in all ways.

When we specifically focus on golf, it can be clearly seen that physical strength and stamina may not be the factor determining performance of the player. In addition, even the most proficient golfers are not very much physically fit. Since women and men play by the same rules in golf then it is fair if men compete alongside women . Men may perform better in every way but that does not make the quality of entertainment given to spectators better. Moreover, the performance of a man or woman in golf depends on the horning of skills rather than the physical strength and stamina of men. This is because physical strength and stamina required in golf is little and any woman or man is capable of matching it. Consequently, influence of gender on golf is seen as minimal and does not go beyond physical appearance . Golf has just been manipulated to fit the profile of a man’s sport without any specific reason based on real facts of physical orientation of men and women. Considering the bigger responsibility women have for their families, and then catering for their families while they are in sports activities, will enhance their performance to that of men. These domestic responsibilities are some of the factors that hinder women from equal participation with men as they try to balance sports and family. Benefits that men get are significantly higher than women’s and generally the incentives do not reflect their disadvantaged position and contribution to the sport. Offering of equitable benefits to women will ensure that they put efforts towards matching men’s performance when they compete alongside or against each other. Golf has proved that women can compete against or alongside men in sports.