[tennisbiz] Re: Equal Pay

Of course *some* women are capable of playing 5-set matches. The better
question is -- are women, in general, equipped to withstand the rigors of
preparing to play 5-set matches at the professional level?

I didn't think about this until yesterday when this 55-year-old male was
having physical therapy on his knees. I saw so many young high school girl
athletes having therapy in the PT lab. These were soccer, softball, and
tennis players as well as some track and cross-country athletes. I would
imagine that basketball players are affected, too. Affected by what?

The therapist reasoned that women have historically -- except for the past 50
years or so -- not had to perform the same type of physical movements as men.
Not only are men's bodies physically stronger, but men's genetics have
evolved to perform the work needed in men's time-honored roles.

In contrast, women's roles, in general, have been historically focused on
more domestic and less physically demanding activities. Only recently
(meaning the past 30-50 years) have they been pushing themselves to prepare
for the stress of highly competitive sports. Of course there have been great
women athletes of the past but they were not the norm. Nowadays, girls are
pushing themselves in athletics as our society has never before seen.

The point is that women's bodies are not only built differently (wider hips,
breasts, etc.) but their genetics will take some time to adapt to the stress
demands of preparing for 5-set matches and other events for which men are
better-built.

That women do as well as they do in such a relatively short time period is to
their credit. My experience is that they, in general, are far superior to men
in terms of mental toughness.

So, yes, women are capable of playing 5-set matches but they may want to
rethink the breakneck speed at which they're attempting to be "just like
men."

Jim

 
Received on Thu Jan 30 2003 - 08:45:47 CST