OPPapers.com Essay Index >> Social Issues >> Despite Competition Success, Sportswomen Will Be Far More Successful If They Are Attractive And Marketable.
We have many free term papers and essays on Despite Competition Success, Sportswomen Will Be Far More Successful If They Are Attractive And Marketable.. We also have a wide variety of research papers and book reports available to you for free. You can browse our collection of term papers or use our search engine.
Despite competition success, sportswomen will be far more successful if they are attractive and marketable. It is a growing issue that some elite sportswomen are
Submitted by tamraaaa on May 13, 2008
Category: Social Issues
Words: 1220 | Pages: 5
Views: 69
Popularity Rank: 114,472
Average Member Grade: N/A (Add a Comment / Grade this Paper)
It is a growing issue that some elite sportswomen are more ‘successful’ merely because of their looks and sex appeal. As a result, they gain much more publicity and recognition because of the sponsorship and marketing. The Australian Sports Commission (online) claims that sexploitation, the sexualising of athletes, applies to forms of marketing which focus attention on the sexual attributes of female athletes. In this context, the value of the sportswoman is judged primarily in terms of her body type and attractiveness, rather than for the qualities that define her as an athlete. This creates an ironic situation for elite sportswomen. In order to attract media and sponsor interest, i.e. become ‘successful’, many female athletes resort to marketing themselves or their sport for their ‘voyeuristic potential’. However, if this approach is successful, the increased interest is not on their performances and successes, but on their sex appeal.
Athletes blessed with attractiveness and marketability will earn more money outside of their sport than someone who does not share these qualities, due to increased sponsorship because of their looks. A prime example of someone who is very successful in this context despite never winning a tournament is Anna Kournikova, an attractive Russian tennis player. The profile of Anna Kournikova, one of the highest paid tennis players of her era, rests predominantly on her physical appeal rather than her talent – she has never actually won a major title. She may not be very successful in her performances, but she is triumphant in sponsorships and endorsements.
It seems that when it comes to women and product endorsements, sex still sells better than athletic expertise on the playing field, which is colliding with the old-age philosophy “sex sells”. This can lead to the assumption that sex appeal is more important to become successful than playing the sport well. Anna Kournikova, the...
You must Login to view the entire paper.
If you are not a member yet, Sign Up for free!