Coming on Strong: Gender and Sexuality in Twentieth-Century Women's Sports

by Susan K. Cahn

Today, there are women athletes who are media celebrities and a source of inspiration for many. But not long ago, being serious about sport was considered appropriate only for men and boys. Throughout the twentieth century, women's increasing participation in sport has challenged our conception of womanhood. Some celebrated the female athlete as the embodiment of modern womanhood, but others branded her "mannish" or lesbian. Ultimately, she altered the perception of sport as an exclusively male domain. Susan Cahn's story of how sport has changed women's lives and women have transformed sport is an important chapter in the wider history of women's struggles to define their role in the twentieth century. For the women who dared to compete, participation in sport enabled them to expand the boundaries of women's activities and to claim that strength, skill, physicality, and competitiveness could be authentic attributes of womanhood. This is the legacy they passed on to the new generation of women for whom athleticism is becoming a way of life.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Gender, History, Queer

Paperback

First published January 10, 1994

Reviews

[Monica Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for school but would recommend to anyone wanting a history of women’s sports/gender relations in the US! A fun read, not at all dry or dense like a textbook or anything

[Rhiannon Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super important history of the evolution of, and debates within, women’s participation sports over the course of the 20th century. Cahn intellectually assesses how sexuality has impacted women’s athletics and draws on stereotypes and misconceptions about women’s bodies and attitudes to show how women have battled to gain their rightful space in athletics in the face of debates surrounding how supposedly “mannish,” as she argues, a woman may appear or people fear she’ll become by exercising and participating in competitive sports. Though this work was written 30 years ago, it still has important connections to the realm of women’s athletics today as we area still struggling with the same hindrances as athletic women, and I’d recommend this book to any person who is interested in the history women’s athletics or has played on a team at any point in their life.

[Hajar · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than just feminism and sports. A must-read.

“No freaks or Amazons”

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read this book for a gender and sports class and I REALLY enjoyed it!!

[Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
read this for my sports history class, very interesting but sometimes very lengthy

[Sean Xavier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women in sports is a part of a bigger question of gender roles in the United States, and author Susan Cahn explains how athletes bodies are regulated through style of dress, the press, and governing sports bodies that evolved from wanting women to exercise in moderation, to fears of the "muscle moll" and the "failing of femininity" among elite players.

This book is a great entry point into the study of sports history. It is also helpful to understand fears of gay athletes in the United States. NFL Draftee Micheal Sam is a part of a larger question of what it means to embody "masculine" or "feminine" traits that have been discussed since the days of Babe Didrickson and beyond.

We need to think about what we are telling our young men and women when they compete--because how we explain athletic achievement, who can compete, and what is "normal" and "natural" for each sex has lasting effects.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read. The Epilogue was the best part.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very interesting material, very thin analysis.