Kicking Off: How Women in Sport Are Changing the Game

by Sarah Shephard

There's a battle being fought. It's raging on the sports fields, in the newsrooms, and behind the scenes at all the major broadcasters. It's a battle that dates back further than any of us can remember, and yet it has lost none of its momentum--in fact, it's being fought with more vigor now than ever before.

The warriors are women in sports, and in this book their battles will be broken down to discover if and how they can ever be won. It will ask the questions that can no longer be ignored and tell the stories that can no longer be overlooked. It will be a vital tool in helping women switch their focus from the battlefield to the sports field, once and for all.

Why do the most successful female athletes earn less than their male counterparts?
Why are fewer women competing in top flight sports?
Why are viewing figures for women's sporting events so low?

All this and more, covered in a smart, feisty book, written by the features editor at Sport magazine.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2016

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually teared up finishing this book because I was sad it was ending. Shephard discusses various issues in women's sport such as systemic inequities (sponsorship, funding, and prize/wage gaps), the significant participation gap between men and women and its impact, and the ways sport experiences can both negatively and positively affect self-image and confidence. This book describes each area in its own right and ties them all together in a way that powerfully illuminates the current structural barriers to gender equity, laced with poignant athlete interviews and stories throughout. I cannot recommend this book enough!

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

So
- the rules are made by the male federation
- the women have their own handicapped leagues
- with their own low standards
- at about 10-12 years of age, the individuals are segregated to put up with 6th century moral standards
- now that there are trans women, the exclusion is getting even stricter

So yea, women are ”changing” the game. One kitchen at a time.

[Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-researched look at the state of sport for women. Published in 2016 so it's interesting to see what has changed in the last 5 years.

Lacking in any analysis of intersectionality.