Saturday night Ronda Rousey beat her opponent in 14 seconds. She is undefeated and plans to stay that way. In her article she talks about not shrinking away from either identity of one being a woman and two being a fighter. UFC's president Dana White said "she's changing the way we look at women" (para. 7).
A little back story on Rousey. She had a difficult childhood losing her father when she was young and found judo to keep her on a straight path. She was a standout athlete in the sport. Last week we talked about eating disorders. Rousey suffered with body issues and battled bulimia at a young age. At school she was made fun of for her muscles and it caused her to be self-conscious about her image. As a young teenager even being a top ranked athlete there was so much of a physical drain from it. None of these battles held her back. She ended up bringing home a Bronze medal at the Olympics when she was 21. After the Olympics she had the decision to make to stay with the sport and train for the next Olympics or move on. She made the difficult decision to move on and found her next calling in MMA fighting.
Rousey is now 11-0 as a fighter. She not only has the physical skills but the beauty as well. The article talks about her identity as a women as well as a fighter. When asked about posing for SU's swimsuit edition or maxim, Rousey stated that "withholding any sexuality at all" sends the wrong message" and wants to present a realistic portrait of a woman (para.36). Her message, embrace who you are and what you have (para. 38).
As for identifying as a fighter, she said that the money is just a perk and that the fighting is primal and innate. When asked if females can produce the same pay per view numbers as males in this male dominated sport I thought she had an interesting response. She said they are starting to change. And change the culture (para. 44).
To be completely honest I never even knew there were women UCF fighters before this weekend. The only fights I have ever seen involve men. I see women participate in less abusive contact sports like taekwondo. I do not see much in MMA or boxing. It caught me off guard. As a female I would be interested in training for a fight or as a boxer. I don't think I would ever like to be in a ring or match against an opponent because I don't want to get hit but from a physical and athletic training aspect I would be very interested.
I have a few questions regarding this article. Is it okay to have women participating in UCF? Is it acceptable in our culture to fight as women? Can it change? Do you think the male dominated culture of fighting has the ability to change and women can get the same numbers as males? Do you agree with her view on presenting a realistic portrait of women and not holding back in the controversial images of female athletes? Does sex sell? As a female would you participate in UCF or MMA if you had the opportunity?
Courtney Cox
Maese, R. (2015 February 26) UCF's Ronda Rousey is okay with being called pretty. She can still kick any guy's butt. The Washington Post Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/othersports/ufcs-ronda-rousey-proving-to-be-both-the-beauty-and-the-beast/2015/02/26/64a69a32-bcf8-11e4-9dfb-03366e719af8_story.html
Amanda Notley
ReplyDeleteAs a female athlete Rousey has set forth a very high standard for females all across the board. She is extremely hard working and has set the bar high for any female athlete especially those in the MMA world. There are not many women that could hold their own like she does in the ring. I think that more and more people are becoming aware that female MMA fighters do really exist. The culture has changed immensely in the fight world and women are becoming a larger part as we know it. I do believe that more people are paying attention to female fights and getting into them. Personally, I cannot stand any type of MMA fighting whether it be female or male because I do not find the sense in beating people senseless. I do however hold a sense of respect for Rousey and the accomplishments she has made.
I find Rousey extremely interesting. In our society, it is so difficult for women’s sports to get the same following and fan base that men’s sports receive. It is especially difficult to remain passionate and enthusiastic about what you’re doing when your counterpart (men’s MMA in Rousey’s case) is receiving so much attention. I appreciate her ability to continue to do what she loves and embrace her femininity outside her sport as well as her strength and intensity in the ring. I think when athletes like Rousey stand out and excel in their sport, it draws attention and interest, not only to her, but also the sport. I think the process of a culture change take a long time but women’s sports are slowly, but surely, gaining attention in society. It is important to have female athletes to help lead the way for young women.
ReplyDeleteAllie McDavitt
I knew before that women had participated in UFC or another kind of MMA. This was the most popular fight with a woman involved, though. One, I believe that men were interested in this fight because Rousey is a beautiful woman. I also believe that people were interested because she is known to be a very good fighter. I believe that it most definitely is alright for women to participate in UFC or any kind of MMA. Fighting isn’t acceptable between men or women in our culture. But I believe that UFC is changing people’s views on that. I do think that women are becoming more popular in the sport, I think that this popularity will continue to grow with Rousey. Sex does sell, in my eyes. I know a handful of guys who only wanted to watch this fight because of Rousey’s looks.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is great that women participate in UFC. Furthermore, it is a good thing for women to participate. This is coming from 2 different angles. First, it benefits women’s sports and to have highly competitive and very athletic women competing on a national stage is awesome. It brings a positive light towards women’s athletics. The second, is that it benefits the sport of MMA by incorporating more athletes and drawing a larger audience. I think that most likely those who do not think that MMA is “lady-like” behavior, are also most likely in opposition of the sport of MMA and do not watch the events. I think that female MMA will defiantly expand. The sport of MMA has expanded immensely in the last 2 decades, and I think that we will gradually see more and more of female MMA championship matches. The revenue may not equal that of male participants, but it will defiantly go up as the interest in the sport grows.
ReplyDeleteMatthias E. Reiber
Courtney,
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think this is the exact type of article this class should be examining. You ask "is it acceptable for women to participate in the UFC?" Absolutely, it is acceptable and I think it should be encouraged. If women want to be treated equally in the sports world, they need to prove that they can provide an entertaining event just like any of their male counterparts. Ronda Rousey seems to take that on her own shoulders, and she has become one of the most exciting fighters to watch in the UFC as a whole. UFC needs to employ more capable fighters like Rousey, and as the UFC grows and more women begin to fight, they will become more empowered as athletes.
Joey Durant
Thanks for your suggestion Joey. I will look in to including more discussion on this article!
ReplyDeleteDr. Spencer