Sarah Banet—Weiser

Sarah Banet—Weiser teaches at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. In the following selection, she discusses the challenge that female athletes face in gaining respect as competitors while still maintaining the qualities traditionally associated with femininity, such as motherhood, beauty, and morality. Banet—Weiser focuses on how players in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) gained popularity for meeting this challenge. Banet—Weiser suggests that by combining athleticism and competitiveness with the traditional notions of femininity, WNBA athletes are offering a new conception of femininity and serving as powerful role models for young girls.

The American public's fascination with female athletes...