I was reading a rather strident article in my local college newspaper written by some feminist in training about how women are being oppressed by not being allowed to have their own ski-jumping competition. According to Rebecca Kuensting, feminist crusader at the UW Daily, the International Olympic Committee’s rationale for not holding a women’s ski jumping event is wholly unjustified:
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) contends that the reason why ski jumping remains the only Olympic sport from which women are excluded is not a matter of sexual discrimination. They claim that the women’s version of ski jumping lacks the size, universal appeal and history of world championships that is required of Olympic sports. If the fact sheet on their official Web site is any indication, the ladies of the Visa U.S. Women’s Ski Jumping Team aren’t buying it. The page attacks the IOC’s allegations point by point, citing that, “in 2009, more than 160 women from 18 nations were registered with FIS as elite ski jumpers.”
The disturbing truth is that there is no good reason why the IOC has chosen to exclude female ski jumpers from the Vancouver games. Female jumpers use the same jumps that men use, are scored according to very similar technical criteria, and have accumulated the numbers and support necessary for the success of their sport.
We always think of the Olympics as an event that celebrates equality, that brings people of all nations together. But if you’re a fan of ski jumping, you know there’s a whole host of willing athletes who aren’t allowed on the slopes.
Frankly, I think Kuensting is full of it. There’s no way that the number of women ski jumpers is sufficient. She cites 160 women from 18 nations, and that may comprise every single female ski jumper in the entire world from what I’ve seen. That isn’t nearly enough to sustain an Olympic sport. As for interest, who cares at all about women ski jumpers?
Honestly, most people don’t care much about male ski jumpers. However, there’s a big difference here: men – boys in particular – love to jump. When I was a kid I ski jumped all the time. There’s no way I could have ever been an elite ski jumper — I’m too big and heavy. To be competitive you have to be light and thin to catch the air. Guys like me have the trajectory of a cannon ball. But as a kid I didn’t care. I’d jump for hours just for the feeling of being free and airborne. I did it on skis, my bike, and even on the basketball court. I fell all the time, and hurt myself a couple times, but it was all worth it. I’ve never met a woman – ever – who had the same zeal for that experience.
Because men love flying so much, there will always be plenty of guys willing to launch themselves off ramps to sail for hundreds of feet through the air. The sport won’t be lacking, because it is an archetypically male pursuit, as exemplified by Icarus, the boy who flew too high.
What this leads me to is a question about the very origin of sports. Sports were created by men because they love the pursuits they represent. Boys naturally run, throw things, kick and jump. They love sticks and balls, and they want to perform feats with all these natural abilities and tools. As far as I know, every single sport in the Olympics, with the possible exception of figure skating and synchronized swimming, was invented by men. Is there any one single sport that women came up with by themselves? If not, why do they deserve exact equality in representation? What the hell is their point?
I suspect that if women created their own sport, the vast majority of men wouldn’t want to have anything to do with it. So why is it that these feminist blowhards are so set on parity in everything men have invented? Why don’t they create their own sport? Maybe we could have Olympic sock darning competitions, or Olympic Christmas tree decorating. Of course, gay men would probably win these events, but at least the girls could put in a decent effort.
But when it comes to men’s sports, what’s really the point? Sometimes, I think it’s simply to inflate the medal count. In fact, that’s probably how it started. Some countries figured they could sneak in a few more medals by training their women in ice hockey or something similarly ridiculous when played by women, and now we’re stuck permanently with a bunch of programs for freakish, butch women that nobody wants to watch anyway.
