Think of the sports you watch on TV. You probably watch football, with 300 pound lineman tackling a running back hard enough that you even feel the pain. You probably watch basketball, with tall, athletic players jumping out of the gym on dunks. You may even watch golf, with golfers hitting the ball well over 300 yards. The question then comes up, should sports be co-ed? With the way sports are played today, sports should not be co-ed.

Football is a physical sport which size, strength, and quickness play a big role. The physical requirements of the sport put women at a disadvantage. “The average lineman is 6'0” to 6'8” tall and weighs 290 to 350 lbs and all NFL lineman fall into this range” (Chase). Body weight is not the only thing stopping women from playing football; strength is another big factor. The world’s strongest woman, who bench pressed 531 lbs. (Stanley), does not compare to the world’s strongest man, who bench pressed 1,008 lbs (1000). The argument arises that the women could be quicker than the men, but that argument is invalid when you look at the world’s fastest sprinters in the 100m dash. The world record holder for the men’s 100m dash is 9.74 second, which is .75 seconds faster than the women’s world record at 10.49 seconds (100 Metres). Also, the world record holder for the men’s 400m dash time is 43.18 seconds, which is 4.42 seconds faster than the world record holder for the women’s world record at 47.60 seconds (400 Metres).

Basketball is another sport that men have an advantage. Basketball is a sport that requires height above all else. With the average height of an NBA basketball player at 6’6.98” (2007-08 Player Survey: Height), which is well above the average height of a WNBA basketball player at 5’11.84” (2002-03 WNBA Player Survey Averages), the women would be at a disadvantage. The size of the ball is another thing that would hurt women. The ball used in the WNBA is 28.5 inches in diameter, whereas the ball used in the NBA is 29.5 inches. The reason for this size difference is that a woman’s hand is smaller than a man’s hand, which affects the shooters’ shot. You also would have to bring the speed factor, seen above, back into play, saying that men are faster than women.

Golf is the one pro sport that has experimented with going coed. The woman that has participated in 13 men’s tournaments, seven of those being on the PGA Tour, is Michelle Wie. She has participated in a total of 13 men’s tournaments and a total of 42 women’s tournaments, and has yet to accumulate a win (Michelle Wie). With golfers like Tiger Woods hitting the ball 425 yards (PGA), you have to bring the strength factor back into the picture. Women are just not as strong as men, which affects how far they can hit the ball. This is proven with Michelle Wie’s longest hit of 316 yards (PGA).

Sports should not be co-ed on the basis that men are bigger, stronger, and quicker than women. The most popular sports involve big hits, large size, and long swings. Women athletes may be tough enough to compete with men, but the factors above would put them at a disadvantage that would not benefit the athletes or the fans of our favorite sports.






Works Cited
“100 Metres.” 22 Feb. 2008. Wikipedia. 22 Feb. 2008 .
“1000 Pound Bench Press.” Bench Press Supersite. 21 Feb. 2008 .
“2002-03 WNBA Player Survey Averages.” Women’s National Basketball Association. 12 Feb. 2008 .
“2007-08 Player Survey: Height.” 27 Nov. 2007. National Basketball Association. 12 Feb. 2008 .
“400 Metres”. 22 Feb. 2008. Wikipedia. 22 Feb. 2008
Chase, Cecil Martin. “How to be an NFL Lineman.” 2007. The Geisheker Group Marketing Firm. 20 Feb. 2008 .
“Michelle Wie.” 25 Feb. 2008. Wikipedia. 25 Feb. 2008
“PGA Tour Longest Drive.” 22. Jan. 2008. Sports Illustrated. 25 Feb. 2008
Stanley, Carl. “Women's World Bench Press Record Broken!” March 19. 2006. Goheavy.com Forums. 21 Feb. 2008 .