When I mentioned physicality, I wasn't wholly thinking of the contact element of the game. Men, in general, tend to be larger and stronger than women (having studied a little of bit of biological anthropology I am aware that this is a generalisation and that comparative size and strength occurs in overlapping ranges) which means that the men's game is more likely to be faster, they are more likely to hit the ball harder, can cover the ground more quickly, and can occupy more space more easily. All factors that, arguably, make the men's game more exciting to watch. That element is unlikely to change. Although people are gradually getting larger, sexual dimorphism (the comparative size and shape of the bodies of the different sexes) is unlikely to alter that drastically. The eradication of tackling, heading etc won't make much of a difference to parity when these factors are considered, in my opinion. There is, however, no reason that technically and tactically the women's game can't be on a par with that of the men. I think its on this basis that the mens and womens games will come closer together. The logical evolution of that would be that the womens game begins to pull ahead of the mens game in those areas.
Top paragraph is spot on. That won't ever change and that's why mens football will always be the primary choice. Better product. That said, I am not too interested in the comparison. People can enjoy it for what it is and others may not and therefore not watch. The media must stop the blatent clickbait though and add in woman's football in headlines.
I'm not a fan of F1 but wonder why there are no female drivers. And, for fans of F1, would it be as good/better/worse if all of the top drivers were female?
There have been 5 women who have started Grand Prix, the most recent being Giovanna Amati in 1992. There have been plenty of female test drivers though. No idea why there haven't been more and no one seems to be able to offer a reasonable explanation. The Simmonite sisters did ok, and were quite popular, in rallying.
So I see So, in your view, would it be as good/better/worse if all of the top drivers were female? It's an interesting question as there's no reason why women shouldn't be able to compete, as far as I know. After all they often claim to be superior drivers, Mrs Smug does. Do you think the teams deliberately exclude women or aren't they up to the job.
Interesting stuff. I suppose men will be faster as a rule, but the question is whether a faster game is a better game I suppose. Beauty is in the eye of fhe beholder after all. In some ways the speed debate comes back to the heart of the current coaching conundrums. Go back only 10 years and academies tended be full of big, strong, quick lads. Now, much less so. I have a number of old scouting requirement cards from pro clubs which talk physical traits in a big way. Coaching now is less about speed and strength, and much more about technique. In many ways we have gone back in time and use phrases like 'let the ball do the work', ' you cant beat a pass in a race'. There isnt as much emphasis now on using speed to beat a man, more so on technical ability, or passing (through the lines anyone?). Football for many coaches is now a game of patience in possession. Men will arguably make ground quickly to receive forever, but I suppose my point is that slightly slower game wont necessarily look markedly slower for much longer, and in time, if the womens game keeps improving, the audiences will keep growing. Hopefully at that point the need to compare to the mens game the media have curently will be no longer. Whatever I will no doubt continue to watch both, because I enjoy them in their nuanced forms.
Due to the physicality required over the duration of a Grand Prix. They cannot cope with 2 hours of the lateral g force travelling round bends whilst being competitively quick enough to compete with the men. So they are not fast enough basically. Even though it’s the car that does the “work” women can’t compete with men because they do not posses the required physical attributes to be as fast as them over the course of a full race. That and they are ****e at parallel parking in the pits.
Yeah, I realise that didn't answer the question! It is an interesting one. With the number of female test drivers there have been, you'd have thought that one would have made the step. The obvious suggestion would be that its down to physicality again. You do have to be fit to drive in F1. Having said that, I remember seeing a television programme once about a study that showed that short people, and particularly women, were more capable of standing extremes of g force. So you'd think that women might have an advantage in that respect in F1.
I don't disagree to be honest. I think that the gap will get smaller. I suppose the point that I'm trying to make is that there will always be some difference, due to differences in physiology. A difference in quality is another matter though and there is no reason why that shouldn't be more or less eradicated. For some people though, there will always be a perceived difference. I know people who wouldn't deign to watch non-league football and I can imagine there will be people who retain the same attitude to women's football long into the future.
Interesting stuff mate. I'm still intrigued as to whether the teams believe they should endeavour to keel it as a 'macho sport' and whether interest would wain if all of the drivers were women. After all it's supposed to be about the cars, the teams, the ground crew, etc ... ... that would all remain the same.
My only involvement in F1 was doing pit lane security for Ferrari at Monaco. The other lads were more experienced but the Ferrari people wanted an English speaker so I got the gig every year. It was all fuelled by testosterone tbh. The owners, teams, drivers, even sponsors were men ... ... the only females involved were wearing mini skirts and handing out champagne.
There has been at least one example in Rally Driving where a woman raced against the men and won her fair share of races. Pat Moss was a successful Showjumper who switched to Rally Driving in the late 50's and continued till the early 70's. She was taught to drive as a youngster by her elder brother, Stirling, and she married Eric Carlsson a very successful Raley Driver, and to hold her head up with those two, she had to be good.
Personally, I don't agree that the prize money should be the same for women's tennis than the men's. I could be persuaded if the women started playing the best of 5 sets instead of 3. I enjoy football at all levels, but don't compare the standard in League 1 with the Premier League. It's the same for the women's game, which I enjoy. I've been attending games at Eppleton for years and the standard of football is improving. There's a freshness about it. No prima donnas, no time wasting or players rolling around in agony one minute and running like a young Gazelle the next. I love watching both the mens and women's games. I'm a Sunderland fan and I choose to follow both teams. Once the strength in depth issue is solved, the product will improve. I remember England men murdering Cyprus and other teams (think Macshite scored 5 that day). That was in the 1970's - almost a century after our club was founded, so the women's game has a lot of years to catch up. None of us were around in 1879, so we can't really comment on the standard of football in the mens game back then. The pay structure for women should only improve if the attendances and sponsorship deals improve and in time they probably will. It comes down to personal choice as to what people like to watch. I would prefer to watch a womens football game than a men's hockey game or a game of squash. That's my personal choice and I respect other people's choice too. I don't slate hockey or squash, just because I don't like watching it.
I've always thought the same about snooker. It's not about brute force, it's reading of angles and the weight/spin on the cue ball. I'm amazed more women aren't involved at the very top.
@@@ I've sometimes gone to bed, halfway through a game, and woke up to find Mrs Smug playing with my balls ... ... so there's some interest, although she sometimes needs a rest
