By: Lawal Damilare

Sports has been like a casual language that has broken lots of barriers across several niches. It has succeeded across cultural ideologies and beyond gender biases. Today, sports participation is accessible to everyone, regardless of age, ability, or background. People from all walks of life – the elderly, individuals with special needs, men, women, and children – in the face of enlightenment have equal opportunities to engage in sports.

Women however face scrutiny and stereotyping because of social construct. The female gender is wrongly seen as fragile, less capable, and passive. Where sport is seen as masculine, some, unreasonably see women as intruding. Take the United State for an instance, it is rare to see women hold key positions in the sector. Women hold only 33% of general manager positions within the Women’s National Basketball Association. Outside of the U.S, women rarely hold leadership positions in sports. The International Olympic Committee only recently met its self-imposed threshold of at least 20% women members in its board. Within the National Olympic Governing bodies (NGBs), 85.3% of governing bodies are male leadership teams; 14.1% have male/female leadership teams; whereas only one (5%); Zambia, has an all-female leadership team.

In Nigeria, women participation in sports has been experiencing a surge. Many female athletes have continued to make their mark on the global stage. From track and field to football, basketball, and wrestling, females have truly made an indelible impact both nationally and internationally. This remarkable progress is supported by compelling statistics that highlight their achievements.

In recent years, Nigerian female athletes have had a substantial increase in international medals, often surpassing their male counterparts. This shift brings to fore the evolving sports culture in Nigeria, where women have historically faced stigma and gender discrimination. Athletes like Asisat Oshoala, Ajibade Rashidat and Tobi Amusan are proud figures flying the country’s green and white colours.

The journey towards gender equality which is is yet at its peak is an ongoing project. At present, Nigerian women still face challenges, including inadequate funding and limited access to training facilities. But, despite these obstacles, they have remained resolute, demonstrating resilience and breaking barriers that extend beyond the perimeters of sports.

UI Perception to Female Sports

The University of Ibadan community mirrors the mainstream in its sluggish progress of female sports. Despite occasional participation of females in inter-faculty games and in other internal competitions like Seals Cup, or in external events such as NUGA and Pre-NUGA, female sports have stagnated for years. It still struggles to gain popular momentum. Although female participation really lag in football, basketball, badminton, judo, and taekwondo witness their participation but uncelebrated.

UI female Scrabble champion, Kelani Funmilola, a 400 level Pharmacy student and a medalist from the last FASU game had the following to say; “in scrabble, male and female play together many times too. But the males seem to dominate. Not any form of discrimination against females in fact females are cherished and encouraged. But it just seems the males take it more seriously and become better. This applies to UI also”.

Despite the obvious inclusion of females in sports within the university community, it doesn’t naturally culminate to the response of the University of Ibadan interest to watch the games. There are usually less turnout in female games, whether internal or external.

Speaking with Olamiposi Motilola, a final year student of Political science and a fan of football, he said, “it is more of an indoctrination thing. In the sense that Nigeria women are not encouraged to participate in sports. It is also reflective on the university community, which is why many will not respond to the sporting activities that occur from their end“.

Speaking with Peculiar another student, he said, “I believe it is the energy, the adrenaline that female sports put in, for example, when we watch seals cup for instance, in the male match, the energy, they play the full field. When the ladies are playing they use monkey post, they also kick the ball weakly, why will I then be stressing myself, I watched the last Seals Cup final, not because I was interested but because I wanted to reserve my seat for the male final. Now watching the match I was disgusted, the way they were playing was very irritating, for someone that’s supporting a good football club for example and knows what football is like, you cannot enjoy a game from the ASE female invincible team. So the energy is not equal, the fact that they play a smaller field already gives our mind a condescending view of their game. Also their participation towards it is very small, for instance ASE is one of the most populous department in the University at the moment, but yet all the ladies that came cannot even fill up one stand at SUB, that means they didn’t turn up for themselves and so guys will not even come.”

Oladapo Salvador, a 300 level student of the Department of Human Nutrition shared his opinion also. Oladapo Salvador weighed in to say, “I think the issue is quite different, I mean of course we know that the female gender cannot match the energy of the male, but I don’t think it is really the energy level but the coordination, but the professionalism, they have little training compared to the male, and people will not turn and the females will not turn up because they are not really sports enthusiast.”

Skills and Perception? 

When it comes to physical sports, it is said that male counterparts are better in terms of their skill than the female football team. The perception of skill in female sports at the University of Ibadan reflects broader global trends, yet it is also influenced by local or cultural contexts. Globally, women’s sports have historically been undervalued, often leading to stereotypes about their capabilities and skill levels. This perception can affect participation rates, funding, and media coverage. For instance, women’s sports leagues in countries like the United States and the UK have made significant strides, yet they still face challenges in gaining equal recognition compared to their male counterparts.

At the University of Ibadan, similar dynamics may be at play. Female athletes often encounter societal stereotypes that question their physical abilities and competitiveness. This can lead to a lack of investment in women’s sports programs, resulting in fewer resources for training, coaching, and skill development. In contrast, male sports often receive more attention and support, reinforcing the belief that they are inherently more skilled.

It is obvious that skill can be one of the greatest turn offs for any natural sport lover if he or she cannot at least detect a little level of professionalism from the athletes he desires to watch.

While the perception of skill in female sports at the University of Ibadan shares similarities with global challenges, it is essential to consider local cultural factors. Addressing these perceptions through increased support, visibility, and investment in female athletics can help elevate their performance.

Women Supporting Women?

The lack of support from women themselves for female sports is a critical issue that resonates both at the University of Ibadan and on the global stage. This phenomenon can be attributed to various factors, including societal norms, historical contexts, and the visibility of female athletes.

Globally, women’s sports have made significant strides, but many female athletes still struggle with support from their peers. In countries like the United States, initiatives aimed at empowering women in sports, such as Title IX, have encouraged female participation. However, even in this context, some women may feel disconnected from female sporting events, often choosing to support male sports instead, possibly due to the ingrained perception that men’s sports are more competitive or entertaining.

At the University of Ibadan, the situation mirrors these global trends but is also shaped by local cultural attitudes. Female students may be less inclined to attend women’s sporting events, often influenced by societal expectations that prioritize academic achievement over athletic involvement.

Recalling the statement of the first respondent, which stated that there is a stereotype built in for females forwards sports. As a result, female athletes may not receive the encouragement they need from their own communities, which can further perpetuate the cycle of underrepresentation and underperformance.

This lack of support can have significant implications. When women do not rally behind their female athletes, it diminishes the potential for building a strong sporting culture that values and promotes women’s achievements. In contrast, successful global movements have shown that when women support one another, it can lead to increased visibility, participation, and success in sports.

The lack of investment in proper training facilities, as well as bad organization can also foster apathy within the UI student community towards female sports. Esther, a 400 level Mathematics student said, “upon entering UI, I had a very strong interest for sports, but the community itself didn’t encourage such. It was also difficult to spot such clubs.“

The culmination of this leaves us to infer that there is a very long road to ply in order to change the gender orientation in sports. The long road continues until organization is fostered, and sensitization consistently held.