I’m finally talking about Ronda Rousey. I’m not particularly interested in UFC. Fighting, blood, etc. off of a football field just makes me queasy. However, I can’t ignore it, because it’s a huge part of professional sports today. UFC fighters are making more money than most athletes. That includes Rousey. Her sponsorships are out of this world.
A recent article from MMA Weekly talks about how Rousey is paving the way for women in UFC fighting and sport in general. According to the article, Rousey’s “explosive” style brings men to watch and debate about the fights she’s in. The article makes the claim that you wouldn’t talk about men’s basketball and women’s basketball in the same group or place, but you would talk about Ronda Rousey in either of these places. WHAT? Is this guy serious?
I can have a conversation about women’s soccer and football with the same group of people. I can’t believe this was even put in the article. It was written by a man, obviously, because what woman would ever make that ridiculous claim?
This guy may be wrong, though, because Twitter is filled with talk of Rousey’s appearance, and little else.
So are they talking about men’s sports and Rousey because she’s #hot, or because she’s good? I guess even the media doesn’t know. Is she making strides for women in sports, or is she making strides for herself?
Women in Sports Journalism 