Elite Women Athletes and Feminist Narrative in Sport

A number of sport philosophers have noted the potential of sport as meaningful narrative and storytelling. While these arguments are convincing, they fail to acknowledge that not all athletes experience sport in the same way, and that, in fact, many are marginalized based on their identity. This essay focuses on the marginalization of women athletes, in particular elite women athletes, in the narrative of sport. The most common athletic narratives serve to exclude women and remind female athletes of their secondary status. First, I establish the role of narrative and storytelling in sport. Secondly, I argue that gendered narratives pose a problem for women athletes—including both narratives intended to empower female athletes and narratives intended to compare male and female athletes. Finally, I conclude that because of this, feminist narratives in sport are necessary in order to better advance sport.