In Ancient Athens, women weren't allowed to compete in the Olympics. In fact, married women weren't even allowed in as spectators. In those days, prostitutes were the biggest female attraction at the games. Thank goddess times have changed.
Today, women aren't just competing in the swimming, gymnastics and track and field events I watched as a youth. They are also swinging, kicking, lunging, shooting, throwing, lifting, hitting and scoring in all kinds of sports. During the last two weeks we've watched female competitors come from all over the globe, each with her own distinct face and highly trained mind and body, each with her own unique story of pursued dreams and accomplishments.
While much has changed about women's athletic competition, some sexist ideals remain the same. Take women's beach volleyball. Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders on the sidelines of an NFL game is one thing, but dancing girls in bikinis at an Olympic venue? That was what was going on during timeouts on the beach volleyball court as Misty May and Kerri Walsh pursued their gold medals. Worse, the female athletes in that sport were required (by the sport's governing federation) to wear ridiculously skimpy bikinis during the competition. It's hard to think of any practical reason for the uniform design. While male beach volleyball players looked comfortable in their shorts and tank tops, the women spent almost as much time adjusting their too-tight unis as they did spiking the ball.
Unfortunately, I don't expect changes any time soon. Prostitution may not be the big business it was at the ancient Olympics, but the sexualization of women still sells. The beach volleyball court was one of the few nearly sold-out venues at the Athens Games. Still, the 2004 Olympic games were inspirational. Ryoko Tani of Japan made history by winning her second straight Olympic gold medal in the women's extra lightweight class in judo. Martina Navratilova, the 47-year-old tennis legend and Olympic rookie who was chasing her first Olympic medal, fell one match short of getting into medal contention in women's doubles. For pathos, it was hard to beat Great Britain's Paula Radcliffe, the world-record holder in the women's marathon, who gave up on the chance for an Olympic medal, running out of gas and tearfully dropping out of the race with less than four of the 26 miles to go. A few moments later, it was Deena Kastor of the United States who was crying as she passed several exhausted marathoners in the closing miles and won a surprising bronze medal.
The women's soccer final was also riveting, with Brazil giving the United States all it could handle, while the U.S. softball team dominated their event, easily winning gold. But while the sports media covered the U.S. men's basketball team's struggles like a multi-car freeway accident, the U.S. women's basketball team's romp to the gold medal game got the attention of a speed bump. In fact, only a night owl with cable could catch some of the best performances by women athletes. Many of the best were televised in the wee morning hours on non-network stations. The games in Athens were a great showcase for athletic talents of both genders, but it's still an Olympian task for women to be treated equally.
Andrea Lewis is a San Francisco-based writer and co-host of "The Morning Show" on KPFA Radio in Berkeley, Calif. She can be reached at pmproj@progressive.org.