1-3 Joural Article Analysis

The article that I chose for my analysis is titled “Grappling with Dominant Ideologies: Fox Network Weighs in on Girl/Boy Wrestling. This article compares three Fox shows and they way that they address girls who join the wrestling teams at school. All three articles provide a similar conclusion and varying details. The article indicates that wrestling and football are some of the only sports that do not allow girls to participate on boys teams. The article speaks about Title IX which was created in 1972. Title IX promised equality between male and female sports participants. This article was intended for people wanting to compare gender differences surrounding wrestling. The article could have a very vast audience as many people may find this information interesting. The three shows that are discussed in this article are King of the Hill, Malcolm in the Middle, and Boston Public.
The first television show that is discussed in this article is King of the Hill. In this episode of King of the Hill, Bobby Hill tries out for the wrestling team. Bobby is unaware of the fact that Connie, the neighbor is also trying out for team. In a strange turn of events Bobby and Connie have to wrestle each other to determine who makes the team. The wrestling match turns into an imitation WWF match and the contest is declared a draw. Therefore, Bobby and Connie both make the team. This strange turn of events did not help or hurt either one of the children, which is a good thing. This episode demonstrated that girls can wrestle with boys.
The second television show that is discussed in this article is an episode of Malcolm in the Middle. In this episode, Malcolm’s brother Reese tries out for the wrestling team. One of Reese’s first matches is against a girl. Reese’s family is outraged that he has to wrestle a girl. The girl ends the match by pinning Reese and winning the match. The family discusses the match at the dinner table and Reese feels embarrassed and annoyed. Reese stops being the bully at school after his loss on the wrestling mat. Things at school become out of control without Reese to enforce the rules. The episode ends with Reese returning to the playground as the bully. This episode has a very different ending than King of the Hill did. This episode demonstrates that a girl can beat a boy at wrestling and therefore, should be allowed to wrestle.
The third television show that this mentioned in this article is Boston Public. In this episode of Boston Public a chubby girl named Christine is beating up boys who pick on her. The wrestling coach figures out that Christine is person responsible for attacking the boys. He confronts Christine and she admits to the attacks. He suggests that she should join the wrestling team. She agrees to join the wrestling team even though her father is against it. She wins her first match. The team congratulates her on her win. They cannot lift her up because of her size so they pat her on the back. This television chose to focus on the fact the some girls do not the predefined role that has been created for them. This does not mean that they cannot be good things but it just means that they are different. Unfortunately, society does not act so kindly to kids that are different than everyone else.
The conclusion of this article explains that each of the girls on these television shows did well. These shows also warn of us of the implications of girls wrestling. The article suggests that girls’ wrestling is leading to a further deterioration of the sport. The article also implies that by girls being on a wrestling team they are taking spots away from boys who could be on the team. The article also indicates that it is dangerous for a girl to join a boy’s team. The article also indicates that the way the shows portray this situation is inaccurate.
This article was very well written. The thoughts are very well organized and they appear in correct chronological order. The main ideas are backed up thoughts, ideas, and supporting evidence provided by the author. The author provides us with her opinions about why the television shows presented the idea the way they did. This of course is her opinion and not fact but it seemed like a logical explanation. This article was very well written.
I do not agree with a great deal of information that was provided in this article. My son wrestles for our school and we have encountered female wrestlers in the past. Our family finds this to be very difficult because we have always taught our son that you never put your hands on a female. We are very strict with our beliefs about respecting women and how our son treats a female. In his wrestling career, he has had to wrestle a few girls. This is very difficult for him because he does not like to be tough with the girls because they are girls. He has worked through this and he uses the least amount of force necessary to win when wrestling a female opponent. I am an advocate for female rights and I believe that girls can do any sport that a boy can do, I am just not sure that a boy and girl should wrestle together.
The second issue that I have with male/female wrestling is their age. There becomes a time when I do not think that boys and girls have any business wrestling each other. It is disturbing to watch a twelve year old boy and a twelve year old girl roll around on the floor together. There is just something unnatural about watching that. I have no problem with girls wrestling but I think that there should be an all girl’s teams. I do not think that male and female wrestlers should wrestle each other.



References
Walton, T. (2007). Grappling with Dominant Ideologies: Fox Network Weighs in on Girl/Boy Wrestling. The Journal of Popular Culture, Vol. 40, No. 4, 714-727.