ABSTRACT
This chapter explores and presents theoretical and empirical examples of gender discriminations and how they are impacting the behaviour of women (girls) in the sports marketplace. It also explores the problems associated with winner-takes-all markets, status and positional concerns, human capital theory, the misallocation of talent and market inefficiencies. It was a commonly accepted social norm in this period that females were weak and in constant need of protection and should not participate in sport for their own safety – a point of view that was carried into the modern age. The knock-on effect of women being seen as less able to do the same job as their male colleagues results in demand-side discrimination. The stereotypical image of modern sports is that of a masculine activity, with men watching men play sport and role of the sporting superstars being the sole purview male athletes and reinforced by the media.
