What societal problem or problems have you identified while researching your topic?
A lot of the sources I encountered had a very feminist view point on the topic. There was a lot of bias. I think the societal problem that this topic deals with is equality for women. Even though this is the 21st century women are still not receiving the opportunities that men are. It was also clear that society expects women to be the home maker. Some of the articles I read had a lot to do with patriarchy and men always being the ones in charge while women stay at home when this is clearly not the case this day in age.
What are the causes of this problem? Was it intentional? Are there extenuating circumstances?
The causes of this problem date back to women's rights and the introduction to Title IX. Title IX was to ensure equal opportunity to women in sport but I think they over looked the fact of coaching. I do not think it was intentional although there are a variety of sources that would argue otherwise saying that the world of sport is still looking to keep men in charge and keep the masculinity in sport.
What can we do about it? Is there any action that can be taken to change this? What action has been already attempted to address this problem? Why wasn't it successful?
I think to change this society needs to accept the talent and power that women can bring to the world of sport. The advantages to women coaching also need to be evaluated. The action that can be taken is to give women equal right as well as opportunities which as far as I know at this point has not been done (regarding salary and position turnover and new hires). None of this has been successful because of the view points society has on sport and the traditional masculinity that is involved.
In what ways is this thesis and topic challenging (p.108)?
This topic is challenging cause there are a lot of factors that play into the certain fact books that are available such as type of sport, level of sport and opportunities given. It is also challenging to find sources that are not completely biased and to find explanations for the reasons presented for the problem.
How is this thesis and topic compelling (p.108)?
This topic and thesis is compelling because it involves women's rights which have been an issue for many years. The intended audience for this topic is women involved in sport and the implications that are involved with the unequal opportunities for women in coaching is a direct relation to women playing sports.
In what ways is this thesis and topic debatable or controversial (p. 109)?
The biggest controversy is the argument that men are more knowledgeable and more capable in coaching than women. It is also controversial when looking at the numbers of coaching positions available to females vs the number of females applying for said positions.
Does it answer a challenging, compelling, and controversial question?
I think that this can be a a good question for an argument. As Anna said, a woman is seen as a home maker and not someone who is seen on a field or court in a pant suit coaching a mature group of young adults. -LM
Is it debatable?
This topic can be very debatable among certain focus groups. A girls team may be ecstatic to have a female coach that can be more understanding and better understand a females emotions, while some would rather have a male coach that will yell and scream at them to be motivating. -LM
Very debatable- LB
Does it get at the heart of the controversy?
yes -LM
Yes-Lb
Does it avoid overused ideas or common wisdom?
Not really, no. I think you could also look at the firing of Shannon Miller from the university of Minnesota-Duluth's woman's hockey team. -LM
Is it appropriate for the argument's audience, purpose, and context?
yes - LM
Yes-LB
Does it meet the needs of the project plan?
yes - LM
Yes-LB
Does it contain specific and interesting language (avoiding the titanic mistakes of clichéd phrases or use of the word 'interesting')?
I think it contains good language needed for this topic. You talked about title IX which is a huge part of woman's sports at the college level. -LM
Yes-LB