Motherhood And Sport

Although sport participation decreases on average for women once they become mothers, female athletes from the recreational, to the competitive, to the elite level have demonstrated that motherhood does not signal the end of sport engagement and athletic identities, or career and leadership roles. This is the first book to offer an in-depth examination of the nexus of women, sport and culture within the context of motherhood, uncovering new narratives that raise the profile of non-conformist performances. The book brings together international researchers using innovative and rigorous qualitative methods to show how sport affords or constrains women’s agency to devise, negotiate and live alternative versions of motherhood in and through sport. Presenting stories of sporting mothers in contexts including martial arts, leisure swimming, recreational running, triathlon and climbing, the book explores the shifting meaning and practices of motherhood across social, cultural and media/digital landscapes. Deliberately challenging taken-for-granted ways of thinking about motherhood and sport, this book is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in the socio-cultural study of sport, gender and sport, women’s studies, sport coaching, sport leadership, sport development, or qualitative and digital research methods.

You love the adventure of motherhood, but some days managing it all sets your head spinning and your personal goals seem like dim memories. Meet Genevieve Butcher, mother of 4 young children, enthusiastic marathon runner and author of The Sport of Motherhood. As she worked to raise her family and maintain her race training, Genevieve began using well-tested marathon training techniques to organize her daily life. Her personal results were so fantastic, and her familys experience was so positive, that she knew she wanted to share her program with busy moms everywhere. Now, over 300 interviews, many workshops, and an award-winning cable TV show later, The Sport of Motherhood offers a goal-oriented, step-by-step training program for moms who run a marathon every day and who seek pacing, endurance and balance in their lives.

Over the past decade, the stakes in youth sports have reached startling heights; the pressure to win often eclipses the desire to have fun. Sports injuries have increased tenfold; aggression on and off the field—between kids, parents, and coaches—is at a fever pitch; and drug and alcohol use among young athletes is on the rise. While there are plenty of books that help the best-intentioned parent, most of them are written by men, for men. They do not address concerns specific to mothers, nor empower them to confidently step onto the out-of-control playground to assume whatever role they choose—spectator, advocate, administrator, coach, fund-raiser, or team mom. Home Team Advantage is an essential resource manual that will inspire women to confidently tackle some of the issues preventing their kids from enjoying sports. Brooke de Lench authoritatively covers issues ranging from ensuring playing time and confronting out-of-control coaches to countering the "winning at all costs" mentality. Packed with real-life anecdotes and information from experts, Home Team Advantage provides constructive, practical, and forward-thinking advice to help mothers understand the critical role they can play in putting the words fun, game, and play back into youth sports.

Mothers and mothering have been a longtime focus of research and study in various academic disciplines, and common topics of interest in mainstream press and popular culture, yet the experiences of mothers and mothering in the area of sport have been less explored. This innovative, interdisciplinary collection provides a space for exploration of the complex dimensions of intersections between mothers, mothering, and sport, as athletes, players, participants, parents and discursive figures. Topics discussed are wide-ranging, from motherwork in sport, mothers as athletes, the athlete mother in sports, representations and expectations of motherhood and health, legal regulation of sports and parenting, as well as sexuality and gender in sports and gaming.

Wanting to exercise during your pregnancy? Trying to balance both roles as a mom and as an athlete? Whether you are a recreational or high performance athlete, a health care or exercise professional, this is a must have book! Based on latest research findings, advice from clinical experts and input from over 40 athletes, this book offers practical information on staying active during these 9 months (and beyond), while addressing many of the common fears and misconceptions.

Mother's Taxi is a detailed study of how women facilitate and service the sport played by others, particularly their immediate family members. It illustrates how domestic labor and childcare done by women provides the space for others to participate in sport, contributing directly to individual sporting careers and generally servicing sport as an institution. It offers important considerations for studies of sport, leisure, and gender relations by highlighting an aspect of women's relationships to sport which has been largely ignored.

Who was your mother before she was a mother? Essays and photos from Brit Bennett, Jennifer Egan, Danzy Senna, Laura Lippman, Jia Tolentino, and many more. In this remarkable collection, New York Times–bestselling novelist Edan Lepucki gathers more than sixty original essays and favorite photographs to explore this question. The daughters in Mothers Before are writers and poets, artists and teachers, and the images and stories they share reveal the lives of women in ways that are vulnerable and true, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and always moving. Contributors include: Brit Bennett * Jennine Capó Crucet * Jennifer Egan * Angela Garbes * Annabeth Gish * Alison Roman * Lisa See * Danzy Senna * Dana Spiotta * Lan Samantha Chang * Laura Lippman * Jia Tolentino * Tiffany Nguyen * Charmaine Craig * Maya Ramakrishnan * Eirene Donohue * and many others

Women in many Westernized countries encounter a wider variety of career opportunities than afforded in previous decades, and the percentage of women leaders in nearly every sector is on the rise. Sport coaching, however, remains a domain where gender equity has declined or stalled, despite increasing female sport participation. The percentage of women who coach women are in the minority in most sports, and there is a near absence of women coaching men. This important new book examines why. Drawing on original multi-disciplinary research from across the globe, including first-hand accounts from practicing coaches, the book illuminates and examines the status of women in coaching, explores the complex issues they face in pursuing their careers, and suggests solutions for eliminating the barriers that impede women in coaching. Developing an innovative model of intersectionality and power constructs through which to guide research, the book covers issues including sexual identity, race, motherhood, cross-gender coaching and media coverage to give voice to women coaches from around the world. As such, Women in Sports Coaching is essential reading for serious students and scholars of sports coaching, sport sociology or anyone with an interest in gender and sport.

The Go-To Guide to Keep You Active and Healthy During Your Pregnancy and Beyond Whether you're a professional athlete or a dedicated weekend warrior, you're serious about your sport and your commitment to fitness. But now that you're pregnant, you may be getting conflicting health and exercise advice from your family, friends, and doctors. With all the concerns and misinformation, it's hard to know where to turn for accurate, supportive guidance so you can have a safe, healthy pregnancy and maintain a high level of fitness. Now, in The Pregnant Athlete, triathlete/trainer mom Brandi Dion, fitness professional Steven Dion, and OB/GYN Joel Heller have teamed up to offer: Practical information on how your body changes each month, and how to gauge your own limits Flexible workout plans for strength, cardiovascular conditioning, agility, and balance for each stage of pregnancy and the postpartum period Facts and tips about eating well to support pregnancy and fuel your workouts The truth about old wives' tales and common pregnancy myths and misconceptions With expert advice and medical insights from an OB/GYN, useful information for the pregnant athlete's partner, and inspiring stories from other athletic moms-to-be, The Pregnant Athlete will help you stay happy, healthy, and in top form during your pregnancy and beyond.

In The Sport Marriage, Steven M. Ortiz draws on studies he conducted over nearly three decades that focus on the marital realities confronted by women married to male professional athletes. These women, who are usually portrayed in unflattering and/or unrealistic terms, face enormous challenges in their attempts to establish and maintain functional marital and family lives while the husband routinely puts his career first. Ortiz defines the traditional sport marriage as a career-dominated marriage, illustrating how it encourages women to contribute to their own subordination through adherence to an unwritten rulebook and a repertoire of self-management strategies. He explains how they make invaluable contributions to their husbands’ careers while adjusting to public life and trying to maintain family privacy, managing power and control issues, and coping with pervasive groupies, overinvolved mothers, a culture of infidelity, and husbands who prioritize team loyalty. He gives these historically silent women a voice, offering readers perceptive and sensitive insight into what it means to be a woman in the male-dominated world of professional sports.