[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.91″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”2px|0px|8px|0px” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Featured Image caption” _builder_version=”3.17.3″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px”]<\/p>\n
Rugby player Sedona Schuehle wears men\u2019s cleats to practice. There are no cleats sold specifically for rugby players, so most of the players wear men\u2019s soccer cleats. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.92″ custom_padding=”2px|0px|37.9062px|0px” prev_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px|0px|18.9531px|0px” custom_margin=”10px|||” _builder_version=”3.0.92″][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”News Story” _builder_version=”3.17.3″ custom_margin=”0px||0px|”]<\/p>\n The ‘Me Too’ movement spotlighted how females are treated in the entertainment industry but female athletes have been campaigning for equal treatment for years.<\/p>\n The ‘Equal Play Equal Pay’ movement was brought about by the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team in 2012, whose members of the team demanded that they get paid as much as the men’s team. But\u00a0female athletes get paid less in the professional arena – they also don’t have access to the necessary equipment like cleats in the recreational arena.<\/p>\n Cleats are vital to athletes who want to ensure top performance. \u00a0Some female athletes are crying foul as they struggle to find the range of cleats that are available to their male counterparts.\u00a0<\/span>Major sporting good retailers sell more men\u2019s equipment in store than women\u2019s – especially when it comes to cleats. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Most high school softball teams require metal cleats but when playing on turf, regular cleats are required. Softball players like former high school catcher Kelsey Schalonis, who played for Top Gun Softball, have difficulty finding both types of cleats in the major stores. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI would have to go to those little Mom and Pop shops to buy metal cleats,\u201d said Schalonis. \u00a0\u201cFor some reason Dick\u2019s would never have them, Sports Authority would never have them; the big retailers never had the good stuff that I needed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ashley Goins, head athletic trainer at the University of South Carolina, played soccer and lacrosse in high school. She had to search the men’s section for cleats, unable to find them in the women’s . <\/span><\/p>\n Goins\u2019 best available resource was to wear men\u2019s cleats in a smaller size – but there was one problem.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy foot wasn\u2019t big enough to wear men\u2019s shoes, so I went to the boys section,\u201d said Goins. <\/span><\/p>\n Goins is a size seven which converts to a men\u2019s five and a half. \u00a0For most stores, size six starts the boys’ section. Furthermore, i<\/span>f a store does carry women\u2019s cleats, the majority of the time they are in bright colors that not everybody wants.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cColor is a big part of the issue as well, I didn\u2019t want pink or purple cleats,\u201d said Goins, mother of two girls. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Pink for girls and blue for boys has been a long standing trend in the fashion and marketing industry. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Stephen Shapiro, associate professor for USC’s Department of Sport and Entertainment Management, believes there are fewer resources put into women\u2019s sports which affects the marketing strategies of the major companies. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI have a seven-year-old daughter and she does not like pink,\u201d said Shapiro. \u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to find things that aren\u2019t pink, particularly for sports equipment for girls. I think over time that will change as we get a cultural shift in terms of what women consumers would be interested in.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The issue is not that women\u2019s cleats don\u2019t sell or that only the pink cleats sell.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy guess is that those large national or international companies are just looking at it from a broad range and saying we feel like we\u2019re getting more bang for our buck selling the boy equipment,\u201d said Shapiro.<\/p>\n Shapiro believes that with the increasing amount of participation in women sports, stores should soon start catching up and carrying more supplies for women.\u00a0<\/span>He also thinks that media plays a role in the marketing strategy as well. \u00a0If media coverage was spread equally, women would have more opportunity to grow which would make more equipment available. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe times that we have seen major women\u2019s sport on television, it\u2019s done pretty well,\u201d said Shapiro. \u201cI mean, look at the women\u2019s world cup. \u00a0They sell out their games, huge ratings on television. You look at Serena Williams, and her success at tennis and the ratings that she gets when she\u2019s competing.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThose are just doses of the possibility if woman sport got more attention. \u00a0At this point, the resources go to men\u2019s sports from a media coverage perspective. \u00a0Usually attendance and interest follow along that line.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n There has already been progress from Title IX, federal civil rights law which prevents<\/span> discrimination based on sex. With the advent of Title IX in the 1970s, women’s collegiate sports programs bloomed across the country. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen elite women athletes are playing at a high level, and they\u2019re given an opportunity to play, you\u2019ll definitely see growth,\u201d said Shapiro. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hopefully with the growth of women’s participation in sports, there will be easier access to equipment so that Goins and Shapiro’s daughters won’t have to wear pink or men’s cleats in order to play.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 1″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.17.3″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/CleatsP1_KK.jpg”]<\/p>\n \n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 1″ _builder_version=”3.17.3″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||”]<\/p>\n Stephen Shapiro, associate professor for USC\u2019s Department of Sport and Entertainment Management, believes there are fewer resources put into women\u2019s sports which effects the marketing strategies of the major companies. He has a daughter who hates pink so it\u2019s hard for him to find equipment for her. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 2″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.17.3″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/CleatsP2_KK.jpg”]<\/p>\n \n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 2″ _builder_version=”3.17.3″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||”]<\/p>\n At local sporting goods store Todd & Moore, there are cleats for both genders for every sport. Ashley Goins, head athletic trainer at the University of South Carolina, played women’s soccer and lacrosse in high school. She had trouble finding women\u2019s cleats in many stores.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 3″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.17.3″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/CleatsP4_KK.jpg”]<\/p>\n \n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 3″ _builder_version=”3.17.3″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||”]<\/p>\n Women in sports is increasing. USC Women\u2019s Rugby team has seen an increase in participation, while the television coverage of the sport is also increasing after the 2016 Olympics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 4″ show_in_lightbox=”on” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.17.3″ custom_margin=”||2px|” custom_padding=”|||” animation_style=”slide” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ box_shadow_horizontal=”4px” box_shadow_vertical=”4px” src=”http:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/CleatsP5_KK.jpg”]<\/p>\n \n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 4″ _builder_version=”3.17.3″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_font_size=”12px” text_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”8px|||2px” custom_padding=”|||”]<\/p>\n The availability of women’s sports equipment is inconsistent. On the left is the women\u2019s cleats section at a major sporting goods store and on the right, is the cleat selection at Todd and Moore located in Columbia.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Women are known to love shopping for shoes, but the modern female athlete can’t find the shoes she needs. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129,"featured_media":14796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[38,69],"tags":[108,388,387],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12843"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/129"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12843"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14864,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12843\/revisions\/14864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carolinanewsandreporter.cic.sc.edu\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}