Eric Emilcar
Caitlin Geoghan
FIQWS 10113 MED3
12/3/19
The Fallacy of Normalcy
Normalcy is defined as the condition of being typical or usual. Normalcy is a social construct that is dependent upon the commonality amongst the majority. Those that drift from the standard of normalcy are to be considered as “deviant”. The term, deviant, creates a negative stigma that confines the deviants to the outcasts of society. In society, sports are considered to be a feature of masculinity. The ideal that sports are for males and arts are for females has been instilled from an early age. It is telling that female sports fail to receive the same recognition as the male counterparts due to this fallacy. Even though the sports between both genders are played the same, they fail to bring about equality in the attention it garners. Davis’s “Constructing Normalcy” brings awareness to how societal norms shape our perception of who should deserves recognition in regards to sports.
Although societal norms have existed since the beginning of time, the presence of the media has had a drastic effect on the perception of sports. Male sports are believed to be more exciting because of the higher quality coverage and higher quality commentary. In comparison female sports are considered inferior because it is projected as slower due to the lack of high quality coverage such as fewer replay highlights and camera angles. Also another factor that needs to be accounted for is how the media pressures female participants to conform to society’s standards of femininity. This not only objectifies female participants, but undermines the entire female sport. In terms of “Constructing Normalcy,” this can be attributed to the society’s ideal body. Davis puts it best, “all members of the population are below the ideal” (Davis 10) due to society’s perception of an ideal body. This contributes to how in female sports, looks garner more attention than the actual ability to play soccer. For example, Alex Morgan is a phenomenal talent with multiple World Cup wins on her list of accomplishments, yet her looks are she is famous for. Female sports are confined to be viewed through the lens of beauty which detracts from the quality of the respective sports.
Another perspective can be observed in the WNBA. As Davis mentioned in “Constructing Normalcy,” there’s an ideal weight, height, and overall look of a woman that society has constructed. These WNBA players are slighted for their less than “stereotypical” look of a woman with an abnormal average height being around 6 feet in comparison to the average height of 5 ‘4. As Davis mentions in “Constructing Normalcy,” “the concept of a norm implies that the majority of the population must or should somehow be part of the norm” (Davis 13). The bell curve exaggerates the deviations from the norm which can be attributed to how female players are slighted for the atypical height in terms of societal norms. Although the seemingly abnormal height of female players is seen as intimidating, the abnormal height of male players is glorified. This can be attributed to the gender norms that constrain women in modern society. The incredible skills of these players are instantly discredited because they do not appear to be “attractive” in seemingly baggy uniforms. It is especially telling that Kincks games are always close to sell 20,000 tickets (Espn), while a superior WNBA team such as the New York Liberty are struggling to gain 10,000 (Emma) in attendance at the same venue, MSG. The combination of the media and stereotypical gender norms has savaged the entire sport. WNBA games are rarely televised with only 36 games (Emma) and the majority of it being inaccessible to casual fans. In addition to the lack of coverage the WNBA receives, the players receive less than ten times that of their male counterparts. Society has expedited the demise of the WNBA in its nine year tenure.
Another sport I would like to take a deeper dive into is soccer. As a young kid, soccer was promoted as a sport for boys. In addition to actively playing in gender segregated teams, televised games were more likely to show professional men playing. The culmination of these two facets led to the ideal of contact sports being geared towards men. The female sport is frowned upon because it is considered abnormal compared to its male counterpart. This initial perception could be ascribed to Davis’s belief “that some concept of the norm must have always existed” (Davis 1). It is why as a child you are told by your parents what is ideal for guys and girls. This goes on generations which only exacerbates the problem. The perception is that male soccer is superior in terms of quality, but in reality the quality tends to be the same if not better. For example the national USA men’s teams failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup while the women’s national team went on to win the 2019 FIFA World Cup. Although the men’s team failed to perform to the high standards of the women’s team, the men’s team was still compensated at a higher rate than the women’s team. This is a form of gender discrimination because the women are paid less for doing even more work than the men, but are penalised because they are women. The aforementioned gender discrimination can be attributed to the U.S. Soccer Federation’s ignorance of the stereotypical norms it conforms to. The quality of female soccer is misconstrued due to the media’s portrayal of it. From a lack of quality commentators to reduced angles of games, the overall sport appears to be lackluster. Even in the presence of facts, female soccer continues to be overlooked because the sport is deemed as a man’s sports by society.
Davis’s text, “Constructing Normalcy,” highlights how society has constructed a false sense of idealism that has set the standard for all to follow. As Davis mentions, “the problem is the way normalcy is constructed to create the problem of the disabled person,” which can be compared to the situation of sports. Female players are likened to the conditions the disabled person is subjected to. Even though female players play the same game with the same rules and same equipment, they are ostracized from the sports world they perform in. Through gender discrimination, they are paid significantly less than their male counterparts for performing the same actions of equal quality. Davis has exposed the fallacy of the term, normal. It creates a false perception of what is deemed right or wrong. Normalcy should not be generalized because every individual has their own perspectives that cultivate their own meaning of ‘normal’.
Works Cited
“Constructing Normalcy.” Enforcing Normalcy: Disability, Deafness, and the Body, by Lennard J. Davis, Nota, 2016, pp. 9–26.
ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, http://www.espn.com/nba/attendance.
Goodman, Lizzy. “The Best Women’s Soccer Team in the World Fights for Equal Pay.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 June 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/10/magazine/womens-soccer-inequality-pay.html.
Mertens, Emma, et al. “The Miscellany News.” Liberty Saga Proves Typical of Undersupported WNBA – The Miscellany News, 2 May 2019,
