In recent months, the members of the U.S. women’s soccer team have captured the country’s imagination with their performance at this year’s World Cup and their resolute stance on pay equality. The players’ exhilarating feats, and the accomplishments of other female stars, have sparked a national debate about gender and parity in athletics. This week, we’re bringing you a selection of pieces about female athletes and the challenges often faced by women in professional sports. In “Out of Bounds,” Alexis Okeowo reports on a women’s basketball league in Somalia and recounts players’ efforts to continue participating in matches amid threats from extremists. Louisa Thomas considers the triumphs of the U.S. women’s soccer team and explores the history of pay disparity between female and male athletes. In “The Wall Dancer,” Nick Paumgarten profiles Ashima Shiraishi, the teen-age New Yorker who has been called the most talented rock climber in the world. Ariel Levy writes about Claressa Shields, one of America’s preëminent female boxers, and describes how she is remaking the image of women’s boxing. Ben McGrath examines the daunting trajectory of the New York/New Jersey Comets, a women’s softball team in the fledgling National Pro Fastpitch league. Finally, Alec Wilkinson chronicles the professional journey of Sara Campbell, one of the top female free divers in the world, and the race to be the first woman to reach a hundred metres in a constant-weight dive. We hope that the pieces we’ve collected here offer new insights into the achievements of these exceptional athletes.
—David Remnick
“Out of Bounds”
“Women in Mogadishu have learned where in the city to cover themselves with burqas, and where to pretend that they don’t play sports, in order to leave with their lives.”
“Equal Pay for Equal Play: The Case for the Women’s Soccer Team”
“No one disputes that the players deserve respect and dignity. But what does that mean—not only for the women’s soccer players but for female athletes?”
“A Ring of One’s Own”
“If we were to question our assumption that men are always faster and stronger than women, or that boxing—and the desire to vanquish another person—is ‘about men,’ then we would have to question a lot more.”
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“The Wall Dancer”
“Ungrudgingly admired by seasoned dirtbags and muscular young rock rats, Ashima Shiraishi is, even though still young, perhaps the first female climber whose accomplishments transcend gender.”
“Throw Like a Girl”
“One of the pleasures of watching pro fast-pitch is that you can sit close enough to hear the dugout chatter, which is remarkably—sometimes defiantly—upbeat.”
“The Deepest Dive”
“For women, a hundred metres is a barrier something like the four-minute mile used to be, and the diver who is the first to accomplish the feat will have a prominent place in the annals of the sport.”