Popular Culture Review Vol. 8, No. 2, August 1997 | Page 91

All American Red Heads

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strength may have put them at disadvantage, since "real men" don't
rough up ladies. The "weaker sex" defeating men was a good
publicity ploy. The superiority of professional men's basketball was
never challenged, since the women never played National
Basketball Association (NBA) calibre players. Media coverage
could play up the angle of the "battle of the sexes" and the fact that
these women were pioneers establishing new firsts.
Even though the women played by men's rules, the seriousness
of their play was undermined by their clowning on the court. Each
Red Heads team had a designated comedienne who was responsible
for comedy routines. The Red Heads often scored during these routines
or when the men were distracted by their antics. Red Heads' scoring
ploys such as the "piggy back" shot would have been disallowed in a
regulation game. Consequently, even though the Red Heads won most
of their games, their skills were discounted. The women were caught
in a "Catch 22" situation. The emphasis on femininity and
showmanship facilitated their acceptance, but it undermined the
professionalism of their play.
Femininity
The second successful marketing strategy the Red Heads'
owners used was to emphasize the femininity of the players. This
accented gender differences and reinforced stereotypes. It also meant
that professional women's basketball would pose no threat to
traditional gender roles.
The promoters knew how important it was for the women to
appear feminine. In American culture, sport and masculinity have
b ^ n intricately tied. Women who dared to excel in traditional male
sports were often characterized by the press and others as masculine,
lesbian, freaks, or muscle molls.
Until fairly recently the dominant stereotype of the woman
in sports was someone who was biologically female, but unattractive
and without any feminine social graces. Feminist Naomi Wolf claims
that men use images of female beauty as a political weapon to keep
women in their place. In Victorian times, a feminist was often
referred to in the press as "a big masculine woman, wearing boots,
smoking a cigar, swearing like a trooper."^ Just as the caricature of
the "ugly feminist" has dogged the women's liberation movement, so
it has plagued women athletes.