It's time for girls and boys to play sports together Whether on the athletics field, in the gym or on the ice, there have always been standards for athletes to follow. These standards range from what sports equipment is not only necessary but appropriate, to who can play when, where and how. This last standard is the one that is most questioned; can men not only play on women's teams, but also participate in female-dominated sports without being provoked? The same goes for women: can they really, without fear, participate in traditionally male-dominated sports? While the social costs to the individual who participates in a non-traditional sport are many, the benefits, if practiced well and correctly, can and are quite plentiful as well. For men, this desire to participate in traditionally female-dominated sports is not entirely satisfying. as good as it is for females. That's because, honestly, men have as many opportunities for athletics, whether professional or otherwise, for every chance women have. But, in the event that a male wants to participate in a female-dominated sport, he will have difficulty being accepted, not necessarily by his teammates, but by the society that watches the sport. Traditionally, male athletes are expected to play difficult sports. They should be sturdy, passionate about the game and willing to play regardless of the circumstances. Most women's sports, even the female counterpart of a men's sport, are less violent and less aggressive than men's sports. For a man who participates in one of these sports, he is likely to be laughed at off the field, taunted with taunts of "homosexuality" and insinuations that he is not "man enough" to play with the "... middle of paper... men are unimaginable, especially with all the feminists behind her and supporting her, she will most likely never have to worry about money again The only problem with all this, though, is that she will probably have to constantly defend her sexuality from those who think that all female athletes are gay. However, if a woman can overcome the taunts and succeed in a male-dominated sport, then she will have truly made it in the world of athletics. For men and women, participating in sports does not traditionally dominated by their sex is probably going to be much more difficult at first than it seems worth, but ultimately it could be an important stepping stone into the world of athletics as well as the rest of society. The costs for both seem, at first, almost insurmountable, but once they become familiar with the sport, the benefits outweigh everything..