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Dissertation Wiser Final REVISED.pdf (1.48 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Where’s the Line? An Analysis of the Shifts in Governance of Women’s Lacrosse, 1992-1998

Wiser, Melissa C.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1372718369

Abstract Details

, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, EDU Physical Activity and Educational Services.
In 1998, eight separate organizations merged to form US Lacrosse, the national governing body for both men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse. Before the change in structure, the United States Women’s Lacrosse Association governed women’s lacrosse, while numerous organizations managed the men’s game. The organizational shift represented the first time these two distinct sports would be administratively joined in the United States. A key motivating factor in the design of the merger was the long-term goal of inclusion at the Olympic Games; a base requirement of this attempt was one national governing body for one sport in one nation. Although men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse share a common name, the sports are historically distinct in course of play, field markings, and permissible physical contact. While located in broader sport systems rooted in gender equity and the notion of “separate but equal,” (e.g., Title IX and the Olympic Charter), men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse are presented as different versions of the same game. This faulty assumption ignores the history of each and forecloses sport options for men and women who want to play the lacrosse that is not available to them. Thus, I argue that although it attempted to achieve gender equity for the lacrosses and their representatives, the merger that created US Lacrosse is problematic due to its founding premise that conflates the sports and constrains the future of women’s lacrosse specifically.
Sarah Fields (Advisor)
Mary Thomas (Committee Member)
Mollie Blackburn (Committee Member)
Kinesiology
lacrosse; women's sports

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Wiser, M. C. (2013). Where’s the Line? An Analysis of the Shifts in Governance of Women’s Lacrosse, 1992-1998 [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1372718369

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Wiser, Melissa. Where’s the Line? An Analysis of the Shifts in Governance of Women’s Lacrosse, 1992-1998 . 2013. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1372718369.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Wiser, Melissa. "Where’s the Line? An Analysis of the Shifts in Governance of Women’s Lacrosse, 1992-1998 ." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1372718369

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1372718369
838
© 2013, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.