Primary Source Research

First-Person Interviews

 Montserrat Roig

Q: When you were young, did you play any sports?

A: Yes, I played Basketball and I also skated. 

Q: Did you watch any sports when you were younger either in person or on tv?

A: Yes, I frequently would watch Skiing.

Q: Would you say that you enjoy watching and participating in sport?

A: I enjoyed participating in them but never watching them. Especially team sports, I do not like those at all.

Q: Do you watch any sports now?

A: No, never!

Q: Do you think that women should participate in sport?

A: I do not really know. If they like it, then I guess.

Q: Why do you think that women in Spain are less involved in sport than those in the United States?

A: I think that women here do not participate in as many sports becasue there is so much to do. You can go hiking, go to the movies, or walk around the city. In the United States, many women participate in sport because they do not have anything else to do. 

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Ana Zaragoza

 

Ana Zaragoza is a middle-aged professor at IES. She grew up in Barcelona and after living in the states for a few years, she returned to her hometown. Ana has a unique opinion about sports for women in Spain and I found it very interesting to talk to her about her ideas and opinions. When she was 8 years old she attended a religious, girls only elementary school in Barcelona where she played basketball. She started playing because her older sister played and it was the only popular sport for girls to play at her school. When I asked her if any of the girls played soccer - the most popular sport here in Barcelona - her immediate response was, "Oh, no! no! no!" Upon asking her why she had this strong reaction she began to explain to me that soccer is considered a masculine sport here that is strictly for men. She explained to me the term, 'marimacho.' This is a negative connotation associated with women that play sports. It is highly insulting because as she explained it is used when you are referring to a women as a man or a lesbian. She does not know or understand why people feel this way about women playing soccer, but she does not necessarily agree with the thought pattern of the locals.

Ana really enjoyed playing basketball. Unfortunately when she started the university she could no longer continue playing. She explained that the college did not have a playing field in close proximity and it would be inconvenient for her to travel outside the city to continue. Ana was also offered another amazing opportunity around this time. The National Coach of the Women's Basketball team asked her parents and Ana if she would be interesting in representing Spain playing basketball. However, her father would not let her play and turned down the offer for her. His justification was, "Sports are not a future for a girl." She grew up during the Franco period where women's sports was highly discouraged and 'women in kitchen' was promoted according to Ana. Although she stuck her nose up at this notion, Ana obliged by her father's wishes and was disappointed, still regretting the missed opportunity.

Today, she notices many changes from when she grew up. She admitted to me that she had never seen or watched a women's team play a sport until she moved to the USA and watched the Stanford team play. Nowadays, she is surprised but happy to see that she can watch the women's basketball team for Spain play on television. She considers this a rather impressive accomplishment and is proud that women are finally receiving some recognition. With improvements like these, she projects the future for women in sports to be 'very good' and 'hopeful.'

Thanks Ana!

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 Yolanda Nieves

Q: When you were young, did you play any sports?

A: Yes, I was quite good at swimming and I participated in it for several years. I also played basketball for a short time.

Q: Did you watch any sports when you were younger either in person or on tv?

A: No, I have never enjoyed watching sports.

Q: Would you say that you enjoy watching and participating in sport?

A:I enjoyed my time participating in sports but now I am past that. Watching sports still does not interest me at all.

Q: Do you think that women should participate in sport?

A: Team sports are not really for women. I do believe that it is good to exercise and many women go to they gym.

Q: Why do you think that women in Spain are less involved in sport than those in the United States?

A: I believe that the value of sport for both men and women in the United States is much stronger to your culture. In Spain we don't really have that culture with the exception of football. However, I also believe the lack of funding of women's sport by the government plays a strong role in this situation as well.  

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Rosa Garcia Valesco
 



Rosa Garcia is a middle-aged, native Barcelona citizen. She currently resides in the neighborhood of Sarria, Barcelona where she spends her time accommodating abroad students. When Rosa was a little girl, she used to do "gimnasta deportiva" or artistic gymnastics. She started when she was about 6 years old when one of her teachers presented it as a good opportunity for her. She loved to participate and play around in the gymnastics gym. Recounting her days as a gymnast, she laughs. She explained to me that 'back in her time' the sport was very different because it was much more basic. She told me about how the maximum level of skill was simpler - just about as complicated as a roll on the balance beam or a few flips on the floor. Rosa and I laughed about how today the gymnasts are very crazy in their tumbling and abilities.
As a participant of sport herself, Rosa clearly likes to see other girls play sport and notices that this is becoming more and more popular in today's society in Spain. Rosa enjoys watching all sports on the television - women and men (which has been very beneficial for me these past few weeks because I've been able to watch the US Women's World Cup on her tv after dinner!). In our interview, Rosa mentioned two insightful, interesting ideas. First, she said that when girls play sports here, they need to learn to just have fun and play, not to take it too seriously. She mentioned at such a young age sometimes they are making sacrifices to "make the sports." Instead, she wishes they would just enjoy, and play for the sake of playing. One of other interesting thing Rosa mentioned was that girls only play sport for a short period of time here which I am assuming is a cultural phenomenon.
Rosa also talked about sports for women today. She mentioned that in the past women used to never play sports, but now she sees it in the streets and organized much more often. She explained that sports like rhythmic gymnastics, golf, and swimming are the more popular sports for women. She acknowledged that some women here do play soccer today, but it is not popular and never was popular. She explained that it isn't a popular sport for women because it has always been a sport by the men - in history for centuries and centuries and this culture is slow to change.

Thanks Rosa!

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 Laura Vazquez

Q: When you were young, did you play any sports?

A: I did not play any organized sports but I did play football with my friends.

Q: Did you watch any sports when you were younger either in person or on tv?

A: No, I never have enjoyed watching sports.

Q: Would you say that you enjoy watching and participating in sport?

A: I enjoy participating but not watching.

Q: Do you watch any sports now?

A: No, I do not.

Q: Do you think that women should participate in sport?

A: Yes, they should be able to do it if they like. For me, no.

Q: Why do you think that women in Spain are less involved in sport than those in the United States?

A: In my opinion, it is because parents don't encourage or like the idea of their daughters participating in sports. My parents were older and my dad always told me that football was not a sport for girls. I do believe this is starting to change now but it will come slowly. 

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 Case Study: Feminine Sports - A look at Gymnastics in Spain

As part of my research, I wanted to do a specific case study on a sport that is considered typically a feminine sport around the world. I was particularly interested in Gymnastics because of my history with the sport (I competed for 15 years). I wanted to research this sport in Spanish society because I was interested in observing the ratio of men to women considering Spain's culture and view of women in sport. Would more men still have a bigger representation than women even though its typically a sport dominated by women? Or would the sport be structured differently then it was in the United States/ used for different purposes? In order to answer these questions I visited a gymnastics gym in the Garcia neighborhood. I talked with the receptionist for a few minutes when she explained to me that the gym was currently out of season so the equipment was not set up. She also told me about the summer camp that would be starting in a few weeks; however, I will not be in Spain at that time to observe. Missing out on the opportunity to observe the gymnast was a little bit of a setback, but instead I did some more research. I learned that gymnastics in Barcelona is more of an afterschool activity or daycare. It is not really practiced as intensely as it is from where I am from.

However, there have been a few successful gymnasts at the Olympic stage for Spain. They include Acedo, Gomez, Gonzales, and Fuertes (2 women and 2 men) . In 2002, Elena Gomez made history when she won the world championships. She was the first Spanish female gymnast to win this accolade. Today, rhythmic gymnastics is actually quite popular in Spain and the athletes that reach the elite levels perform rather well. Rhythmic gymnastics is definitely preferred and more abundant here than Artistic gymnastics is.

Here are some pictures I took of the gym I visited in Gracia:

  The colorful entrance to Associacio Esportiva Gracia.

The numerous trophies won by the students of AE Gracia in gimnasta deportiva and other sports categories. Also, leotards on display for sale just like they are in the United States!

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