Mariah Burton Nelson

In the following viewpoint, Mariah Burton Nelson argues that the performances of women are equal to, and in some cases better than, those of men in most sports. She contends that men have advantages in sports that emphasize upper-body strength but claims that sports such as ultramarathon running and swimming, which require stamina, are more likely to have female participants who triumph in head-to-head competition. Nelson asserts that women’s performances will improve as they are given more opportunities to compete. Nelson is a former professional basketball player and the author of The Stronger Women Get, the More Men Love Football: Sexism and the American Culture of Sports, the book from which this viewpoint is taken.

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1. According to the author, how are men the...