英语阅读＿运动场上为何出现“阴盛阳衰”现象

Women find a way to win 

高中英语难度：

 
词数 312 建议阅读时间 5分钟

IT's not uncommon to hear Chinese praising the play of their women on the volleyball court – and criticizing the play of the men. The topic is often laughed off as a joke, but there might be a reason for the perceived (感觉到的) superiority of women's athletics in China.

At the 2000 Sydney Games, China's women won five more gold medals than the men. In Athens in 2004, the women won 19 gold medals, while the men won 12. By comparison, American women accounted for (占) 12 of the country's 35 gold medals in 2004.
This summer, again, the women are widely expected to help with China's medal tally (记录). Wrestling coach Zhang Zhetian is counting on the women's team for a wrestling medal. "Guys – you've got to push them more," he told the Wall Street Journal.

Tennis coach Sun Jinfang shares this view: "Women know how to ‘eat bitterness'', she said. Sun has helped to put four doubles players into the Women's Tennis Association top 30. No male Chinese tennis players are ranked.

Some experts believe they''ve come up with a reason for the disparity (不同). China has long respected strong women, such as the folk hero Hua Mulan and the much-beloved former Vice-Premier Wu Yi. This ideology (意识形态), they think, creates a space where women who are loyal, filial (孝顺的) or who give service to the nation are respected.

"Besides China, no other nation gives equal financial support and media attention to women's sports. That's why China can challenge the US in medals – it treats men and women equally," Susan Brownell, a professor at the University of Missouri in St. Louis who specializes (专门研究) in Chinese sports, told the Wall Street Journal.

Now, however, more money is being spent on men's professional sports, which usually attract more viewers. This could change the gender gap as sports grow more commercialized (商业化的) in China, according to the Wall Street Journal.