Whether it’s Korean Taekwondo or Israeli Krav Maga, martial arts have been permanently fused into American culture. While they were mostly practiced in Asian countries, martial arts have reached extreme popularity in America.

According to Martial Info, a website devoted to statistics about martial arts, there are 16,141 martial arts schools in America and 265 in Tennessee. Martial arts schools can be found throughout Memphis. At places like Midtown Taekwondo, many White Station students take lessons.

“I’ve made my best friends [at Midtown Taekwondo] and my instructors are my second family,” said third degree black belt Mallory Ivey (10).

Inspired by her two instructors, Ivey plans to get a business degree and open up her own school to teach Taekwondo to children. She will be working at Midtown Taekwondo this summer to teach younger children the sport that she loves.

In March, Ivey competed in a tournament where she won the second place medal in the forms event, where competitors perform a certain combination of moves in an elegant manner. In fact, she wins at least one medal in every tournament that she competes in.

“It has become almost an obsession; I have to get a medal,” said Ivey.

Martial artists who wish to continue competing in their sport after high school have trouble finding colleges that offer the sport, and they struggle to find martial arts athletic scholarships. Many avid martial artists look forward to the day when martial arts are common at the collegiate level.

While more White Station students practice Taekwondo, juniors Sam and Gus Gottlieb are involved in the lesser known art of Brazillian jiu-jitsu. The brothers are not as competitive in jiu-jitsu, but are just playing for the fun of it.

One idea holds all of these different martial arts together: the necessity of learning self-defense.

“You get to beat up girls and get away with it,” said Ivey.

M�aw�_� to be that way…Men have just played sports longer than women have.”

There is truth behind Roberts’ words. Women were not even allowed to significantly participate in athletics until the nineteenth century. Men simply have a longer history in the field, and that is apparent in the attitudes of sports fans.

To say that it is a disgrace to revere men’s sports so much more than women’s is practically fighting against nature.

Physically, men are better equipped to excel in sports. Much of the hype about football is due to the brutal collisions, tackles and pile-ups. The same goes for hockey, basketball, soccer and virtually every other contact sport.

Spectators don’t even realize they’re doing it. When a viewer flips on ESPN and sees a women’s softball game or the WNBA finals, the channel will inevitably be changed. It’s nothing against women. It just happens. It’s subconscious.

To viewers, the excitement isn’t equal. The playing caliber isn’t the same. That doesn’t make sexism right, but it also doesn’t make female athletes any better or worse than male ones. They simply are on different scales.

“It’s just how people view sports. We don’t view women like that,” said Roberts.

It’s nothing personal. It’s not sexist. It’s just the way it is.