This study surveyed sports editors about gender-related issues in hiring and coverage. Although many editors estimate reader interest to be low and do not believe coverage of women’s sports should be improved, results also suggest that sports editors’ values and beliefs have shifted over the past decade in ways that could lead to more opportunities for women journalists and to eventual improvements in coverage of female athletes and women’s sports. The research also suggests when sports editors commit to hiring women, they find women who can move up within organizations and become leaders.

On May 31, 2021, Naomi Osaka, one of the top-ranked female tennis players, and one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world, announced her withdrawal from the French Open on her social media (Twitter) account, citing mental health issues. There exists a stigma around mental health; and people suffering from mental health conditions often experience “discrimination and stigma” (World Health Organization, 2019). Such disclosures by a noted sportsperson provide an opportunity to help combat the stigma. The present study uses unsupervised machine learning and qualitative thematic analysis to analyze 11,800 English language responses to her tweet. Results indicate that Osaka’s tweet mostly garnered a lot of support and encouragement. However, there also existed some negative comments. Additionally, 40% of the negative comments were disseminated by bot-like automated accounts. Practical implications for sports communication are also discussed.

This article attempts to explain how mobile phones influence how Sri Lankan Tamil refugees perceive cultural, psychological, and physical borders. Grounded in the information and communications technology (ICT) literature and diaspora communications, the lead author conducted twelve in-depth interviews with Mandapam camp residents in Tamilnadu, India, during Summer 2013. Results indicate that while camp refugees considered Sri Lanka their “motherland,” fear of government surveillance coupled with skepticism regarding the peace process impedes their return, even though official hostilities have ceased. However, mobile communications allow them to create a virtual community, which is important because camp life essentially separates them from both India and Sri Lanka.

This study examines gender representation in the sports section of the 2012 Associated Press Stylebook. A content analysis of entries finds that female-gendered references appear rarely, while men and male-gendered references appear in abundance.

Sport-talk radio has been recognized, along with other forms of sports media, as a masculine space where women’s value as athletes and fans is diminished. Little is known, however, about the gendered dynamics of sport-talk-radio production. This study used a survey of programming directors from across the United States to explore issues around the employment of women and coverage of women’s sport by local stations. Results suggest that many stations do not employ any women, although more than half do. Still, leadership positions belong primarily to men. Programming directors see little value in women’s sport for their listeners and make decisions that reinforce their vision of an audience that also sees little value in women’s sport. Using a feminist lens, the authors speculate on the impact that women in positions of power could have on programming if their representation moved beyond token status, while acknowledging the realities of the sport-media workplace.