A Content Analysis of Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber’s Racial and Sexist Microagressions

Abstract

The primary purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if microaggressions regularly found in sport coverage were present in stories about two elite female tennis players. Microaggressions are subtle statements that unconsciously communicate denigrating messages to female athletes. In recent years, qualitative studies have introduced the types of microaggressions that female athletes experience. In the present study, a content analysis of 643 news stories was conducted in order to provide a quantitative measure of the frequency in which microaggressions appear in news stories about female athletes. Serena Williams, ranked number two in the list of top female tennis players, was selected because several qualitative studies show this female athlete of color is often the victim of racial slurs and epitaphs in news stories, as well as, news reports that feature insults to her physical appearance and body type. Angelique Kerber, the number one ranked female tennis player was selected in order to determine if an athlete of color receives more micro-aggresions than a top-ranked White female athlete. Data show that Serena Williams experienced more microaggresive themes related to gender roles and racial insults than Angelique Kerber (p < 0.0000). It is concluded that future research should explore in greater depth the microagression aimed at Black female athletes in all levels of sports and their participation.

Social media and the politics of gender, race and identity: the case of Serena Williams

“…She is an unprecedented affront to our collective notion of the beautiful female athlete. Frisby (2017) suggests that Williams maintains a status as an "uncommon tennis player:…”

“…Often opponents of Williams are defined as weak, fragile and not-up-to-scratch in physical performances compared to Williams (Wright, 2004). Not surprisingly, Williams' femininity is questioned regularly in mainstream media (Deering Crosby, 2016;Frisby, 2017;McKay & Johnson, 2008). This is not just a result of her being a strong and powerful female athlete, but certainly relates to her dominance on the tennis court and her self-confidence (a trait not usually admired in women), and such language seeks to contain Williams into categories of unfeminine and rebellious.…”

Does sport media raise her name? Examining intersectional representation in media narratives

“…It measurably harms Black women and girls, as the dearth of media representation contributes to Black girls having among the lowest sport participation rates, which impacts public health and long-term outcomes (Carter-Francique and Richardson, 2016; Staurowsky et al , 2015). Given its grounding in bias and harmful impact, omission or marginalization from coverage ought to be considered seventh microaggression women in sport experience (see Frisby, 2017 for the six microaggressions). Though it is harder to measure what is not there, it is of utmost importance to do so.…”

“…However, their intersectional assessment did not focus on sexual orientation or gender expression. Other research has taken gender roles (a construct somewhat related to gender expression) into account when studying Serena Williams (Frisby, 2017; Wilks, 2020). The study of a single straight athlete, however, impedes ability to explore the role of sexual orientation.…”

“…Article and player selection Similar to Frisby (2017), we conducted a quantitative content analysis and collected and coded data from the 2020 WNBA Season. We included every athlete listed on the WNBA's online player page (www.wnba.com/players/).…”