An Analysis of Sportswomen On the Covers and in the Feature Articles of Women's Sports and Fitness Magazine, 1975-1989

Abstract

This study analyzes the treatment of athletes in Women's Sports and Fitness between 1975 and1989. Author, article length, gender, sport, race, and sporting role were assessed for each article; the number of accompanying pictures to each article and the characteristics of those featured in the articles were also tallied. Gender, race, sport, and active or posed status of the individual appearing on the cover were coded. Whites were featured in 92% of the articles, mostly in tennis, running, track, basketball, and golf. Of the 151 covers, 98. 7% showed females with 92% whites and 8% blacks. This magazine, on its covers and in its feature articles, changed its emphasis from reporting on traditional sports and competitions to focusing on fitness activities for all women.nitially published in 1975, the magazine WornenSportwas created to help celebrate the sporting achievements of outstanding female athletes and to legitimize women in sports. In the 1970s, communities, schools, colleges, and independent organizations slowly began to provide more competitive opportunities for females. Women were at last receiving begrudging approval for seeking their athletic potentials. No longer did laws, such as Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments Act requiring equal opportunity, permit private clubs and publicly-funded programs to exclude females. Growing out of this &dquo;women in sports phenomenon&dquo; was the physical fitness boom. While only a few could become elite athletes, all females could increase their fitness levels and find recreational activities to enjoy. To appeal to this new, larger market in 1984, this magazine changed its target market and title (to Women's Sports and Fitness). This magazine increasingly provided stories for the average fitness buff along with feature articles about star athletes. TNE PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN IN THE MEDIAMedia treatment of sporting women has been plagued by considerable problems. Poe (1976) examined advertisements in two family and two women's magazines for the years 1928,1956, and 1972 to see how sportswomen were portrayed. She found an emphasis on recreational, non-competitive individual or dual activities and discovered that usually sportswomen were posed, not shown in activity. Rintala and Birrell (1984) also found more females than males in posed shots in their study of the YoungAthlete magazine. Boutilier and San Giovanni ( 1983) found that magazines as diverse as Ms. and Sports Illustrated treated women athletes in quite traditional and stereotypic ways. Hilliard (1984) concluded that magazine feature articles about female tennis players trivialized their athletic achievements. He found that male at James Cook University on March 16, 2015 jss.sagepub.com Downloaded from

Serious Athletes or Media Clowns? Female and Male Wrestlers’ Perceptions of Media Constructions

“…The quotation corresponds to previous research reporting that sport media texts tend to marginalize and trivialize the achievements of sportswomen by downplaying their athletic merits (Creedon, 1998;Duncan, 1990;Knoppers & Elling, 2004;Leath & Lumpkin, 1992;Pirinen, 1997;Vincent, Pedersen, Whisenant, & Massey, 2007;von der Lippe, 2002). In this particular case, preference was given to "tomboy" labeling instead of athletic performance, which parallels common reactions to women's transgression of traditional comprehensions of sports.…”

“…Consequently, the focus was moved from the wrestler to the sparring partner, whose main task was to assist the wrestler in preparing for contests. This, as argued earlier, may be explained in terms of trivializing the female athlete by undermining her achievements (Creedon, 1998;Duncan, 1990;Kane & Greendorfer, 1994;Knoppers & Elling, 2004;Leath & Lumpkin, 1992;Pirinen, 1997). The story also relates to Walton's study (2007) of television shows in which girls wrestled boys, where the social meaning and framing of female athletes threatens to subvert the counterhegemonic potential posed by women athletes.…”

“…Still photography, or the "frozen in time" moment, is usually a form of communication that can capture epic moments of sport (Rowe, 2004). Previous research highlighted men as being portrayed more frequently in active positions whereas women are more frequently portrayed in passive positions (Duncan, 1990;Leath & Lumpkin, 1992;Wilhelmi, 2006). The present study shows that both sexes reported that the media was interested in still photographs, yet with a different framing.…”

Sacrificing Dignity for Publicity: Content Analysis of Female and Male Athletes on “Sports Illustrated” and “ESPN the Magazine” Covers from 2012-2016

“…This is an important implication for media: if the role of journalism and its media is to serve, reflect and shape our understanding of the world around us (see Kane, 1998), then we can argue that these images enhance and support attitudes and values that our society hold about male and female athletes, their role, and their "place" in our culture. Data obtained in this study demonstrates that female athletes continue to receive strikingly less coverage than male athletes (Koivula, 1999;Leath & Lumpkin, 1992 Kane, 1996;Messner, Duncan, & Cooky, 2003;Pedersen & Whisenant, 2003;Vincent, Imwold, Johnson, & Massey, 2003).…”

“…From determination, focus, competitiveness, confidence, skill, and pride, therefore, it is hoped that print media are beginning to give female athletes the respect they deserve. Prior research shows that media outlets frequently exclude female athletes from lead stories and headlines found in national sports media (Daniels, 2008;Daniels, 2009;Duncan, 1990;Hardin, Lynn, & Walsdorf, 2005;Kane, 1996;Koivula, 1999;Lapchik & Mathews, 1999;Leath & Lumpkin, 1992;Leath & Williams, 1991;Messner, 2002;Perdersen & Whisenant, 2003;Primm, Preuhs, & Hewitt, 2007;Weber & Carini, 2012). In spite of the all-pervasive nature of sports in American culture, media seem to ignore the significance, contribution of, and importance of inclusion for women athletes (Davis, 1997;Urquhart & Crossman, 1999).…”