“It’s Dude Time!”

Abstract

The last quarter century has seen a dramatic movement of girls and women into sport, but this social change is reflected unevenly in sports media. This study, a 5-year update to a 25-year longitudinal study, indicates that the quantity of coverage of women’s sports in televised sports news and highlights shows remains dismally low. Even more so than in past iterations of this study, the lion’s share of coverage is given to the “big three” of men’s pro and college football, basketball, and baseball. The study reveals some qualitative changes over time, including a decline in the once-common tendency to present women as sexualized objects of humor replaced by a tendency to view women athletes in their roles as mothers. The analysis highlights a stark contrast between the exciting, amplified delivery of stories about men’s sports, and the often dull, matter-of-fact delivery of women’s sports stories. The article ends with suggestions for three policy changes that would move TV sports news and highlights shows toward greater gender equity and fairness.

The Context of Recreational Sports for Women in Iran

“…Various studies have confirmed this fact and acknowledged the positive impact of targeted advertising on the tendency of people toward recreational sports (30,31). Besides, the small share of women's sports in television broadcasting over time, despite an increase in their participation, has been emphasized by Cooky (2015) and Waaneberg (2011) (32,33). In his study, Cooky (2015) he investigated the coverage of women's sports in television' sports news in three local news agencies in Los Angeles for 6 weeks and concluded that the level and quality of women's sports coverage were at the lowest level and that women's sports news were overshadowed and marginalized by men's (32).…”

“…Besides, the small share of women's sports in television broadcasting over time, despite an increase in their participation, has been emphasized by Cooky (2015) and Waaneberg (2011) (32,33). In his study, Cooky (2015) he investigated the coverage of women's sports in television' sports news in three local news agencies in Los Angeles for 6 weeks and concluded that the level and quality of women's sports coverage were at the lowest level and that women's sports news were overshadowed and marginalized by men's (32). In addition, women's sports in the foreign media, for the most part, are aimed at presenting women as goods and for the purpose of showing a healthy body, while, in case of men, only performance is focused (34).…”

Newswork, News Values, and Audience Considerations

“…Research has consistently found that the volume of women's sports media coverage is less than men's sports (Bernstein, 2002;Cooky, Messner, & Musto, 2015;Fink, newsworthiness, then, should be viewed as originating in the structural, social, and cultural underpinnings of the profession.…”

“You Challenge Yourself and You’re not Afraid of Anything!” Women’s Narratives of Running in Shanghai

“…The academic discourse on women's sport in the Global North has centered on an observation that, despite advances in women's participation rates, it remains a profoundly gendered institution where men are considered naturally more skilled and competent (Cooky, Messner, & Musto, 2015;Messner, 2009;Wachs, 2005). For example, Messner (2009) argued that young sportwomen are often positioned as less knowledgeable and have limited access to information that could help them develop competence and autonomy in their practice.…”