Using a Content Analysis to Examine the Gendering of Sports Newspaper Personnel and Their Coverage

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if the coverage given to female and male interscholastic athletics was a function of the gender of the individuals who make up newspaper sports departments. The degree to which males controlled and dominated the newspaper coverage of interscholastic sports was also assessed. The study revealed, from the examination of 1792 articles and 827 photographs, that the newspaper media was clearly the domain of males who made up 91.4% of the reporters, 78.6% of the photographers, 100% of the executive sports editors, and 91.3% of the high school sports editors. The study further determined that there was no association between the gender of the newspaper personnel and the amount of coverage given to female and male interscholastic athletics. Female and male reporters, photographers, and editors were found equally responsible for the under-represented coverage of girls' interscholastic athletics.

ESPN—The Women's Sports Network? A Content Analysis of Internet Coverage of March Madness

“…Hegemonic social systems use ideology to create consent for dominance of one group over another (Gramsci, 1971). In modern society it is assumed media play a large role in how consent is obtained (Connell, 1990;Pedersen et al, 2003). Scholars have claimed sport is one of the primary forces helping to preserve hegemonic masculinity in the Western World, while also noting that sport also assists in upholding antiquated definitions of gender and negative stereotypes of women who do not conform to traditional notions of femininity (e.g., Connell, 1990;Davis, 1997).…”

“…This holds true in nearly all levels of competition and in the vast majority of sports. Moreover, the coverage of women's sports by media often trivializes and minimizes the accomplishments of female athletes through portrayals, images, descriptors, and narratives, regardless of the medium examined (Bishop, 2003;Messner, Duncan, & Cooky, 2003;Pedersen, Whisenant, & Schneider, 2003). These trends have certainly held true for the limited research published on media coverage of men's and women's college basketball.…”

Systemic Barriers in Athletic Administration: An Analysis of Job Descriptions for Interscholastic Athletic Directors

“…When women are limited or hampered in their pursuit of leadership positions in sport, the result is the promotion of power differentials in favor of men. This subordination of women manifests itself in the systematic deprival of opportunities to compete for positions in male-dominated institutions (Pedersen, Whisenant, & Schneider, 2003). The cumulative effect of this hegemonic masculinity process is a gender gap perpetuated by homologous reproduction.…”

Negotiating Gender in Professional Soccer: An Analysis of Female Footballers in the United States

“…As noted by many scholars (e.g., Cooky et al, 2013;Lisec & McDonald, 2012;Pedersen, Whisenant, & Schneider, 2003), the media not only often marginalize sportswomen when coverage is given but women's sports coverage in the media (print, broadcast, new/social media, etc.) is not concomitant with the coverage of men's sports.…”