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VICTORIA LOPEZ
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Although our world is progressing towards a more gender friendly place, there are
still many more frontiers to conquer such as the portrayal of women in sports
media. Media uses many sly tactics to indirectly say that men are superior to
women. By doing this, the media is aiding in shaping men who are sexist and
media can have on young men. He has watched ESPN daily since middle school
and over the years he developed an arrogant tone when speaking about sport,
especially women’s basketball. It is clear he does not feel women’s sports are even
In our assigned reading (Sport, Media and Society), numerous examples of how
the media purposely employs specific methods to impart an opinion on its viewers
are given. Let’s look at the case study presented pertaining to Kelly Holmes’s
double gold victory in the 2004 Olympics (Kennedy and Hills 87). Media
immediately turned the story into something of disbelief and wonder while
forgetting the fact that Kelly is an exceptional athlete (obviously, she qualified for
the Olympics) who put countless hours of hard work to make her dreams a reality;
just like every other athlete who qualified. Reporters wielded titles such as:
‘Double Has Her Gobsmacked (Kennedy and Hills 88)’ or ‘Wake Me Up, it’s a
Dream Says Kelly (Kennedy and Hills 88).’ Terms are like ‘bridesmaid,’ ‘broken
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figure,’ and ‘fairy tale’ are used to create an incredulous attitude towards the
outcome of Kelly’s skills (Kennedy and Hills 88). Kelly was no princess riding off
to her happy ending but an army sergeant who was trained, disciplined, and
reached her goals through drawing from her own strengths and talents.
Sports media glorifies the speculation of the male body while making it almost
(Kennedy and Hills 23).’ Every aspect of their body is examined and speculated
upon worldwide and is viewed as the epitome of perfect human anatomy. After
victories male players will literally strip off their shirts in celebration but god
forbid seeing a women’s nipple. During Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson’s
2004 Super Bowl Halftime Show a wardrobe malfunction would result in 540,000
complaints filed to the FCC (Cogan ’14). Mid performance Justin accidently pulled
down Janet’s top exposing her breast for ‘on television for 9/16 of a second (Cogan
’14).’ Janet Jackson received a severe backlash from the public in response to the
incident. Although Jackson did admit she and Timberlake had devised the ploy on
their own devices, was it really that big of a deal? Apparently, it was detrimental to
Jackson career but not to Timberlake’s which only reinforces the sexist agenda
Another common ideology among sports speculators is that women in sports are
‘masculine or gay (Undefeated ’16).’ This causes parents to bar female children
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from certain sports in fear of them being ridiculed or “corrupted.” Lonnae O’Neal
relates that for a woman in sports, gender is not the only thing called into question,
‘it questions her humanity, they thingify (Undefeated ’16)” When athletic women
are perceived as too powerful it tends to scare people and instead of treating the
powerful, that player receives high praise for their amazing features. These female
athletes are disrespected with no consideration for the psychological effects of this
criticism. All their effort seems unnoticed which can be heartbreaking to bear when
you’ve spent your entire life striving for excellence in that sport.
Even when women find ways to somehow break the barriers of sex through
achievement, sexism still prevails. Think about the MLB’s newest sport analyst,
Jessica Mendoza. In May of 2016 Fox Sports Radio tweeted, “ESPN’s Jessica
Mendoza is the worst. If she were a man, she’d already be fired (Boren ’16).”
Mendoza is an Olympic gold and silver medalist in softball for Team USA
meaning she knows the game she is commentating for. “She’s just not a good
his claim. What makes her so horrible at analyzing? The fact that she doesn’t have
new research (SWNS ’17).’ In turn women’s sport seems dull and lacking in
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segments on women’s sport are shorter, include fewer interviews and less
recognize highlights in women’s games. It seems the media aims to paint women
to be boring to keep the public eye on men’s sports. Sports commentators use
language to glorify men’s sports as well as indirectly bash women’s. Women are
According to the Journal of Brand Strategy, ‘the reason female athletes get fewer
brands’ audiences and — unfortunately — many of these elite athletes are only
really visible during the Olympics.’ A major mistake advertisers for female sports
endorsers make is sexualizing the players. Research shows bad response when
female athletes are ‘overly-sexualized (Gray ’12).’ Another reason for less
endorsements being available for female athletes is the lack of visibility of their
games. ‘Only 1.6 percent of women’s sporting events were broadcast in 2008
(Gray ’12).’ Not only are women offered less endorsements but, ‘College and
Sports Foundation ’15).’ Offering less pay further deters participation in sports by
female players because it sucks incentive out of the equation. Why put your body
Sports also causes identity issues for feminine male athletes. Remember Bruce
Jenner, now known as Caitlin? ‘Jenner has a complex relationship with the medal
in the bathroom, in the drawer, in the box beneath the plastic case. It
commemorates extraordinary work that allowed her to withstand the pain of what
is now called gender dysphoria but then was seldom talked about at all (Layden
’16).’ Jenner struggled with finding his place in the world. During her childhood it
was not socially acceptable to be transgender. Men were expected to play sports
and be physically fit. Jenner had to make do with what she was given despite
Female athletes work just as hard, if not harder than male athletes. Its time they’re
Kennedy, Eileen and Laura Hills. Sport, Media and Society. Berg, 2009.
http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/10333439/wardrobe-malfunction-
http://theundefeated.com/videos/morgan-state-dealing-with-sexism-and-sexuality/.
Boren, Cindy. “Fox Sports Radio tweets ESPN’s Jessica Mendoza would be fired
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/05/09/fox-sports-
radio-tweets-espns-jessica-mendoza-would-be-fired-if-she-was-a-
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/31/female-athletes-endorsements-
2017.
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https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/research/article-and-report/equity-
Layden, Tim. “An American Hero: 40 years after gold, Jenner comfortable in her