The+networks'+control+over+sport

Name: Brittany McLean Student Number: 8097313 Tutor: Sophie Miller

Running like a Girl : How Equitable is the Playing Field when it comes to Women in Sport? ** "In a country with such a rich sporting culture as Australia, where women's sport is competitive and very successful on the international stage, it is incredibly disappointing that female sport remains so starkly under-represented in the media." **  Federal Minister for the Status of Women - Kate Ellis MP, 2010 ** Topic: Why don't female athletes and their respective sports receive equal airtime as their male counterparts? **


 * Public Health Issue **

Since the introduction of women in sport, there have always been differences in the media attention and support each gender receives. While some aspects of gender in society has developed, gender equality in sport is a slow progression and although women may be developing as successful athletes, they are often outshone by their male counterparts due to the significant role networks and executives hold within sport in Australia. Traditionally the financial support and television airtime professional sportswomen receive has essentially been non-existent (Australian Government, 2011) and is only now slowly evolving. However, it is the manner in which sportswomen are presented and depicted through the media, and how much of their sport and genuine talent is shown on television which is the real issue within sport’s media in Australia.

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**Cultural Artefact**

This Youtube clip, entitled “Play like a Man, Look like Woman…” was developed as an advertisement for Kaylx athletic apparel and has been chosen as an important cultural artefact to highlight the differences women face in sport and the media. While the advertisement displays the women as sporty, strong and skilful it also demonstrates how the media portray women in sport as sex symbols, despite their ability and success. This artefact also represents the type of media coverage women in sport receive, where a sportswoman is more commonly seen in a sexy television advertisement or magazine shoot instead of a competitive sporting environment.


 * Literature Review **

In 1996, while almost half of the players in organised sports around Australia were women, women’s sport on television received less than 2% coverage (ABS, 1996) and although recent reports have shown a slight improvement to 9% of coverage through the news and current affairs (Australian Government Minister for Sport Office, 2010), professional sportswomen are still the underdogs in sports media.

Although coverage of women’s sport may be increasing, sportswomen have typically been seen and labelled as anything but a professional athlete. Shirley Strickland was a successful track and field athlete from the 1940’s but was portrayed in the media, not as a success, but as a “housewife and mother” (Australian Government, 2011). In recent times though, the media portrayal of sportswomen soon focused on their physical attributes and emotional composure rather than domestic matters. Billings et al., (2001) conducted a study of the approach networks and media commentators take in depicting and describing female athletes. The results found that although there has been a slight improvement in the coverage of female athletes on television, the media commonly express female competitors as emotional and focus on their composure rather than their athletic skill (Billings et al., 2001). This portrayal of female athletes has been a common finding throughout many scholarly reviews, which support Billings et al., (2001) results and state that the sports media often describe female athletes “in ways that emphasize their femininity, as opposed to their athleticism” (Hardin & Whiteside, 2011; Duncan, 2006).

These studies support the idea that although women are increasingly successful in various sports, they are devalued by the media who present audiences with bias opinions and views of female sportswomen. In a society which has come so far in gender equality, it is troubling that young children and adults are subjected to these judgements which could ultimately affect their beliefs and outcomes of sport and society. The opinions and remarks the media create continue to lead society to believe that female athletes and women’s sports are less serious and competitive compared to men’s sport.

It is this depiction of women’s sport which could continue to affect the 63% of young Australian females who do not participate in sport each year (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010). However, another contribution to this damaging statistic is the little airtime women’s sport receive and the fact that female sports do not reach the millions of young children who wish to explore these diverse sports.

The amount of airtime a female sport receives is ultimately dependant on a television network’s decision to broadcast the sporting event. However, executives and networks largely televise sports which they believe will reach their target audience. Although the audience of female sports has significantly increased recently, the television ratings these sports require to be continuously broadcasted are scarce compared the ratings major male sports obtain. The ANZ Netball Championship grand final was televised on Channel Ten in May and received 140,000 viewers Australia wide (OZTam, 2011), while the WNBL grand final on ABC reached well under 120,000 views. This compares to two major male sporting events, the 2011 AFL grand final which obtained over 2.6 million viewers and the NRL grand final which received just over 2 million viewers (OZTam, 2011). Scholars continue to demonstrate that over 95% of sporting airtime around the world is dedicated to males (North-Hager, 2010; Stevenson, 2002; Adams, 2004).

Gantz and Wenner (1991) found that regular female viewers’ of sport would prefer to watch women’s sport, however the little coverage it receives inhibits this occurring. On the other hand, Hardin & Whiteside (2011) found that both men and women have “little value” in following women’s sports, which reiterates why male sports are more commonly shown and continue to maintain high ratings. These views and actions by audiences present Australian female sport with increasing difficulties as it attempts to level the playing field with male sport in Australia.

Women’s sport receives very little media coverage required to enter the “national marketplace” (Stevenson, 2002) and is therefore deemed insignificant in terms of broadcasting. This belief by major television networks poses a significant problem for female sport as it does not allow competitors and the sport to reach their full potential. While there are many differences within male and female sporting events, the broadcasting and perceptions through the media coverage will always be a significant inequality within Australian sports. The portrayal of female athletes and sports through the media is an indication that as a society, while there has been growth and progression in particular aspects of our culture, there is still much improvement needed in television networks and the media.


 * Cultural and Social Analysis **

It is a widely known factor that the media can greatly change the way people feel about themselves, their bodies and their lifestyle and this idea is no different within the sports media. Sports media can have a significant impact on athletes, both young and old by questioning their skill, ability and looks. Chiung & Tsai (2009) support this notion as they state that “the media has projected the body image of ‘keeping in shape in order to be attractive’”.

With a generation of young citizens attached to technology and the media, opinions and views published by sports media about how women should act, look and play is a growing concern which could greatly impact how young females feel about sport and how males feel about sports and women. The way sportswomen are portrayed in sports and sports commercials puts a great deal of pressure on young girls to look a certain way in order to succeed. However, the biggest issue within sports media regarding professional female athletes is not just how they portray them but the lack of media coverage their respective sports receive. This lack of coverage ultimately affects the exposure of female role models to young girls around Australia and does not provide inspiration to young girls and boys who wish to explore various sports other than NRL, AFL and cricket frequently seen on television.

Although there have been signs of improvement within the media coverage female sports receive, there is still a great deal of effort which needs to focus on changes to the way female athletes, not just in Australia but around the world, are portrayed. These changes could prove to have a substantial impact on young individual’s participation rates within sports and the views they have of not just female sports, but female athletes.

**Artefact Analysis and Learning Reflections**

Although “Play like a Man, Look like a Woman…” was developed as an advertisement for female underwear, this is not the first interpretation viewers make of the commercial as its main focus is based around the females’ skills and sporting ability. While the women are portrayed and described as sporty, strong and skilful, it is the title “Play like a Man” which suggests that women must be masculine to participate in sport and cannot succeed if they do not show these attributes.

The artefact also presents the notion that because women are commonly seen in advertisements and commercials as sex symbols promoting sports and sporting events, viewer’s first impressions of the artefact are that the females are endorsing a sport and not underwear. This analysis of the cultural artefact reiterates the portrayal the media have of sportswomen when focussing more on their physical attributes rather than their sporting ability.

Finally, the artefact reasserts the views and beliefs of the media as it persistently displays provocative features of the women while encouraging athleticism. Hardin & Whiteside (2011) support these opinions as they stated “female athletes are described in ways that emphasize their femininity, as opposed to their athleticism”. Although this cultural artefact can be an encouraging and supportive commercial for female athletes through its message of women being strong and successful, it can also be perceived as a prime example of how female athletes are portrayed within the media and the method in which they are represented.

I appreciate that I am now more aware of how the media treat sportswomen and how dedicated they are to displaying their skills and ability. While this research may not change my actions and intentions to watch female sports, as I already do, it does alter the way in which I think and value television networks and the media. It was fascinating to explore a topic I had researched many years ago and see how far the media in sports have and have not come. While some sports like tennis are the ideal example of how equal gendered sports can be (Bernstein & Galily, 2008), others such as basketball and cricket seem as though they may never change. Reflecting on my research, it was evident that women’s sport may always be the underdog because people may well be genuinely uninterested. However, the only way to change their minds would be to increase the airtime women’s sports receive, but networks could not commit to this, as they know they wouldn’t receive the same ratings as an AFL or NRL match. I have always wished that women’s sport would be equivalent to males sport and step by step I believe this will happen. Unfortunately, this development will take time, but it is up to society and ultimately the media to stand up for women’s sport and give them a chance to prove they are just as competitive as the men.

**Responses**

'I wanted to use sports for social change' (Billie Jean King) - Women in sport by Luke Vacca []
 * They do it for promotion and money**

I think this is a fantastic wiki, great work! You mentioned that some people may argue that this type of advertising is not exploitation as the athletes sign up for these media stunts themselves, and in some ways, I am one of those people. However, I believe some professional female athletes in particular would jump at the chance to do something like a ZOO or ALPHA cover because they just don't get the kind of money (either through sponsorships or cover shoots) that their male counterparts get. Another side to it is the amount of media coverage that they finally receive. Let's be honest, most Australians will always have the feeling of, unless we love it or someone is making history, we won't watch it. So this kind of media coverage could reach millions of Australians and promote the athletes. On the other hand, I think that the way that some commentators and the media portray and depict some female athletes is despicable and these types of responses and portrayals of women in sport should be banished.

Drinks and Gen Y – Bloody Idiots by Jordan Alexander []
 * Gen Y’s bad habits**

You've chosen a really interesting and contemporary public health issue, and more importantly you've highlighted some vital statistics and health concerns about youth binge drinking. Great work! Unfortunately, as you mentioned with Generation Y's drinking problems, the next generation is virtually in danger of becoming worse than us! Watching their peers, parents or siblings drink day in day out, or binge drinking is a terrible example for the upcoming generation and something drastically needs to be done to deter this from happening. I think it's appalling that Generation Y can't understand that you don't have to be drunk or drinking to have a good time, and as you say, this would be a perfect opportunity for celebrities to step out and help this issue. I'm not sure whether Gen Y's drinking decisions are solely based on media pressure, because let's face it, if anyone has turned on the "news" lately and seen what drugs and alcohol has done to Lindsay Lohan, who wants to do that to themselves? But certainly, the MUCH younger Gen Y is very much influenced by their peers to drink, and it seems as though they start drinking younger and younger by the day.

Adams, T., & Tuggle, C. A. (2004). ESPN's SportsCenter and coverage of women's athletics: “It's a boys' club.” //Mass Communication & Society//, //7// , 237–248. doi: 10.1207/s15327825mcs0702_6 Australian Bureau of Statistics. (1996). //Participation in Sport and Physical Activities, Australia, 1996-97.// Retrieved from []
 * References **

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Hardin, M., & Whiteside, E. (2011). Women (Not) Watching Women: Leisure Time, Television, and Implications for Televised Coverage of Women's Sports. //Communication, culture & critique, 4//, 122. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-9137.2011.01098.x

North-Hager, E. (2010, June 17). Women play sport, but not on TV. USC News. Retrieved from []

OzTam. (2011). Television Ratings Australia wide. Retrieved from []

Stevenson, D. (2002). Women, Sport, and Globalization. //Journal of sport and social issues, 26//, 209. doi: 10.1177/0193723502262006