No one seems to care about women’s sports. From youth sports to the Olympics, women’s achievement in sports is eclipsed by sexism: comments, headlines, and announcers all downplay women’s athletic ability.
In 2016, the Chicago Tribune posted “Wife of a Bears’ lineman wins a bronze medal today in Rio Olympics” on X, formerly known as Twitter. Corey Cogdell-Unrein, the Olympic bronze medalist in question, did not have her name mentioned in the headline and she was reduced to the shadow of her husband. Despite the U.S. women’s gymnastics team performing exceptionally well and defeating the competition, a commentator on NBC stated that the athletes looked like they “might as well be standing in front of the middle of a mall.”
While the Chicago Tribune and the NBC commentator received backlash online, there has been little improvement in the coverage of women’s sports. In 2017, a decades-long study from USC researchers published in the journal Gender & Society showed that women are talked about in a dull, obligatory, and mandatory way on local channels as well as ESPN. Michela Musto, the head of the research team, said that sexism in women’s sports is subtler than it was twenty years ago. “It seems at first that it’s respectful, but if you compare the framing with men’s sports, women are talked about in a much more boring way. There is no joking or complimenting. Those kinds of descriptors are missing from women’s sports,” she explained.
In 2023, UNESCO found that although women make up 40% of all athletes, they receive just 4% of sports coverage when compared to male athletes. However, a 2021 study found that women’s sports fans are 25% more likely to purchase sponsor products than men. Women’s sports fans care about the sport and love to support their favorite teams. So why are women only receiving 4% of sports coverage?
According to The New York Times, there has been a recent boom in interest in women’s sports over the past 3 years, but it simply isn’t enough. Kurt Streeter said “Yes, on the court, track, field, or wherever they compete, women can be as challenging, ornery, competitive, and controversial as men. That needs to be celebrated.” The Sports of the Times journalist continued to show how the odds are stacked against women. “Change is coming. But change will take more time. Maybe a few generations more,” he said, “The decks remain stacked in favor of guys, but women continue their fight. When it comes to the games we play and love to watch, that’s the biggest story in sports right now.”
Sexism permeates the male-dominated field of sports. Women are not taken seriously as athletes, and when coverage is downright boring, it is difficult to retain viewership. Women deserve the spotlight for their prowess and skill, yet they are ignored in favor of men’s athletic achievements.
