Here’s how we can better align fan interest with media coverage in women’s sports.
Interest in women’s sports has skyrocketed, yet coverage languishes. According to YouGov’s Women in Sport Report 2021, fans’ spike in interest is primarily due to the international successes of the U.S. Women’s soccer, basketball, and rugby teams. In addition, aging female viewers who played sports are now tuning in. However, in 2020, despite a 475% increase in National Women’s Soccer League viewership, coverage didn’t keep pace with interest.
Courtesy Women’s Sports Foundation
Cheryl Cooky, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Purdue University, collected and studied 30 years of data to discover that reporting supply isn’t as elastic as she hoped. “Over the past 30 years, we have not seen meaningful change in the coverage women athletes receive,” she wrote. Despite massive interest increases, less than 4% of all U.S. sports coverage goes to women. According to Cooky, the range of women athletes increased by a mere .4% from 1989 to 2019 across media platforms.
In 2019, 95% of ESPN’s SportsCenter’s highlight reel focused on male athletes. Furthermore, the quality is inferior to male sports coverage and primarily focuses on the sexualization of players. Conversely, it misses key elements, such as high-production value interviews, game footage, and thoughtful commentary.
What’s the bottom line? Lack of quality media coverage deprives young girls of role models and undermines athletes’ contributions and perceived value in society. Here’s what we can do about it (material drawn from the Neiman Reports).
—Commit to consistent coverage. When organizations don’t provide uniform coverage, they perpetuate the bias that fans don’t care about women’s sports. In addition, inconstant coverage inhibits fans from forming year-round loyalties to teams and players. According to Nicole LaVoi, Co-Director, Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, “Women’s coverage wouldn’t be around four percent if we had consistent coverage that wasn’t cyclical…. If you could follow women’s sport in and out of season, around the calendar like we do men’s sport, that would change the landscape.”
—Produce knowledgeable, unsexualized coverage comparing statistics, players, and teams. Thoughtful content allows fans to contextualize what’s happening and to be more engaged.
—Change the culture to prioritize and celebrate the writing, editing, and production of women’s sports content. In large newsrooms, journalists often perceive women’s sports as a hierarchically junior beat to male sports. As a result, reporters frequently start in women’s sports to prove their worth before shifting to men’s sports but rarely swap the other direction. Help change this cultural valuation by prioritizing and celebrating women’s sports and those who bring the games and players to life.
—Focus on storytelling and spotlight athletes’ backstories. Sue Bird states, “When you know the backstories of players, teams, leagues, and those stories are told, people are likelier to latch on.” Fans relate to people and experiences, so they humanize the athletes.
It’s too easy to blame the media and not take any ownership ourselves, so here are a few ways everyone can help.
—Sponsor or encourage your organization to financially support a women’s team. Women’s sports receive less than 1% of all sponsorships; advocate within your organization to change that. Not only will this allow your company to benefit from a brand lift, but women’s sports fans are also 25% more likely to buy sponsors’ products than male sports fans.
—Keep going to games, tuning in, and bring a friend or child. Change is slow, so keep the pressure on. If you are a parent, get your children to games to model what it means to rally behind female athletes. According to Dr. David Berri, Professor and Sports economist at Southern Utah University, building a passionate fan base takes time. “You’re asking people to commit emotionally to something; many people’s emotional commitments come from their parents. And if the league’s only been around for ten years, there are no parents.”
—Like, share, and promote coverage that portrays women athletes. Media outlets respond to what consumers demand and click on. As consumers, we can all intentionally start consuming more media about women’s sports.
—Demand that news organizations commit to consistent coverage. Check if your go-to news organization does; if not, ask them to do so via email, social media, or phone.
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The author founded Flame Bearers.
Sources:
The Fan Project, Sports Innovation Lab, How Women’s Sports Will Lead The Sports Industry Into The Future.
“Media Coverage & Female Athletes.” Media Coverage & Female Athletes: Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, https://www.cehd.umn.edu/tuckercenter/projects/mediacoverage.html.
Miller, Jenesse. “News Media Keeps Pressing the Mute Button on Women’s Sports Coverage.” USC News, 24 Mar. 2021, https://news.usc.edu/183765/womens-sports-tv-news-coverage-sportscenter-online-usc-study/.
Mittelman, Jamie. “Becky Sauerbrunn (USA): Soccer & Equal Pay.” Flame Bearers: The Women Athletes Carrying Tokyo’s Torch, 2021.
Purdue News. “Overlooking Her Shot: Women’s Sports Need an Assist as Coverage Remains the Same as 30 Years Ago.” Purdue University News, https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2021/Q1/overlooking-her-shot-womens-sports-need-an-assist-as-coverage-remains-the-same-as-30-years-ago.html.
Springer @ShiraSpringer, Shira. “7 Ways to Improve Coverage of Women’s Sports.” Nieman Reports, 28 Feb. 2019, https://niemanreports.org/articles/covering-womens-sports/.
“Women in Sport Report 2021.” YouGov Sport, 23 June 2021, https://sport.yougov.com/women-in-sport-global-report-2021/.
“Women’s Sports Fans 25% More Likely to Buy Sponsor Products than Men’s, Says Study.” SportsPro, 5 Oct. 2021, https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/womens-sport-study-space-between-audience-fans-sponsorship/.
