Media Representation of the Female Athlete By Dara Chamberlain and Michelle Guiot

Overview  Definitions  Recent Examples  Media Coverage and Statistics

Qualitative Differences  Gender Marketing  Compulsory Heterosexuality  Infantilization  Non Sport Issues  Sexualization  Ambivalence

2012 Olympic Games  Considered the “Women's Games”  Camera angles used were 37% breast and buttocks shots  Commentators referred to athletes as ‘girls’  Female Athletes asked about families more than male athletes

Non-Sport Issues  Danica Patrick  Twirl Gate  Women’s World Cup Goal

Magazine Promotion (the bad)

Magazine Promotion (the good)

Serena Williams Commercial

Media Coverage ●Cooky et al. longitudinal study (2009, 2014) ○ESPN’s SportsCenter - less than 2% of total coverage was of women’s sports ○Segments on women were very disrespectful and sexualizing in the past, but this has improved slightly

Sports Illustrated

Conclusion  Small improvements over the years  Quantity vs. quality  Media plays important role in shaping an audience’s interest in sport

References -Cooky, C., Messner, M. A., & Hextrum, R. H. (2013). Women play sport, but not on TV a longitudinal study of televised news media. Communication & Sport, 1(3), Cooky, C., Messner, M. A., & Musto, M. (2015). “It’s dude time!” A quarter century of excluding Women’s sports in televised news and highlight shows. Communication & Sport,, lhttp:// - The Body "Issue" (n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2015, from - A major boost for gender equality or more of the same? The television coverage of female athletes at the 2012 London Olympic Games. (n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2015, from -Google Images. Retrieved Nov 17, 2015 from -Coakley. J., (2015) Sports in society: Issues and controversies (11th ed.). New York: Mcgraw Hill.