Mass Media, Gender, and the Summer Olympic Games Alar Lipping, Ph.D. Northern Kentucky University

Sport Sociology Class Integrate chapters on mass media and gender Class project deals with content analysis of sport media and gender

Topics New York Times coverage of United States Tennis Open Local newspaper coverage on interscholastic athletics Television sport coverage on ESPN Coverage of March madness men’s and women’s basketball tournament Collegiate athletic web sites New York Times coverage of Summer Olympic Games

Methodology Content Analysis QuantitativeQualitative Inter rater reliability

Procedures The researchers conducted a review of The New York Times for each day that the Olympic Games occurred starting with the 1948 games and every consecutive contest through the 2000 Sydney games (The 1980 Moscow games were not analyzed due to the US boycott).

Quantitative Analysis The study was conducted to determine if there is symmetry in media coverage between male and female athletic events during the Summer Olympic Games. Symmetry refers to the extent to which print and image representations are created regarding the quantity of male and female sport coverage compared to their actual percentage of events in a particular Summer Olympic Game.

Methodology –Male print coverage –Male image coverage –Female print coverage –Female image coverage –Print coverage for both male and female –Image coverage for both male and female

The percentage of media coverage for males and females was then compared to the actual percentage of athletic events for males and females in that particular Summer Olympic Games

Reliability Ratings Reliability Ratings Two independent reviewers evaluated the print and image content. Reliability of observation was determined by inter-rater reliability ratings. If agreement between the two independent reviewers was not achieved, a third evaluation was utilized to determine final analysis. Overall, there was 99% agreement between the two evaluators.

Male and Female Events

Female Percentage Comparison

Male Percentage Comparison

Results The findings indicate that symmetry occurred in media coverage of the Summer Olympic Games. The study suggests that print and image coverage of the Summer Olympic Games reflects the percentage of athletic events that were devoted to males and females in terms of symmetry.

Qualitative Analysis of news coverage based on gender marking. Findings were in narrative form to discuss any differences regarding the manner in which coverage differed between male and female athletes. Application to 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympic Games.

2000 Summer Olympics Sydney Australia September 15th-October 1st

Number Of Athletes Participation: 199 Nations 10,651 athletes 4,069 women, 6,582 men

2000 Summer Games 296 events. 166 of these events are specifically for men, while only 118 are primarily women's events. Men and women share twelve mixed events. Women will not be seen competing at all in Boxing, Baseball, and Wrestling. Softball and the disciplines of Rhythmic Gymnastics and Synchronized Swimming, however, are designed exclusively for women.

New Events Added

Content Most articles were written by male reporters. Female reporters generally covered human interest stories as opposed to athletic contests. Very little coverage was given to the new female athletic events.

Content (cont.) Majority of female coverage was in the traditional feminine sports of gymnastics and swimming. Language depicting strength, aggression, athletic prowess, and power was primarily characteristic in male athletic coverage. Articles about women athletes didn’t involve any demeaning or patronizing remarks. Celebrity prevailed in basketball. Greater attention was given to male basketball due to the celebrity of NBA players.

2004 Summer Games Athens Greece August 12-August 29

Number of Athletes Participation: 201 nations 10,625 athletes 4,329 women, 6,296 women

2004 Olympic Games Women’s Wrestling

Content 2004 Symmetrical coverage. Greater attention given to gymnastics and swimming. Male basketball team received 3 to 1 more coverage over women’s basketball despite the fact that women won the gold and men won the bronze.

Basketball Coverage Women win Gold Men win Bronze

Conclusion During special events such as the United States Open in tennis and the Olympic Games, there is symmetry in male and female coverage. When contrasted on a daily coverage of female athletic coverage there is less than 7% coverage.

Conclusion (cont.) The language between men’s and women’s coverage still has less emphasis on physical prowess for females than for males.