Sports. One of America’s favorite past-times. I’m sure we all know or have witnessed the way sports bring people together. The way strangers bond over their favorite teams and players. But, although sports brings people together, it also is a space full of misogyny and sexism, as women’s sports and women who work in sports are constantly being disrespected or degraded despite their talent, hard work, and, qualifications.
Sports Media
Although a lot of the disrespect women face in sports can be attributed to the very framework of our society, sports media also plays a huge role in how women in sports are portrayed as opposed to men. Sports has in the past and continues to be seen as “something for men,” and this is shown blatantly through the number of sports media personnel that are women. As of 2022, only about 17% of sports broadcasters, 21% of sports journalists, and 9% of sports announcers are women, despite women and girls accounting for around 45% of the NFL fanbase, and making up one-third of the NBA’s audience. You would think that sports media would be more of a representation of its fans, but it is not. Imagine how much viewership would increase if more women were allowed to work in sports media.
For the women who have broken down barriers and worked extremely hard to earn their place in sports media careers, they are still faced with insane amounts of sexism on the job. Women working in sports media are expected to be seemingly perfect. They are expected to be attractive (many of them white and blonde) and suitable for the male gaze. The level of attractiveness amongst women in sports broadcasting and journalism is disproportionate to the level of attractiveness amongst men as men are not expected to be attractive to be fit to commentate on sports but women are. Women working in these fields also appear much younger than their male counterparts. Even on television shows where sports commentating takes place amongst a panel of members, three are little to no women present on these shows. What kind of message does this send to all the women sports fans and athletes who watch and enjoy these shows? Are their opinions unimportant? Are their opinions not valued?
The coverage of women’s sports in sports media also is a huge problem. Studies have shown that 40% of all athletes are women, but they only receive 4% of all sports media coverage. There is little to no day-to-day coverage of women’s sports and there is little to no advertisement of women’s sports games, while men’s sports games are constantly advertised, highlighted, and replayed. The fact of the matter is that women in sports from the players to the media are both undervalued and underrepresented.
Funding Disparities
Along with being undervalued and underrepresented, women’s sport teams and athletes are underfunded and underpaid across college and professional sports. In the NBA, the average salary of a player is $6.4 million, while the average salary of a WNBA player is $71,635, the NBA says this is due to men having larger audiences, therefore bringing in larger revenues but the revenue to pay ratio is also disproportionate. Men in the NBA earn about 50% of the revenue the league brings in, while WNBA players only earn 25% of the revenue their league brings in (According to Forbes).
In the NCAA, women’s sports suffer the same feat as the professionals. Their sports get little to no media coverage and fewer resources are poured into their programs. During “March Madness,” (NCAA basketball tournament), men’s teams are compensated monetarily for their wins, while women are not even though millions of people watch women’s tournaments on tv and thousands of people watch women’s tournaments in person. Despite the NCAA making millions in advertisements women’s teams are not treated fairly and the NCAA has made it clear how much it respects women’s sports and athletes hold in their eyes.
Megan Rapinoe of the women’s U.S. national soccer team has been vocal about the pay disparities in women’s sports, especially since she’s experienced it firsthand. The U.S. women’s national soccer team has won numerous gold medals and world cups and was still only earning one-third of what the men made when the men’s team has not won a single gold medal or a world cup. The women’s U.S. national soccer team was just recently awarded equal pay on February 22nd, 2022 after a legal battle including Rapinoe and her teammate Alex Morgan. “We have filled stadiums, broken viewing records, and sold out jerseys, all popular metrics by which we are judged,” said Alex Rapinoe when addressing the pay gap between the women’s and men’s soccer teams. Many times when talking about the disparities women face in sports as opposed to their male counterparts they are met with the same criticisms of viewership, popularity, and lack of public interest. If I turn on any sports channel, I will see countless stories and advertisements for men’s games but no stories about women’s performances in sports or their upcoming games. So is it a lack of interest that is driving the disparity or is it a lack of coverage?
What is the solution?
Of course, this is a topic that has been reiterated constantly. But what is the solution? As easy as it is to say “just pay women equally,” “give them more coverage,” or “hire more women,” it seems to be much easier said than done, and it will take more than just women to be champions for equality in sports. Support for women in sports must be shown through ACTIONS rather than measly words of superficial support. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is a perfect example of putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to women’s sports, as Curry launched a scholarship endowment that focused on uplifting women’s athletics at his alma mater, Davidson College. Curry also wrote his college thesis on advancing gender equity in sports to earn his sociology degree and graduate from Davidson in the year 2022. Kobe Bryant was also an avid supporter of women’s sports before the tragic passing of him and his daughter, Gigi Bryant. The basketball legend was the coach of Gigi’s AAU basketball team and also helped to develop more women’s basketball programs and tournaments. From the players to the journalists, women in sports deserve the same respect that is allotted to men, but the change must start with us. Being more vocal and intentional about news in women’s sports may be a good start. As well as speaking positively and sharing more about women’s accomplishments in the sports world. Be the change you want to see.
Highlight
Before I end this article, I want to use the time to highlight some of my favorite women in the sports world. They are doing amazing work and I am a fan of theirs.
Taylor Rooks (Sports Journalist and Broadcaster, appears on Thursday Night Football and Bleacher Report)
Jemelee Hill (Sports Journalist)
Malika Andrews (Sports Journalist, Host of NBA Today)
Kendra Andrews (NBA Reporters, covers Golden State Warriors)
Molly Querin (Host of ESPN’S First Take)
Candance Parker (Professional Basketball Player, Two-Time WNBA MVP)
A’ja Wilson (Professional Basketball Player,2022 WNBA Champion)
Kelsey Plum (Professional Basketball Player, 2022 WNBA Champion)
Jayda Curry (University of California Basketball Player, 2022 PAC 12 Freshman of the Year)
Azi Fudd (UConn Basketball Player, 2022 Big East All-Freshman Team)
Paige Buekers (UConn Basketball Player, 2021 Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award)
Serena Williams (Professional Tennis Player, GOAT)
Coco Gauff (Professional Tennis Player)
Simone Biles (American Gymnast, Most Decorated U.S. Gymnast in History)
Nia Dennis (American Gymnast)
Jordan Chiles (American Gymnast, 2020 Olympic Medalist)
Sydney Mclaughlin (American Track and Field Athlete, 2022 World Champion. Set 4 World Records in 13 Months)
Allyson Felix (American Track and Field Athlete, 11-time Olympic Medalist)
Megan Rapinoe (American Soccer Player, Two-Time Olympic Medalist)
Alex Morgan (American Soccer Player, Two Time Olympic Medalist)