Women in Sports
Even with the participation of girls and women in sports increasing dramatically, stereotypes and media representations still convey the message that sport is a masculine activity. I find myself continuously surprised by the lack of representation and support of women’s sports in the media.
This year’s recent March Madness really sparked my interest in this issue. I know it ended a couple weeks ago, and I know we all miss being obsessive over our brackets, but I personally do not miss the overshadowing of the women’s bracket. It is not a secret that the Cinderella story with Loyola-Chicago in men’s college basketball was amazing and left a big mark in history. However, this year was one of the most amazing tournaments for the women as well, but they did not receive half the hype nor given credit where credit was due.
Notre Dame won the whole tournament (which was shocking enough seeing as UConn was predicted to win), but that was not even the most notable part. Not only did they win their Final Four game with a buzzer beater, but they took home the W in the championship game with the same buzzer beat! The same woman, Arike Ogunbowale, shot the victorious buzzer beater.
I continue to find myself frustrated with the lack of female representation in all forms of media, but specifically with sports. Media still convey the message that sports should be a male-dominated sector of life. Even when there are, women in sports who are consistently beating records set by men all throughout history.
One of my favorite moments in history was when American tennis great Billie Jean King broke down barriers of sexism in sports by utilizing her skills on the court. Out of all her tennis accomplishments, Billie Jean King is best known for her 1973 match against men's tennis champion Bobby Riggs, the media billed "Battle of the Sexes." King won the match and empowered female athletes to not shy away nor accept to be in the shadows of men any longer.
Females are not intruders in the world of sports and sports media needs a revamping. If you consider yourself an avid sports enthusiast, but limit yourself to solely watching men’s sports, then you are missing some great games. Not having sustained media coverage for women effects not only the number of viewers tuning in, but it affects the athletes, coaches and teams who put so much into the games you say you love.
