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Women Sports in the Media: Literary ReviewAaron GillThe University of Texas- El PasoAbstractWomen's or female sports have always been second to male sports, in regards to attendance, popularity, and media coverage. Even in the United States, a diverse and accepting country of women sports, women still receive a minuscule amount of media coverage for their respective sports. This literary review will inform the reader of the drastic divide between male and female sports, while also providing possible explanations to this problem as well as possible solutions. Statistical data and a survey will serve as reliable sources for this literary review.Women Sports in the Media: Literary ReviewWomen’s sports have always received less media coverage than their male counterparts. Women practice, train, and play just as hard as men, so why does their actions go relatively unseen? Even when there is great success with women's sports teams, women’s sports teams fail to attract the same amount of fan support as men’s sports teams. For example, the 2013 University of Connecticut women’s basketball team held a 35-4 record and won the NCAA women’s basketball championship but only drew an average of 8,977 of fans per game; the less successful 2013 men’s basketball team finished with a 20-10 record, but still drew an average of 10,728 of fans per game (NCAA, 2014). This literary review will provide information/research on the disparity between men’s and women's sports, using the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) as the main focal point because the WNBA is perhaps the most successful and popular of all women’s sports leagues. This literary review will answer the following four questions regarding women’s sports:Does women’s sports receive equal media coverage as to their male counterparts, and why?Do people prefer women’s or men’s sports coverage, and why? Is it the media deciding what we should like or are viewers hard wired with a certain preference?How can the media help increase coverage of women’s sports?Survey resultsAt the conclusion of this literary review the reader will have a better understanding as to why women’s sports receives the media coverage they do. It will also address why men and women prefer certain sports, and how gender affects the popularity of the sport. Then, it will provide possible solutions for how women’s sports can receive more media coverage. Finally, it will discuss the results of the survey I conducted.Does women’s sports receive equal media coverage as to their male counterparts and why?Women do not receive equal media coverage or game attendance as men. In a side by side comparison during the 2009 NBA and WNBA seasons, the media coverage ratio between the NBA and WNBA is 3.5 to 1, with the NBA receiving the greater amount of coverage. Considering the fact that NBA attendance is twelve times that of the WNBA, a 12 to 1 ratio (Page, 305779931968072014), the WNBA actually receives a greater media coverage to attendance percentage (288.31%) than the NBA (84.2%). This means if the media coverage was given to the leagues based off of their attendance, the WNBA receives more media coverage percentage than the NBA when comparing attendance to media coverage. Using the WNBA as an example, it is possible to say that women sports receive less media coverage than their male counterparts due to the amount of time each women’s sport has been in existence. The NBA was founded in 1946 and the WNBA was established in 1997, naturally creating a challenge for the WNBA to gain fans, sponsors and media coverage within the course of the past seventeen years. To put it in perspective, some NBA players have had careers longer than the WNBA has been active. Professional women’s sports have not been around long enough to gain a nation following to create more media coverage for the sport. However, despite the short amount of time the WNBA has been in existence, from the WNBA’s thirteenth season to the fourteenth season the WNBA “viewership is up +86% on NBA TV and up +41% on ESPN2” (Glass, 2013, para. 4). Also worth noting is while the NBA has the backing of millions of fans dating all the way back to 1946, the NBA also has millions of international fans. The NBA is special in the sense that men’s basketball is a global sport, with NBA superstars coming from China, Brazil, Germany and many other countries, creating NBA popularity worldwide. There are numerous professional sports leagues across the world for men’s basketball, yet the WNBA is the only one for women’s basketball (ESPN, 2014). Having a single country market (U.S.) makes the WNBA less marketable and less popular than the NBA and other male sports. The WNBA only has twelve teams versus the NBA’s thirty teams, which include one in Canada (ESPN, 2014). More markets mean more media coverage (Halbrooks, 2014). On the plus side for the WNBA, when the WNBA receives media coverage, the coverage is split between less teams because as stated earlier the WNBA has only twelve teams, meaning each team receives a bigger share of the profits. The NBA on the other hand has to split media coverage between thirty teams. When considering all this information, the WNBA is actually doing very well and is expected to gain popularity (Glass, 2013). Professional women’s sports are in the beginning stages and are just gaining traction within the sports world. Women’s sports actually receive a fair amount of media coverage within the United States but simply are not in as many markets across the country to be able to be given more media coverage. It does not help that women’s professional sports are almost nonexistent everywhere else in the world, but when the WNBA establishes more of a foothold in its current media markets, it is expected to see a rise in media coverage for the WNBA and possibly fellow women’s sports (Lee, 2013).Do people prefer women’s or men’s sports coverage, and why? Is it the media deciding what viewers should like or are sports fans hard wired with a certain preference?A survey was conducted which consisted of twenty people, ten men and ten women; five of each gender played sports at either the high school, collegiate, or professional level, and five from each gender did not play sports at all. The survey data showed that 100% of males preferred male sports, with the main reason being that male sports provide more excitement, intensity, and have a faster pace. The women’s data showed only 60% of women preferred male sports and gave similar answers as the men. 30% of women had no preference, with the main response being that they like certain male sports (basketball and football) and certain female sports (tennis, gymnastics, and swimming). Only 10% of women stated they favored women sports, with the reason being that they like gymnastics and tennis. The data from the survey shows that men mostly prefer sports of strength and athleticism, such as basketball, mixed martial arts, and football, and women sometimes prefer more artistic sports such as tennis and gymnastics.Most men do not watch women sports but the primary viewers of professional women's sports, such as the WNBA, are men; this means there is not a huge opportunity for women's sports to receive more media coverage (Tierney, 2003). An article published in the New York Times will reinforce this claim about how the average viewer of women’s sports is actually a man. “The audience for this year's championship game in women's college basketball was 57 percent male, according to Nielsen Media Research” (Tierney, 2003). This trend continues into many other professional women’s sports such as golf. Based on the survey results the information shows that while men prefer to watch men’s sports, they do watch women sports but only certain ones, such as basketball. Women, like men, also prefer certain sports, but are inclined to watch sports like tennis, gymnastics, and figure skating.People’s preference for certain sports may not be just by chance, but biologically hard wired. In an article published by The Independent, “Men tend to outperform women involving spatial tasks and motor skills,” (Connor, 2013). This would explain why men prefer men’s sports because they view men’s sports as more exciting due to the fast pace, more athleticism, and intensity. Since a great deal of sports involve strength, speed, and coordination, according to Connor (2013), men are better equipped to perform certain sports than women, and women are better equipped to perform certain sports than men. This explains why most sports watchers, which are men, prefer to watch the gender that performs the sport the best.The media does not decide which sports viewers like; the media merely covers sports that are more well-liked because more popular sports bring in greater amounts of money than less popular sports. The more money a sport earns, the more media coverage the sport is given (Tierney, 2003). The NBA has more fans than the WNBA, thus creating a need to have more teams across the country. Having more teams brings not only more fans but more money as well, which translates into more sponsorships and media coverage (NBA, 2014).The research shows that a sport’s popularity determines how much media coverage the sport receives. Men and women both prefer to watch men’s sports because they generally offer greater strength and athleticism, such as basketball, football, and mixed martial arts. When women and men watch women’s sports they often are events such as tennis or gymnastics, which are considered more artistic sports.How can media help increase coverage of women’s sports?Before diving into the answer to this question, it is important to first discuss why media coverage needs to increase and the important cultural changes it could bring to women’s sports. “When male athletes receive media attention, such coverage is primarily focused on their skilled performance. When female athletes receive media attention, the media is much more likely to focus on their physical attractiveness or non-sport-related activities” (Lopiano, 2014). Many popular female athletes are not just known as athletes, but rather many popular female athletes are known first for their physical attractiveness or some other non-sports related reason. Case in point is Russian tennis superstar Anna Kournikova, “who has yet to win a professional tennis tournament, was one of only six women ranked among the most important people in sports” (Lopiano, 2014, para 4). Kournikova also is a model and will soon be married to famous singer Enrique Iglesias (Campbell, 2014). Kournikova is an example of the culture women’s sports carries when a famous women’s professional athlete is more famous for her looks and fiancee, rather than her athletic ability. Sports networks, radio shows, ads, commercials, and sports talk shows do not portray women's sports in the same way they show men’s sports (Lopiano, 2014). When media coverage changes and portrays men’s and women’s sports in the same manner, a rise in women’s sports popularity is expected. When this change occurs, women will be seen first and foremost as athletes.In conclusion, all the evidence shows that in order for women’s sports to receive more media coverage, media outlets first have to change their style of coverage on women's sports, giving them more respect for their athletic performances and not on their looks. Slowly, this change will create a culture shift throughout the sports world, creating the mindset that women’s sports have top notch athletes deserving of media attention.Survey ResultsThe same survey referred to earlier of twenty people was meant to find the differences in thought between men and women regarding women’s sports, in addition to finding if men and women see a problem with women’s sports receiving little media attention. One of the questions on the survey asked: What do you prefer male or female sports and why? The results of the survey are shown in the graph below.238281620289The results show that all of the men surveyed preferred men’s sports with the main reason being that “men’s sports are most intense and fast paced”. One male said he liked men’s sports better “because that is what is always on,” but he still sided with men’s sports. Sixty-six percent of women preferred to watch men’s sports with the same explanation as men, that men’s sports are more exciting. Thirty percent of women choose neither men nor women’s sports because they said they “like certain sports from each gender and each gender has their qualities.” One female participant chose women sports, with one of her favorites being female-dominated sports such as gymnastics.Another important survey question asked: Do you think there is a problem with women sports receiving a small amount of media coverage? The results were closely divided with 50% saying it is a problem, 35% saying it is not a problem, and 15% saying it sometimes a problem. One participant who said “yes” gave the following reason: “they (women) don’t get equitable funding.” A participant who gave “no” as their answer said, “women’s sports are still not being socially accepted thus making it less popular.” A participant who gave the answer “sometimes” stated the following reason: “it (women’s sports) are not as exciting.” The data and responses show that people are aware of the problem that women’s sports receive less media coverage than men’s sports. However, many believe that that is either just the way it is because the world is male-dominated or male sports are just better.ConclusionMost sports watchers have the ideology that women’s sports will forever be stuck in the situation it currently finds itself in, but statistics suggest otherwise. The WNBA and women’s sports have seen a rise and drop in media coverage over the past couple of decades, but as time passes women’s sports are expected to become more popular, as the case with the WNBA. Women’s sports are repeatedly put in second place behind men’s sports when it comes to media coverage, but that does not mean women’s sports will always lag behind. Research reflects that women’s sports will gain greater popularity and coverage throughout the sports world.ReferencesCampbell, J. (2014, January 13). Enrique Iglesias And Anna Kournikova Spotted Boating In Miami (PHOTOS). The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from , S. (2013, December 3). The hardwired difference between male and female brains could explain why men are 'better at map reading'. The Independent. Retrieved March 22, 2014, from . (n.d.). Connecticut Huskies Women's Baksetball. . Retrieved March 25, 2014, from , A. (2013, July 26). In Its 17th Season, The WNBA Continues To Defy Odds. Forbes. Retrieved March 21, 2014, from , G. (n.d.). Pros and Cons of Working in a Larger TV Market. Media. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from , A. (2013, December 22). Reasons why the WNBA should not significantly spend more money in the immediate future - Swish Appeal. SB Nation. Retrieved March 26, 2014, from , D. (n.d.). Sports Management Resources. Media Coverage of Women's Sports Is Important. Retrieved March 19, 2014, from . (n.d.). Silver on Jersey Sponsors. . Retrieved March 25, 2014, from Tourney: Sister, Sister. (n.d.). . Retrieved March 22, 2014, from , K. (n.d.). Why women need a place in sport. Healthculturesociety -. Retrieved March 22, 2014, from . (n.d.). . Retrieved March 25, 2014, from , J. (2003, June 14). Ideas & Trends; Why Don't Women Watch Women's Sports?. The New York Times. Retrieved March 22, 2014, from

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