As a society, we've been discussing the proper role for women in athletic journalism for decades now. Since athletic endeavors were, for many years, almost the sole province of men, the incorporation of women into broadcast and print media coverage of these activities has been a slow-moving process. In recent decades, that pace has accelerated as more young women in schools increased their athletic participation. That led to more overall female interest in athletic activities, and more reporting jobs covering the games. Despite those changes, however, gender discrimination in sports media continues to exist.
To be frank, the entire process of integrating women into the ranks of journalists providing athletic coverage has been excruciatingly slow. Until 1975, there were no documented incidents of women reporters doing interviews in men's locker rooms. The right for women journalists to conduct such interviews was not even established until three years after that. Overall, women remained of little importance in the grand scheme of athletic coverage.
Progress has occurred in the decades that followed, however. Women now routinely conduct critical interviews in locker rooms. That's important, because those are often among the most emotionally intense and interesting interviews found at any game. They are the interviews that draw fans' attention, and help the reporter conducting them to gain the notoriety she needs to advance her career.
Still, decades later, women remain marginalized in a media universe that stubbornly clings to its male-dominated past. There are more women journalists, of course, and even a few female anchors on various sporting shows. Overall, however, women remain as sidelined as they were decades ago.
Take an American football game, for example. Most women reporters are walking the sidelines, close to the field. The male anchors provide most of the in-depth analysis of teams and players, while the women offer trivial details about how the players and coaches feel about their chances and their game plan.
While on those sidelines, these reporters encounter sexual comments, condescension, and hostility from fans, players, and coaches. Off the sidelines, they encounter much the same from team owners and others who see no need for women in the game. Many still want them nowhere near their offices, lockers, and game fields.
The main emphasis still seems to be on how attractive these women are, and how well their makeup looks on television. It sometimes seems as though they are the media's version of the teams' cheerleader squads. They're there to look young and pretty until they're no longer young, and then the networks bring in replacements cut from the same pattern.
Obviously, much more needs to be done to ensure that women have access to opportunities in this field that represent them as something more than window dressing. The good news is that times are changing and awareness of the problem is growing. The bad news is that it may yet be several more decades before true equality both on and off the field is finally achieved for these brave female sports journalists.
To be frank, the entire process of integrating women into the ranks of journalists providing athletic coverage has been excruciatingly slow. Until 1975, there were no documented incidents of women reporters doing interviews in men's locker rooms. The right for women journalists to conduct such interviews was not even established until three years after that. Overall, women remained of little importance in the grand scheme of athletic coverage.
Progress has occurred in the decades that followed, however. Women now routinely conduct critical interviews in locker rooms. That's important, because those are often among the most emotionally intense and interesting interviews found at any game. They are the interviews that draw fans' attention, and help the reporter conducting them to gain the notoriety she needs to advance her career.
Still, decades later, women remain marginalized in a media universe that stubbornly clings to its male-dominated past. There are more women journalists, of course, and even a few female anchors on various sporting shows. Overall, however, women remain as sidelined as they were decades ago.
Take an American football game, for example. Most women reporters are walking the sidelines, close to the field. The male anchors provide most of the in-depth analysis of teams and players, while the women offer trivial details about how the players and coaches feel about their chances and their game plan.
While on those sidelines, these reporters encounter sexual comments, condescension, and hostility from fans, players, and coaches. Off the sidelines, they encounter much the same from team owners and others who see no need for women in the game. Many still want them nowhere near their offices, lockers, and game fields.
The main emphasis still seems to be on how attractive these women are, and how well their makeup looks on television. It sometimes seems as though they are the media's version of the teams' cheerleader squads. They're there to look young and pretty until they're no longer young, and then the networks bring in replacements cut from the same pattern.
Obviously, much more needs to be done to ensure that women have access to opportunities in this field that represent them as something more than window dressing. The good news is that times are changing and awareness of the problem is growing. The bad news is that it may yet be several more decades before true equality both on and off the field is finally achieved for these brave female sports journalists.
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