Pinning down the gap: gender and the online representation of professional tennis players

Corpora ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-378
Author(s):  
Adrian Yip
Keyword(s):  
Gender Bias ◽  
News Media ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Social Institution ◽  
Online News ◽  
Extensive Discussion ◽  
Sports Media ◽  
Tennis Players ◽  
Professional Tennis ◽  
And Gender

Sport is a powerful social institution where hegemonic masculinity is constantly constructed and naturalised through the positioning of physicality and athleticism alongside maleness. Female athletes continue to be sub-ordinated by means of under-representation and trivialising gender discourses. So far, the extensive discussion of gendered language in sports media has primarily focussed on identifying the manifestations of gender bias in traditional news media. There has been little endeavour to explore the language of online media and tournament organisers. This study addresses that gap by comparing online gender representations of tennis players during the Wimbledon Championships 2018 on five online news websites and the tournament website. It also contributes to existing literature by providing corpus evidence of gender bias in sports media. The corpus consists of 1,622 articles (1,076,475 tokens). Findings from frequency, collocation and concordance analysis indicate that despite some instances of gender-neutral representations, female players are prone to gender marking and gender-bland sexism on all websites. I argue that the challenges women face relate to the tension between femininity and athleticism, and the misguided belief that women need to but can never eliminate the muscle gap.

Deuce or advantage? Examining gender bias in online coverage of professional tennis

2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 517-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Yip
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Gender Bias ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Gender Representations ◽  
Tennis Players ◽  
Gender Beliefs ◽  
Professional Tennis ◽  
Official Site ◽  
Gender Specific

Despite the increasing popularity of women’s sports, it has generally been found that female athletes receive less media coverage and are portrayed negatively with myriad gender-specific descriptors. Such biased representations warrant attention as they construct and reinforce traditional gender beliefs. This study compared the representations of female and male tennis players on the official site of the Australian Open 2015 and ESPN. A total of 357 articles were analysed using content analysis. The findings showed that gender representations on the two media outlets were quite similar as they both portrayed female players more negatively than male players by focusing on a few areas directly or indirectly: athletic weaknesses, negative skills, mental weaknesses and non-competitive roles (including appearance, attire, family and personal relationship). However, the use of certain descriptors might indicate the possibility of more gender-neutral representations of athletes in the future. It was concluded that while hegemonic masculinity was challenged at times, stereotypical beliefs about females were largely reinforced in the mediated gender representations on the two websites.

scholarly journals “Her Winning Personality”: Critical Discourse Analysis of Media Portrayals of Females in Sport

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Esford
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Third Wave ◽  
Sports Media ◽  
Gender Expectations ◽  
Gender Hierarchy ◽  
Gender Hierarchies ◽  
And Gender

At the intersection of fourth-wave feminism and third-wave sports media research, this critical discourse analysis will focus on the ways in which gender hierarchy and gender expectations are manifested in articles on ESPN.com. Through the investigation of sports media framing techniques, the ESPN articles in examination construct an idealized female identity within sports through the language used. This narrow view of female athletes allows for the power and influence that sports media has to construct gender hierarchies in the media landscape. Using Fairclough’s (1989) method of conducting a critical discourse analysis, the prevalent sports media sentiments about Simone Biles, Megan Rapinoe, and Serena Williams will illustrate the sexist, racist, and homophobic language used. Through applying the Televised Sports Manhood Formula (Messner et. al, 2000) as a foundational discourse in sports media to journalism, the hierarchy of sports media results in the use of character framing techniques for sportswomen. When aspects like ambivalence and non-sports related information are emphasized, these strategies uphold the masculine hegemony of sports media. Keywords: Sports media sentiment, gender, gender hierarchy, critical discourse analysis, Simone Biles, Megan Rapinoe, Serena Williams.

scholarly journals “Her Winning Personality”: Critical Discourse Analysis of Media Portrayals of Females in Sport

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Esford
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Third Wave ◽  
Sports Media ◽  
Gender Expectations ◽  
Gender Hierarchy ◽  
Gender Hierarchies ◽  
And Gender

At the intersection of fourth-wave feminism and third-wave sports media research, this critical discourse analysis will focus on the ways in which gender hierarchy and gender expectations are manifested in articles on ESPN.com. Through the investigation of sports media framing techniques, the ESPN articles in examination construct an idealized female identity within sports through the language used. This narrow view of female athletes allows for the power and influence that sports media has to construct gender hierarchies in the media landscape. Using Fairclough’s (1989) method of conducting a critical discourse analysis, the prevalent sports media sentiments about Simone Biles, Megan Rapinoe, and Serena Williams will illustrate the sexist, racist, and homophobic language used. Through applying the Televised Sports Manhood Formula (Messner et. al, 2000) as a foundational discourse in sports media to journalism, the hierarchy of sports media results in the use of character framing techniques for sportswomen. When aspects like ambivalence and non-sports related information are emphasized, these strategies uphold the masculine hegemony of sports media. Keywords: Sports media sentiment, gender, gender hierarchy, critical discourse analysis, Simone Biles, Megan Rapinoe, Serena Williams.

Fighting Visibility

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer McClearen
Keyword(s):  
Cultural History ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Women Of Color ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Cautionary Tale ◽  
Sports Media ◽  
Labor Practices ◽  
Brand Culture ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Gender

Over the first twenty years of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) history, the mixed-martial arts (MMA) promotion adamantly excluded female athletes and upheld sports media’s time-honored tradition of ignoring and undervaluing sportswomen. Yet, in the early 2010s, Ronda Rousey burst onto the MMA stage and convinced the UFC to include women, which ushered in a new fervor for female athletes in a male-dominated cultural milieu. The popularity of women in the UFC might suggest that female athletes in combat sports are breaking the barriers of a notoriously stubborn glass ceiling. However, as the first academic book analyzing the UFC as a sports media brand, Fighting Visibility urges advocates of women’s sports to consider the limits of representation for cultural change and urges caution against the celebratory discourse of women’s inclusion. Part cultural history of the UFC as a media juggernaut and part cautionary tale for the future of women as sports laborers, Fighting Visibility argues that the UFC’s promotion of diverse female athletes actually serves as a seductive mirage of progress that enables the brand’s exploitative labor practices. The UFC’s labor model disproportionately taxes female athletes, particularly women of color and gender nonnormative women, despite also promoting them at unprecedented levels. Fighting Visibility complicates a prevalent notion among sports scholars, activists, and fans that the increased visibility of female athletes will lead to greater equity in sports media and instead urges us to question who ultimately benefits from that visibility in neoliberal brand culture.

“This Isn’t Just About Us”: Articulations of Feminism in Media Narratives of Athlete Activism

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 692-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Cooky ◽  
Dunja Antunovic
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
News Media ◽  
Women Of Color ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
The United States ◽  
Online News ◽  
Equal Pay ◽  
Sports Media ◽  
Media Narratives

Historically, the world of sport has served as a symbolic site for social justice, ushering change in the wider society and inspiring movements that often do not directly or solely tie to sport. Recently, academics and sports journalists have noted a “rebirth” of athlete activism in the United States. Despite the activism of women of color, who have initiated and been at the center of these movements, and sportswomen’s outspokenness on a variety of social justice issues, women’s roles are rendered invisible in narratives that instead privilege sportsmen or men’s professional leagues. We examine articulations of feminism in the context of athlete activism and re-center the role of sportswomen. Drawing upon social media, official statements from athletes, and online news media coverage, we locate feminist narratives in networked communication, specifically in the Women’s National Basketball Association’s activism as it relates to #BlackLivesMatter and the U.S. women’s soccer equal pay lawsuit. Our analytical approach is attuned to how feminism circulates in an economy of visibility, where certain feminisms become more visible than others. Our findings illustrate how narratives of solidarity and collectivism are informed by articulations of intersectional and neoliberal feminisms. This article concludes with a call for sports media scholars to tell stories differently.

scholarly journals Introducing instagagement: analyzing the engagement rates of professional tennis players through self-presentation strategies on Instagram

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Lebel
Keyword(s):  
Female Athlete ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Male Athletes ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Tennis Players ◽  
Athletic Competence ◽  
Professional Tennis ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
Fan Engagement

This study explored the self-presentation strategies of male and female professional tennis players on the visual-based social media platform, Instagram, and explored the differences that exist between genders relative to fan engagement. A total of 963 Instagram posts were analyzed through content analyses of the top ten most followed professional male and female tennis players. Findings suggest that down-to-earth posts were the most common selfpresentation strategy for both genders; however, male athletes were found to post in a wider variety of categories. Sport specific presentations of self (athletic competence, behind-the-scenes and celebratory) were found to be significantly more popular among male athletes, constituting 46.1% of their sample, compared to 24.5% of the female athlete sample. Fan engagement rates revealed that followers of male athletes engaged with celebratory content the most, while followers of female athletes engaged most with sexualized content.

scholarly journals Female Politicians Representation’s in Corruption Cases in Online News

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prawinda Putri Anzari
Keyword(s):  
Gender Bias ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Online News ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
The Social ◽  
Female Politicians ◽  
Stuart Hall ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Gender Categories

Despite having thirty per cent quota of parliamentary seats, women in fact are only able to fill up the quota amount of 23 per cent. This certainly has a great influence for women’s active participation in politics in most countries worldwide. In Indonesia, the image of women’s roles associated with politics is statistically unfavorable. With a strong patriarchal system, men still have a bigger role in politics rather than women. The images of female political actors also still tend to be flawed. Woman makes headlines in politics when she becomes the object of scandal. On the other hand stereotypes and gender bias between men and women will always exist in the mass media. Stereotypes are used to describe the social categories of men and women. In the news, text can be seen how media and journalists use gender categories in political news. This research uses discourse analysis method in online news text. The analysis focuses on the usage of language in the social context. By using the concept of text analysis, it can be seen how the news about women politicians depicted in the form of writing or discourse. The theory used in this research is Stuart Hall’s representation. Using the concept of representation from Stuart Hall, it could be seen that online news portals have a gender bias in reporting corruption cases of female political actors. Through representation, the meaning was produced and exchanged among members of society and displaying distinctive images for female political actors in Indonesia. Keywords: women in politic, online media, online news, gender bias, female politician

The Personality Characteristics of Internationally Ranked Female Tennis Players as Measured by the Cattell 16 PF

1991 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 987-992
Author(s):  
Joan C. Gondola ◽  
Emily Wughalter
Keyword(s):  
Research Design ◽  
Female Athlete ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Personality Factor ◽  
Male Athletes ◽  
Female Population ◽  
Tennis Players ◽  
Professional Tennis

This study was undertaken to add to understanding of the profile of the female athlete both psychologically and physiologically. 16 internationally ranked female professional tennis players were administered the Cattell 16 Personality Factor (16 PF) Questionnaire. When age was controlled in the research design (under 27 vs over 28 years old), the younger players were significantly more intelligent and experimental than the older group. When rank was controlled (above 50, below 50), no significant results were reported. Compared to the norms for the general female population, the tennis pros were significantly more reserved, more intelligent, more suspicious, and less pretentious. More information is needed to study intragroup comparisons, as well as comparisons with nonelite female athletes and elite male athletes.

scholarly journals Introducing instagagement: analyzing the engagement rates of professional tennis players through self-presentation strategies on Instagram

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Lebel
Keyword(s):  
Female Athlete ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Male Athletes ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Tennis Players ◽  
Athletic Competence ◽  
Professional Tennis ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
Fan Engagement

This study explored the self-presentation strategies of male and female professional tennis players on the visual-based social media platform, Instagram, and explored the differences that exist between genders relative to fan engagement. A total of 963 Instagram posts were analyzed through content analyses of the top ten most followed professional male and female tennis players. Findings suggest that down-to-earth posts were the most common selfpresentation strategy for both genders; however, male athletes were found to post in a wider variety of categories. Sport specific presentations of self (athletic competence, behind-the-scenes and celebratory) were found to be significantly more popular among male athletes, constituting 46.1% of their sample, compared to 24.5% of the female athlete sample. Fan engagement rates revealed that followers of male athletes engaged with celebratory content the most, while followers of female athletes engaged most with sexualized content.

Media Images of Male and Female Professional Athletes: An Interpretive Analysis of Magazine Articles

1984 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan C. Hilliard
Keyword(s):  
Gender Roles ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Tennis Players ◽  
Feminine Gender ◽  
Interpretive Analysis ◽  
Professional Tennis ◽  
Mass Circulation ◽  
Magazine Articles ◽  
Masculine Gender Roles

An interpretive analysis of mass circulation magazine articles on leading male and female professional tennis players indicates that both groups are treated in terms of a “debunking motif” which reveals their imperfections and character flaws. The flaws identified among the women are closely associated with stereotypically feminine gender roles, while the flaws observed among the men are associated with stereotypically masculine gender roles. Thus, the articles reinforce the concept of professional sport as a male preserve, while suggesting an underlying traditionally feminine gender role for the female athletes. It is argued that this construction of the female athlete role derives from the commercial sponsorship of professional tennis.

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