1. N Bailey Professor PEAK CSUB
Ch 13 The Media Industry
N Bailey Professor PEAK CSUB
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

2. Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.
Quick Facts
15% of all sports media coverage is devoted to women’s sport
Women’s Final Four biggest annual women’s sports TV event
ESPN’s Sports Center: less than 5% devoted to women’s sport
Women have outnumbered men in college journalism and mass communications since 1977
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

3. Media’s Three Important Services
Timely reporting of current events
Interpretation of social, political, and economic conditions
Entertainment for the masses
Requires responsible selection of content
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

4. Boutillier and SanGiovanni (1983)
Regardless of what is actually happening, it is the media’s interpretation of that event that shapes our attitudes and perceptions about the world.
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

5. Wire Services for Newspapers & Designer TV
Why send a reporter? AP, Knight, Reuters, and intra-newspaper wire service are cheaper
TV uses host broadcaster to provide clean video-audio feed from an event; national service may add its own commentary
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

6. Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.
Computer Technology
No single media format has revolutionized the electronic media so dramatically.
Millions have access to the World Wide Web on-line daily updated information.
Search engines serve as indexes or as an entire library
Result: rethinking traditional communications objectives ands strategies.
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

7. Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.
Sport and Media & U.S.
Symbiotic relationship: sport institution and media industry
As commercial value of sport increased so did value of sports reporting.
Changing from “soft news” sports department “Toyland” into hard news.
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

8. Spiraling trend toward monopolistic status
ESPN, ESPN2, satellite services, escalated viewer interest & advertising directed toward male interests.
Radio and TV talk shows promoted a following and created a new breed of sports junkie.
Ted Turner and Time Warner, where Atlanta Braves are featured
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

9. Conservators of Convention
Sport and the media have a symbiotic relationship
Reinforce traditional values rather than challenge or lead the transformation to more enlightened thinking
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

10. Media’s Traditional Role
Challenge convention, ask questions, and take on the power elite over issues of social consequence and political hegemony
Disappointingly, the media has all but ignored the revolution in the women’s sport movement
Finally in 1995 the coverage of women’s athletics exceeded that of dogs or horses. (D. Lopiano)
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

11. Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.
Sports Coverage
Creates interest and demand for sport
Promotes athletes
Develops heroes and heroines.
Sell newspapers and magazines
Attract corporate sponsors, and boosts TV ratings
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

12. Virtual Sport Opportunities Uncharted
The internet, cyber sport, offers online access without filtering by traditional media genre.
Direct links and access
Ability to inform and mobilize thousands quickly revolutionizes political strategies and activists.
What will come of it for the sports world?
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

13. Male Preserve & Hegemonic Masculinity
Traditionally masculinity was proven via athletic prowess.
Sports success brings status in the culture and reinforces male privilege.
Athleticism = virility , machismo, male heterosexuality.
Sport and the military are the last bastions of male turf.
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

14. When Women Demonstrate Excellence in Sport
Ambivalence toward female athletes expressed via symbolism
When Female athletes are featured they note: physical appearance, style of dress, her life as a heterosexual wife, mother, or girlfriend
Power, strength, endurance, struggle and strategies in competition are downplayed or ignored.
Sexist references remain problematic.
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

15. Commentators & Covert Sexism
When women miss, they say, “She missed,” or “she missed the shot.”
When men miss, they say, “too strong,” “unbridled power,” or “Smith is not giving up.” Errors are linguistically converted into successes.
For men, mitigating circumstances used to explain errors. For the women’s game: “She missed.”
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

16. Another Linguistic analysis
Male errors are reported as unavoidable or other factors, or failing to meet his true skill
Women’s misses, “she missed.”
Unidentified when male misses
Women are named, given explicit attribution:”Kirkland misses a three pointer,” “Jarrard grabbed the shot away, but missed.”
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

17. Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.
Gender Marking
For men, it’s the NCAA Tournament
For women, they call it the women’s NCAA tournament.
Feminine signifiers used for women’s sport
Masculine signifiers not used for men’s sport
Results in the symbolic dominance of men’s sport
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

18. Mascots and the Hierarchy of Naming
Reinforces the marking of female athletes as subordinate, or invisible
Bearcats vs. Bearkittens
Lady Rams vs. Rams
The word, squaw, means prostitute in some native languages, but is disregarded by the power elite.
Groups organize to change this. Other groups organize to reinforce the racist, sexist hegemony. Amazing!
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

19. Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.
Lesbian Presence
American LGBT Crossroads: out of the closet visibility has increased dramatically
At the same time, Homophobia is alive and well as the dominant cultural value
Sanctity of the male sport establishment is threatened by the presence of lesbian and gay men in sport
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

20. Homoerotic Underpinnings of Male Sports Establlishment
Gay men’s presence is critical to the maintenance of hegemonic masculinity
Notions of “manly man” are fragile constructs
The ideals are contradicted by reality
Therefore, they require consistent and aggressive affirmation and reinforcement (Sabo & Jenson p.214)
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

21. Forcing Images to Conform
Homophobia forces worried women (gay or straight) to create images that conform to traditional notions of femininity.
The “image problem” is a euphemism for “suspected lesbian”.
Sports federations, university administrators, coaches, and sports agents enforce compulsory heterosexuality for “the athlete’s own good”.
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

22. Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.
Erasure
Coverage of team sports is nominal
That amounts to a symbolic erasure of women playing ice hockey, rugby, and softball
It works like this according to Kane & Lenskyj:
Women play team sports using skills that are interpreted as masculine
Women playing masculine sports = not real women = lesbians
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

23. Heterosexy Images Not Working
Why not simply say: Lesbian presence in sport is no different than Lesbian presence in other aspects of life?
Why not simply show strong images of women athletes and make no apology for it?
Why are closeted Lesbians, and straight women who might be perceived as Lesbian, in sport threatened with public vilification?
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

24. Women’s Struggle in Sorts Reporting
In 1920’s, five women wrote sports columns for notable papers
By 1929, 15 women reporting sports in Philadelphia, formed the Women’s Sports Witer’s Association
Depression and War: the usual patterns of employment for women
The 70’s second wave of feminism: locker room reporting, (equal protection and due process) Lead to equal access
The struggle continues
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

25. Five categories of Women’s Sport Books
Elite Athletes personal stories
How to books
Dramatic accounts of team’s good season
Adventure of mountain climbing, etc.
Textbooks on social, psychological, historical and philosophical issues
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

26. TV Control of Sports a Bad Thing
X Games sports began with esthetics being emphasized.
The sports are mutating under the auspices of ESPN
Women under-represented
Were alternatives to mainstream sports where competition was the reason for being
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

27. Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.
Media Hype vs. Reality
Hype the women, but portray mostly socially accepted sports: gymnastics, swimming, diving
Not much seen of basketball, soccer, gymnastics
Analysis of air time: nonsignificant gains for women
Actual coverage continued to favor men
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

28. Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.
Transformation?
Scholarship that focuses on how issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality are encoded in media sports representations will be critical in making positive change.
Cybersport will be impacted by a global perspective
This is uncharted territory. Maybe one day this chapter will not be relevant
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

29. Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.
What do you think?
Does the internet portray female athletes differently from the traditional media? How so?
Are you optimistic about positive changes in television and newspaper portrayal of female athletes in the near future?
Can you make a case for eliminating the sexist or racist mascots?
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

30. Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.
That’s All Folks
Have a good week end
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

31. Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

32. Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.

33. Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.
Sport Coverage Also
9/18/2018
Notes from Women In Sport, Cohen, Ed.