Challenging the Gender Dichotomy: Examining Olympic Channel Content Through a Gendered Lens

in Sociology of Sport Journal

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Qingru Xu Eastern Washington University

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Andrew C. Billings The University of Alabama

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2020-0095
First Published Online:
25 Jun 2021
In Print:
Volume 38: Issue 4
Page Range:
412–420
Restricted access

This study content analyzed 1,013 thumbnails of news episodes at the Olympic Channel through the lens of gender. By examining the percentage of pictures rendered to male and female athletes, themes, sports type, sexualization, subordination, and action level, this study uncovered that although some sex differences existed, the Olympic Channel—overall—showcased a high level of gender equality in visualizing male and female athletes in news thumbnails, especially considering that the pictures analyzed were collected from daily-based media coverage. This study is one of the first to explore gender differences in a media platform established by the International Olympic Committee, with implications outlined.

Xu is with the Department of Communication Studies, College of Social Sciences, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA, USA. Billings is with the Alabama Program in Sports Communication, Journalism & Creative Media, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA.

Xu (qxu@ewu.edu) is corresponding author.
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