scholarship in “feminist sport media studies” in the Sociology of Sport Journal ( SSJ ) over the last 40 years with three primary purposes. First, I situate the studies in SSJ in relation to research trajectories in the broader “feminist sport media studies” subfield at the intersection of sociology of
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Feminist Sport Media Studies in SSJ: Mapping Theoretical Frameworks and Geographies of Knowledge Production
Dunja Antunovic
Bouncing Back: Unpacking the Influence of Sport Media on Consumer Resilience
Changwook Kim, Jinwon Kim, Jeoung Hak Lee, and Yuhei Inoue
levels, sport media has provided consumption opportunities in socially restrictive situations during the pandemic ( Goldman & Hedlund, 2020 ). Thus, it is important to understand how sport media consumption could act as a protective factor for resilience. However, not all individuals have equal
Sport Reporting in an Era of Activism: Examining the Intersection of Sport Media and Social Activism
Hans C. Schmidt
At one point in time, sports were seen as merely a diversion from other parts of life, and fledgling sport media were no more than a newspaper’s “toy department” staffed by semiprofessionals whose work was, at best, seen as tangential to the newspaper’s main business ( Billings, 2011 ; Kian
We Did It: A Content Analysis of Australian and New Zealand Online News Media Coverage of the Bid Process for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
Eleanor Crabill, Callie Maddox, and Adam Beissel
structural and cultural barriers that limit deep and meaningful commitment to women’s sport. Media Coverage of Contemporary Women’s Sporting Mega Events With their ability to garner significant media attention and captivate the public in ways that everyday sport cannot, SMEs have grown in cultural importance
Conformity and Conflict: Wheelchair Athletes Discuss Sport Media
Brent Hardin and Marie Hardin
This study explores the media-related attitudes and values of 10 male wheelchair athletes by soliciting their opinions and suggestions concerning disability sport print media. Using the “auto drive” technique for qualitative data collection, the analysis reveals four themes: (a) athletes are avid consumers of mainstream sport media; b) they use both mainstream and niche publications; (c) they do not want “courtesy coverage,” but instead, coverage focusing on elite elements of their sports; (d) they are unsure of media obligation in the coverage of sports involving athletes with disabilities. While the scope of this investigation is limited to male wheelchair athletes, the themes can provide a basis for further analysis and study in the emerging area of sport media research as it relates to disability.
A Phenomenological Investigation Into How Twitter Has Changed the Nature of Sport Media Relations
Chris Gibbs and Richard Haynes
This article uses the phenomenological method to explain how Twitter has changed the nature of sport media relations. The research was based on semistructured interviews with 18 Canadian and U.S. sport media professionals having an average 16 yr of experience. This exploratory study uses the lived experience of sport media professionals to identify 3 clusters that help explain how Twitter has changed the nature of sport media relations: media landscape, “mechanical” job functions, and sport media relations. The results of this research are significant because they help explain how the practices and norms related to the role of sport media relations are changing as a result of Twitter. This research presents a new argument: that Twitter has flattened the sport hierarchy and could be considered the most influential social-media platform in sport today.
Representation of Athletic Girls on Young Adult Sport Fiction Cover Art
Emily A. Roper and José A. Santiago
& Carini, 2013 ), newspapers ( Kaiser & Skoglund, 2006 ; Toft, 2011 ), and digital media ( Clavio & Eagleman, 2011 ). The majority of this research has focused on how and how often female athletes are represented. Findings from this 30-year body of work, referred to as the first wave of sport media
Beyond Analyses of Sport Media Texts: An Argument for Formal Analyses of Institutional Structures
Margaret Carlisle Duncan
Sport media scholars have been increasingly interested in studying sport media texts for their meanings, particularly meanings that relate to gender and gender stereotypes. I argue that it is time to go beyond our present level of sport media analysis by identifying the formal structures that give rise to individual texts. Using the method of homology, I examine three dialectical formal structures or mechanisms of patriarchy: objectification, commodification, and voyeurism. I then select a particular text, the March 1992 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, to show how these mechanisms are manifested in the photographs and captions. Finally, I situate the three mechanisms in the historical and cultural contexts of the last decade and a half, where political events reveal the underlying formal structures of patriarchy.
Young Women Talking Sports and Careers: A Glimpse at the Next Generation of Women in Sport Media
Ellen J. Staurowsky and Jessica DiManno
As the American public is confronted with a more established female sport presence at all levels, the potential for girls to consider a career in sport media has expanded exponentially. Girls growing up in the age of ‘GRRL Power’ envision themselves as professional basketball players, world champion soccer stars, women who run like the wind, and as sports broadcasters. However, the dawn of a new age has also brought with it increasing complexity with regard to the issues aspiring young women seeking careers in sport media encounter. The overall purpose of this study was to extend the frame of our understanding about gender, sport, and the media by documenting the experiences, concerns, and attitudes of undergraduate females who hope to pursue careers as sports journalists, sports broadcasters, and sport media professionals. Based on interviews with ten undergraduate women, the next generation of women in sport media are more than prepared to take on with confidence, assertiveness, and a great deal of solid professional training the challenges that await them. However, even as undergraduates, these women have had to deal with, and make sense, of sexual objectification and sexism in the workplace. The article concludes with recommendations for how to support young women in their quest to pursue careers in sport media.
Objectification in Sport Media: Influences on a Future Women’s Sporting Event
Lindsey Darvin and Michael Sagas
Gendered processes in the sport industry often perpetuate male dominance and female inferiority. While these gendered occurrences have been well documented, the outcomes of such processes are underexplored. Under the guidance of objectification theory and the production–reception relationship, the authors investigated the influence of objectification in sports-media outlets’ coverage of a female sporting event for a national sample of U.S. consumers (N = 225). In addition, given the lack of coverage directed toward female sporting events, the current study investigated the influence of previous viewership on consumer behaviors for a future women’s sporting event. Findings suggest that processes of objectification influence both men’s and women’s consumer behaviors and that previous viewership influences future consumer-behavior motives. Furthermore, objectified images and language did not adversely affect future consumer behaviors for those who had previously viewed a similar women’s sporting event. Sport-media and communications professionals alike can leverage these relationships.
