I’ve been a sports activities fan all my life. I used to be like a mini-ESPN in highschool, all the time watching the exhibits—SportsCenter, Pardon the Interruption and Across the Horn—and creating aspirations to grow to be a sports activities author. Once I was means youthful, at age 5, I keep in mind watching the World Sequence for the primary time, after which, in a while, the Tremendous Bowl. It began with males’s sports activities.
However now I’m extra of a ladies’s sports activities fan than a males’s sports activities fan, particularly in terms of ladies’s basketball. As I discussed, I used to be consistently watching ESPN in highschool, so proper across the begin of my sophomore yr, I got here throughout the 2006 WNBA Finals between the Detroit Shock and Sacramento Monarchs. The attention-grabbing a part of this story is that I used to be born in Sacramento, so I felt a connection to the Monarchs. I started to root for them and have become a fan of their gamers, significantly Kara Lawson and Ticha Penicheiro.
Finally Cheryl Ford, Katie Smith, Swin Money and Finals MVP Deanna Nolan have been too good and overpowered the Monarchs for the second of three Detroit Shock championships within the span of six years. My introduction to ladies’s sports activities would proceed in April of 2007 after I watched the NCAA championship sport between Tennessee and Rutgers. Once more, I had a rooting curiosity, as a result of my mother is a Rutgers graduate, and once more my workforce got here up on the shedding finish. Tennessee’s Candace Parker proved to be a celebrity on the skilled degree, and I’d go on to cowl her as a sports activities author throughout her second WNBA MVP season of 2013, my first full season overlaying the league.
I had no cause to not love ladies’s sports activities. For me, all that mattered was that the storylines have been simply as compelling and the personalities simply as entertaining and lovable as these on the boys’s facet. As a rec league basketball participant myself, I noticed feminine basketball gamers as my counterparts, and I had the utmost respect for them. Watching the Monarchs and Rutgers on ESPN sparked my curiosity, after which, as an aspiring basketball journalist, I used to be interested in the College of Maryland as a result of, after I toured the campus as a potential scholar, I noticed that that they had not only a males’s basketball nationwide championship trophy within the foyer of their area, however a ladies’s one as effectively.
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Girls’s basketball turned greater than only a informal curiosity of mine; it turned my livelihood, and the explanations have been that I used to be interested in the underdog story of ladies athletes and, as soon as at Maryland, I fell in love with the way in which head coach Brenda Frese ran her ladies’s basketball program: with competitiveness but additionally integrity. Her persona as a coach made me wish to cowl her, and her workforce was having extra success than the Maryland males’s workforce. The remaining is historical past as a result of I used to be hooked!
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There’s a large disparity in reputation between males’s and ladies’s sports activities in American society, a disparity that’s most obvious when evaluating the viewership of the NBA and WNBA Finals as a result of basketball is the preferred sport in the US that has a ladies’s league that’s corresponding to the highest males’s league. Over the previous 20 years, the bottom viewership a NBA Finals has gotten has been a median of seven.5 million viewers (Statista, 2023). In the meantime, the WNBA simply had its most-viewed Finals in 20 years in 2023, attracting a median of 728,000 pairs of eyeballs (Sim, 2023a), which nonetheless pales compared to the 7.5 million the NBA attracted in 2020 (Statista, 2023).
Males’s basketball has additionally traditionally topped ladies’s basketball on the faculty degree, receiving extra viewers for his or her championship yearly till 2024, when celebrity Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes took on the South Carolina Gamecocks and attracted a median of 18.7 million viewers in comparison with the boys’s 14.82 million (Romo, 2024). The 2024 NCAA ladies’s championship acquired extra viewers than any faculty or skilled basketball sport for any gender since 2019 (Romo, 2024). That stat might make it appear to be the recognition of ladies’s sports activities will not be a difficulty, however ladies’s sports activities are nonetheless looking for constant reputation and elevated respect for his or her skilled basketball league, which is way much less in style than ladies’s faculty basketball.
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As talked about, basketball is an efficient instance of the disparity in reputation between males’s and ladies’s sports activities as a result of the WNBA is revered because the unquestioned greatest ladies’s basketball league on the earth. Though ladies’s basketball gamers receives a commission higher abroad, it’s nonetheless the purpose of most of them world wide to play within the WNBA. No person doubts that the WNBA is placing the very best product on the ground, and subsequently most individuals know what the WNBA is and have recognized about it because it got here into existence in 1997. However most individuals don’t watch it. Right here we have now a league that’s well-respected however can’t appear to excite folks sufficient to get them to know its groups and gamers in addition to it is aware of these on the boys’s facet.
The dearth of recognition in another ladies’s sports activities is simply as unhealthy. North American soccer has no actual comparable ladies’s league, however the males’s model is much more in style than males’s basketball and dominates our nation’s consideration; the Tremendous Bowl averaged 123.4 million viewers in 2024 (NFL, 2024). Then there may be the comparability between baseball and softball, with there being a lot much less consideration paid to school softball (1.6 million viewers for its newest championship; Deitsch, 2023) than is paid to Main League Baseball (9.11 million; Sim, 2023b). Hockey and soccer aren’t as in style as basketball, however they too are performed in related methods by women and men. But the 2023 NHL (2.6 million; Gough, 2023b) and males’s faculty hockey (808,000; Gough, 2023a) championships got a greater probability to succeed than the 2023 ladies’s faculty hockey championship (proven on ESPNU, not even ESPN or ESPN2; Donnelly, 2023). Soccer is the one sport among the many “huge 5” workforce sports activities the place viewership is fairly shut between women and men. The 2023 MLS Cup averaged 890,000 viewers (Lewis, 2023) whereas the 2023 NWSL Cup averaged a not-so-far-off 817,000 (Greenberg, 2023). Nonetheless, the MLS Cup did appeal to 2.16 million viewers the earlier yr (Jones, 2022) in comparison with the NWSL Cup’s 915,000 (Yang, 2022).
Clearly, our society grossly favors males’s sports activities. Not solely that, however feminine athletes are typically demeaned via sexualization, and ladies’s sports activities are subsequently not taken as severely or handled with the identical respect as males’s sports activities (Pruitt-Younger, 2021). Journalists and public relations professionals are able to spice up the recognition and picture of ladies’s sports activities.
That’s the reason, for my strategic communication grasp’s capstone undertaking at American College this previous spring semester, I investigated the next analysis query:
What are the very best communication methods for bettering the recognition and general public notion of ladies’s sports activities in American society, with a deal with ladies’s basketball?
My capstone examine is critical as a result of the disparity in reputation between males’s and ladies’s sports activities not solely is an instance of sexism, but additionally perpetuates sexism. Feminine athletes’ accomplishments are simply as noteworthy as these of males as a result of they carry out on the highest degree doable for his or her gender and put in simply as a lot work. These accomplishments have to be celebrated as such.
For my analysis, I surveyed 67 sports activities followers who’re greater followers of males’s sports activities than ladies’s. I additionally interviewed Cat Ariail (editor-in-chief of Swish Attraction and Ph.D. in US sports activities historical past), Lauren Douglas (Los Angeles Sparks public relations director), Myles Ehrlich (New York Liberty beat author for Winsidr), Howard Megdal (founding father of The Subsequent Hoops), Sabreena Service provider (WNBA and NCAAW author for The Athletic), Chloe Pavlech (founding father of Chloe Rose Consulting, Unhappy Lady Hours and Extra time WBB), Jackie Powell (social media strategist and Liberty beat author at The Subsequent Hoops) and Khristina Williams (founding father of Ladies Speak Sports activities TV). Right here is the dialogue of my outcomes:
There may be hope!
A dialogue of the outcomes of my analysis has to start by referring to this desk, which exhibits the imply rankings from my survey’s sliding questions (1 being the bottom worth, 10 being the best worth).
Early publicity to males’s sports activities (9.25)
Males’s sports activities fandom (9.07)
Love for incredible feats of athleticism (7.58)
Potential to grow to be later in life (6.9)
Love for nostalgia associated to sports activities (6.8)
Love for personalities (6.7)
Love for storylines (6.63)
How a lot would less-fantastic feats of athleticism detract? (4.77)
Girls’s sports activities fandom (4.31)
Early publicity to ladies’s sports activities (3.38)
I believe the primary and most optimistic factor to notice is that ladies’s sports activities are extra in style than they’re prevalent, whereas males’s sports activities are much less in style than they’re prevalent. Girls’s sports activities fandom registered a imply 0.93 greater than early publicity to them, whereas males’s sports activities fandom was 0.18 decrease than early publicity to them. Which means with elevated publicity, ladies’s sports activities have the prospect to match males’s sports activities in reputation. My open-ended survey questions overwhelming discovered that extra protection is one of the simplest ways to advertise ladies’s sports activities. The query then turns into what sort of protection: promoting feats of athleticism or storylines and/or personalities?
Storylines, personalities and/or incredible feats of athleticism?
Probably the most pessimistic factor to notice from my outcomes is that incredible feats of athleticism have been comfortably the highest contributor to males’s sports activities followers’ love of sports activities. This can be a discouraging discovering as a result of ladies won’t ever grow to be as robust, quick and athletic as males. As well as, my sole multiple-choice query discovered that followers favor the promoting of athletic competence over the promoting of personalities. Nonetheless, my interview outcomes contradict the survey by suggesting that storylines and personalities are extra vital than athleticism and athletic competence.
Service provider favored storylines as crucial side to promote and favored promoting personalities over promoting athletic competence. None of my interviewees mentioned athleticism was extra vital than storylines and personalities, and solely Megdal mentioned it was equally vital. I’m inclined to belief the survey outcomes greater than the interview outcomes since they’re coming straight from followers versus an knowledgeable’s interpretation of what a fan might want. Nonetheless, the 2024 NCAA championship viewership numbers that noticed the ladies beat out the boys regardless of lesser feats of athleticism don’t lie. An evidence for this could possibly be that I solely appeared on the 67 individuals who rated their love of males’s sports activities at 8 or greater AND their love of ladies’s sports activities at 7 or decrease. Powell made an attention-grabbing declare when she mentioned that males’s and ladies’s sports activities followers merely need various things. Sufficient folks needed to look at Caitlin Clark and Iowa tackle South Carolina for the ladies’s championship to beat out the boys’s championship. The followers who solely watched the ladies might really feel that there’s something constructive about ladies’s sports activities that males’s sports activities don’t have. Williams steered that the underdog story of ladies is definitely a bonus that ladies’s sports activities have over males’s, and I’m definitely an instance of this phenomenon.
In line with my interview outcomes, to get higher viewership than the boys it took a feat that got here nearer than typical to matching the boys (Clark’s extremely lengthy 3-pointers), plus the media’s promotion of that feat and their promotion of Clark’s persona and storyline (she broke the all-time NCAA scoring file earlier within the season and was chasing a primary championship to solidify her legacy). So in the end, the right communication technique to make ladies’s sports activities extra in style is to promote the incredible feats after they happen whereas additionally all the time speaking the storylines and personalities in compelling methods. One storyline that needs to be communicated, not less than for now, is ladies because the underdogs, although Pavlech factors out that it will be higher for us as a society to hope for a greater future when ladies aren’t thought of underdogs.
I anticipated athleticism to get a decrease ranking than storylines and personalities in my survey. I additionally anticipated respondents to lowly charge the extent of detraction skilled when viewing lesser athleticism. The latter speculation was supported, with detraction registering a imply of 4.77. So whereas athleticism acquired a 7.58 (effectively above persona’s 6.7 and storylines’ 6.63), respondents typically shared that they don’t/wouldn’t love ladies’s sports activities all that a lot much less due to lesser athleticism.
Nostalgia
Each my survey and my interview outcomes point out that offering early publicity to ladies’s sports activities is one other key technique. Nostalgia for one thing that connects to at least one’s childhood was rated barely above each personalities and storylines in my survey outcomes, and the largest takeaway from the Megdal interview was the necessity for early publicity. Nonetheless, potential to grow to be later in life was rated barely above nostalgia. The implication of those outcomes is that ladies’s sports activities communicators ought to focus an excessive amount of effort on early publicity, but additionally give you methods to attraction to older potential first-time viewers as a result of that’s an viewers that’s convertible.
Repeated themes
I used to be delighted to search out that ladies’s sport might be simply nice when it does the proper factor. A repeated theme in my interview outcomes was that authenticity sells ladies’s sports activities. It was talked about in reference to depicting the total spectrums of gender id and sexual orientation, and in reference to being weak and keen to speak about psychological well being. One other repeated theme was the necessity to construct a group environment with followers via communication. Constructing relationships with athletes and groups, and using passionate journalists overlaying groups they love are additionally key methods to enhance reputation.
Feminist media idea
The earlier literature was break up on whether or not intercourse sells ladies’s sports activities; my interview outcomes acted as a powerful vote in opposition to sexualization, with Ariail, Service provider and Powell all chiming in. As well as, these three interviewees all supported the feminist media idea perception that the media ought to problem detrimental ideologies about ladies (Steiner, 2014). I discovered from my interviews with them that, in a ladies’s sports activities world that features many male figures, the media wants to provide ladies due credit score. To enhance reputation, the media must also cease evaluating ladies’s sports activities to males’s sports activities and add as a lot context as doable concerning the variations between the 2. As well as, the media ought to make use of a great quantity of ladies when distributing ladies’s sports activities protection duties as a result of solely ladies can relate to the discrimination feminine athletes face.
Aces
As anticipated, my interviewees brightened up after I introduced up the Las Vegas Aces’ personalities and their affect on ladies’s sports activities’ reputation. The 2 primary comedians on the Aces, A’ja Wilson and Sydney Colson, have been talked about incessantly. They’ve a serious back-and-forth happening on social media, typically pretending to hate and annoy one another for present. Wilson is the very best participant on the Aces, and one of many two greatest gamers on the earth together with Breanna Stewart of the Liberty. However Colson has by no means been a star on the skilled degree; she is an end-of-the-bench participant for the Aces who hardly ever will get a lot taking part in time. The truth that my interviewees see the promotion of Colson’s persona pretty much as good for the recognition of ladies’s sports activities exhibits that it’s not all about feats of athleticism.
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Conclusion
I discovered that incredible feats of athleticism are crucial side of ladies’s sports activities to promote if one’s audience is present males’s sports activities followers, but additionally that there’s an viewers of individuals on the market who need the main target to be on issues in addition to the athleticism, resembling storylines and personalities. A key factor to appreciate is that not all sports activities followers are the identical. Some are inclined to understand the issues the ladies’s sport has that the boys’s sport doesn’t have, resembling extra underdog storylines, and personalities which are worn on the sleeves of athletes. Subsequently, ladies’s sports activities communicators shouldn’t solely deal with attracting these followers who favor athleticism, particularly since ladies’s athleticism won’t ever match males’s regardless of how a lot you promote it. My analysis into Clark’s historic reputation indicated {that a} magic formulation of promoting athleticism, storylines and persona is required. Promoting authenticity and group, and overlaying ladies’s sports activities passionately are additionally vital.
One factor I didn’t look into additional is racism. It’s curious that the NCAAW is a lot extra in style than the WNBA and that the WNBA was 70.3 p.c Black in 2022 (Lapchick, 2022), whereas the NCAAW was solely 43 p.c Black in 2018 (Lapchick, 2019). I discussed that Parker’s 2007 Tennessee workforce helped introduce me to ladies’s sports activities. Parker was the unquestioned greatest participant in ladies’s faculty basketball at the moment and is Black. She acquired a number of hype, as did Maya Moore, Brittney Griner, Stewart, Wilson, Arike Ogunbowale, Sabrina Ionescu, and Aliyah Boston on the faculty degree after her. 5 of these different gamers are Black and two are white. Clark is white and her reputation skyrocketed above these others who have been near pretty much as good, if not simply pretty much as good or higher. Stewart (additionally white) gained the nationwide championship all 4 years of faculty and was named the Closing 4’s Most Excellent Participant all 4 occasions. Clark by no means gained a nationwide championship. I believe it will be attention-grabbing and vital to analysis why Stewart was much less in style than Clark, and whether or not race is concerned within the reputation of Black gamers.
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