The Female Athlete in the Media

Whether people admit it or not women’s sexuality has become a focal point in sports media. From cheerleaders to professional female athletes, sometimes these women are gaining more attention because of their physical appearance and not their athletic talent. “Hope Solo, Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan captured the imagination of Americans this summer with their thrilling run in the Women’s World Cup” but was it because of their historical run at the World Cup in 2011 or because of their physical attributes? (Neislen). The publicity did not stop after the World Cup but picked up even more during the 2012 Summer Olympics which proved to be a successful campaign for the U.S. Women’s soccer team who received plenty of publicity for their on field accomplishments. A few members of the team found that the attention did not end with the summer Olympics. Hope Solo and Alex Morgan’s soccer talents are not what have people still talking about them; it’s their attractive physical attributes.

There was much anticipation for ESPN The Magazine’s “Body Issue” especially for one woman in particular, Hope Solo who had tweeted, “ Being naked outside is very liberating…atleast I hope it will be @ESPN and @ESPNMAG!!! GAMETIME BABY! Ball Up!”.  Following the World Cup, Solo returned to the US and went on a media tour. “I think it’s our responsibility; I need to keep the awareness of the game out there, but I also need to thank our fans” (Schultz). This type of quote begs the question; does posing naked help raise awareness for women’s soccer? If so, should female athletes such as Hope Solo take advantage of the media spotlight even if it isn’t necessarily for what they do on the field? There should be no problem with hope Solo taking advantage of this opportunity if it attracts more people to watch women’s soccer even if it isn’t for the game itself.

Are women simply taking advantage of their physique through media coverage, or are they sending the wrong message to young female athletes that you don’t necessarily have to be the best at the sport but just the best looking. An article written by Patricia Reaney raises this question. Reaney goes onto explain that, “ women in sports are still being valued more for what they look like than their sports performance and this is reflected in recreation exercise; It is the more feminine athletes who get more sponsorships” (Reaney) It is easy to think that media coverage simply follows women sports because of the way they look instead of the way they play, is that completely true? Could Hope Solo be trying to tap into the sports advertising market that, “ generated $10.9 billion in advertising expenditure last year” (Neilsen). It could be a variety of reasons, but women athletes are taking advantage of what they have to better the sport, and themselves by utilizing the media.

We live in an age where sports are covered 24/7 so why aren’t women’s sports covered more frequently? The issue that female sports face is that when they actually do receive media coverage, it usually is not for viewing the game, “while this lack of coverage speaks volumes about the media's treatment of women athletes, even more insidious is the type of coverage provided. Researchers point out that when female athletes are covered, it is rarely for their athletic prowess; instead, the media often chooses to focus on the other roles of the female athlete, such as wife, mother, or "feminine" role model” (Fink). Only time will tell when female athletes actually receive respect and admiration for their athletic skills instead of their appearance. In the mean time it appears female athletes such as Hope Solo are using whatever exposure the media is giving them to promote women athletics.

Works Cited

Fink, Janet S. "Female Athletes and the Media." Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance 69.6 (1998): 37-40+.ProQuest. Web. 5 Apr. 2013.

"Neilson Reports ." State of the Media: Year in Sports Advertising. N.p., 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2013.

Neilsen. "Year in Sports Advertising: TV Ad Spend Grows to $10.9B." N.p., 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 3 Apr. 2013.

Reaney, Patricia. "Female Athletes Judged By Sex Appeal." ABC News. ABC News Network, 11 Sept. 0000. Web. 03 Apr. 2013.

Treadway, Dan. "Hope Solo To Pose Naked? World Cup Star Hints At Nude Photo Shoot On Twitter." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Aug. 2011. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

Athletes on Twitter

Twitter has rapidly grown into one of the most popular social media sites.  Out of all celebrities in today’s culture, athletes in particular have really taken to Twitter.  Sports have reached a whole new height in popularity and Twitter has a lot to do with that.  Although there have been many scandals in sports in recent years such as performance enhancing drugs, there has been little effect on the fan base. “Sports fans’ passion for “the game” remains incredibly strong and sports proved how incredibly resilient it is as Americans flocked to TV, computers, tablets and mobile screens to follow their favorite players and teams in record numbers (Nielsen).”   Not only do athletes have Twitter accounts, but coaches, teams, branches of teams (such as Public Relations and Marketing) do as well. 

The Twitter revolution has been a dream come true for sports fans.  By following athletes and teams the fans have easier access than ever before to the sports world.  Fans can instantly watch highlight videos, get up to the second scores/game updates, participate in contests and interact with their favorite players.  I think Twitter has actually made it easier than ever to be a sports fan as it filters the exact sports new that you wish for.  Today fans are obsessed with their favorite athletes and it seems almost as if getting tweeted at, retweeted, or followed is the new equivalent of actually meeting them.

            Nine of the top hundred most followed Twitter accounts are sports related, which really shows how popular sports has become globally.  There were two athletes who cracked the top twenty and both were soccer players.  Christiano Renaldo comes in at sixteen with over seventeen million followers and Kaka is the twentieth most followed with 14.8 million followers (Twitter Counter).  I was not expecting this, probably because in America soccer does not get the attention that football, baseball, basketball and hockey get.  It turns out that the popularity of soccer is quickly growing in the United States.  The 2011 MLS Cup featured two of the league’s highest profile and marketable players in David Beckham and Landon Donovan.   Their appeal translated into a strong lift in TV viewership for the MLS Cup which was up 39% over 2010 (Nielsen).  By having two soccer players in the top twenty makes a strong case that is the most popular sport worldwide.  Lebron James is currently the most followed American athlete ranked at sixty-ninth with 7.8 million followers (Twitter Counter).

            While Twitter has provided many great opportunities for us to get to know our favorite athletes on a much personal level, there have of course been some negatives to the Twitter craze.  I think athletes are held on a higher pedestal with their Twitter behavior then other celebrities.  I think this is because compared to other celebrities, athletes are often seen as representing something other than themselves on Twitter, their team.  This has lead to the major sporting leagues instituting policies on Twitter.  In 2010, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco was fined $25,000 by the NFL for tweeting during a preseason game (Thomas).  “The National Football League's ("NFL's") new Twitter policy, which applies to players, coaches, and other team personnel, prohibits Twitter use beginning 90 minutes before a game until following the conclusion of media interviews after a game (Thomas).”  I really do not see any fault with this new rule, as I feel it is not asking too much from the players to stay off Twitter and give their undivided attention during the time of the game.  Although he was not fined for his comments, former Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Rashard Mendenhall, is a perfect example of how some athletes do not understand appropriate times to post on Twitter.  Regarding the death of Osama Bin Laden, Mendenhall posted tweets such as, "What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one side..." and "We'll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style (ESPN).”

            Many colleges have taken an even stricter approach to Twitter with their athletes compared to the pro leagues.  Louisville head basketball coach, Rick Pitino, prohibits his players from using Twitter during the season (Thamel).  Many universities have teamed with a company called Varsity Monitor.  “This is a computer application that searches social media sites that athletes frequent, looking for obscenities, offensive commentary or words like “free,” which could indicate that a player has accepted a gift in violation of N.C.A.A. rules (Thamel).”  This has become a gray area in college sports, as to whether this is actually an invasion of privacy.  I feel the coach and player must establish a trust for one another but there must be ground rules. 

Works Cited:

Thomas, Jaia A. "My Coach Won't Let Me Twitter?" The Entertainment and Sports Lawyer 28.3 (2010): 18-9. ProQuest. Web. 5 Apr. 2013.

"Neilson Reports ." State of the Media: Year in Sports Advertising. N.p., 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 5 Apr. 2013.

"Twitter top 100: most followers." Twitter Counter. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2013.

     <http://twittercounter.com/pages/100>.

"Rashard Mendenhall doesn't hold back." ESPN. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2013. 

     <http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6471433>. 

Thamel, Pete. "Tracking Twitter, Raising Red Flags." The New York Times. N.p., 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 5 

     Apr. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/31/sports/ 

     universities-track-athletes-online-raising-legal-concerns.html?pagewanted=all>. 

Social Medias Influence on Ads during the Super Bowl

Brittany Lyons

~Social Medias influence on ads during the Super Bowl

Social media is everywhere and it has been impacting our lives for many years. Through social media so much can be accomplished. How many of you watch the Super Bowl just for the commercials? I know that if my favorite team isn’t in the Super Bowl I am merely watching just for the ads. I love to see how funny they can be and what commercials really put the effort into getting buyers. The Super Bowl had always been the years most watched television broadcast. It attracts viewers that haven’t watched one game all year. Wives start tuning in, younger kids, even people that aren’t fans of football. I believe a lot of this is for the ads. Do you agree with me or have other ideas?

Not only are ads taking over the Super Bowl but they have really connected with the audience during regular season sporting events. According to Neilson, “National TV sports generated $10.9 billion in advertising expenditure last year, compared to $10.3 billion one year prior”, this is a nice jump because it shows the steady growth in advertising and the connection to sports. With more sports being played on TV and more broadcast the more ads there are on television also.  According to Nielsen’s State of the Media: Year in Sports, “Measuring ad spend during sporting events on network and cable TV from Q4 2010 through Q3 2011, Nielsen also saw that cable has an increasing share of those ad dollars—growing 37.3 percent year over year compared to 5.9 percent for sports ad spending in general”

During the Super Bowl how many commercials were connected to social media? The advertisements that did that were also leading the pack in ads that were the most favorite. Do you have a favorite ad from the Super Bowl, and did you tweet during the game about any ads? Twitter was a big hit during the super bowl. Although a lot of the talk on twitter seemed to be like, did you guys see the football game at the Beyoncé concert? But a big advertisement that happened during a tough time in the game was Oreo. When the power went out Oreo jumped onto twitter and sent out a funny tweet.  According to CNN, “Nabisco's Oreo cookie was among the first to jump on the Twitter brandwagon, with an ad featuring the cookie on a partially blacked out page. “You can still dunk in the dark," it read.” This was a really smart thing to do for Oreo. People were upset with the whole black out and Oreo did something that would make people laugh. Not only did it cheer people up but it made people start talking about Oreo and this ad for days and even months after like I am now.

 

Any ads that happen during super bowl are going to be huge. But the ones that connected to mass media have the biggest effect. Anything you want to see from the Super Bowl I’m sure you can find online. The advertisements are all on YouTube. The ads really put in effort during sporting events especially the Super Bowl because they know millions of people will be watching. According to the New York Times, “If you really want to read into it, it’s the two sides of our country,” said Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. “The emotional side is traditional, harkening back to deep values” like patriotism and love of family, he added, “and the humorous side is irreverent and slightly cynical,” mocking conventional wisdom and questioning authority.” This is done to fit every person who is watching the broadcast.

 So being that the Super Bowl is the most watched televised sporting event in the world who wouldn’t want to put there commercials on. No matter how many millions it cost them, and according to the article "Stations Rack up Super Bowl Ads” it was a lot. This article reported that “The Super Bowl airing on CBS next month, is expected to bring the network an estimated $200 million in ad revenue.” This being said do you agree with the pricing of the ads during the Super Bowl? Do you think these are fair prices because of how many viewers are actually watching your ads on TV? Do you think the ads with the biggest connection to mass media during the Super Bowl will have the biggest influence on people? If you were to put in ad in for the Super Bowl would you connect it to Facebook or Twitter?

 

Works Cited

 

Atkinson, Claire. "Stations Rack Up Super Bowl Ads." Broadcasting & Cable 140.4 (2010): 4-6. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 3 Apr. 2013.

Carter, Chelsea J., and Jethro Mullen. "Jokesters, Advertisers Pounce on Super Bowl Power Outage." CNN. Cable News Network, 04 Feb. 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2013.

"Neilson Reports ." State of the Media: Year in Sports Advertising. N.p., 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2013.

Elliot, Stuart. A Post Gme Follow-Up on Super Bowl Commercials. New York Times, 4 Feb. 2013. Web. 3 Apr. 2013.