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.
There are so many talented athletes out there. Everyone uses the media to further their career in one way or another. “Brand recall was 33 percent higher for Super Bowl ads with a social media tag (directing viewers to a link on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) than those without them” (Nielsen). The brands that decided to utilize social media were mainly used for male sports. I guess the greater question should be whether people are actually watching sports because they enjoy the game? Most people that watch the Super bowl only watch the game for the Half time show and to see the commercials. Yes women are taking advantage of their physical appearance for media coverage and they are sending a negative message to younger generations. Young girls might think that if they are not pretty enough they will not be the best at the sport. The game should focus on the talent of the individual not the physical appearance of the player. Sex does sell and athletes have caught onto this trend just as actors and musicians have. As sad as it is our society has become so superficial that talent isn’t even necessary to become famous anymore. All you need is a hot body and attractive face. Is our society to blame for athlete’s behaviors? I would have to say yes we are to blame for being so superficial.
ReplyDeleteEven when comparing men’s and female’s sports there is a big difference. Men are paid more and given much more media coverage. Our men’s sports at Quinnipiac have a lot more positive support than the female sports. The females are just as talented as the males and yet no one goes to the games to support the females. Females do have more pressure on them to be great due to the fact that they are always being compared to males. They should by all means utilize the media to get more support, but they should be promoting themselves in a positive manner. “There are serious problems with talk shows, but there are serious problems with the ‘respectable’ media, too, and even more serious problems with society at large” (Marshall, 422). The media is no longer respectable when it comes to selling sex. The problem with our society is that talent has become a thing of the past.
I have to admit I am not one to watch female sports because I only watch male sports to see the hot football player in his tight shorts. Most of the time I do not watch the game to watch the game, but more to watch the handsome players. I do have the sports center app on my phone and I do keep track of all of my New York teams. I am guilty of following my favorite teams for the physical appearance and not the actual talent behind the team.
Works Cited
P. David Marshall, “The Promotion and Presentation of Self: Celebrity as Marker of Presentational Media,” in The Media Studies Reader, Laurie Ouelette, ed. (New York: Routledge, 2012), 427 - 438.
"Neilson Reports ." State of the Media: Year in Sports Advertising. N.p., 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2013.
I can understand why many people might think that women athletes get publicity just because they are good looking. America seems to take any athlete they can and over expose them to the press until everyone knows whom they are and what they do. I don’t believe that we give women athlete’s attention just for their looks and not because of their talent in the sport they play. Just look at Anna Kournikova or Maria Sharapova, they are both amazing tennis players and just happen to be really good looking as well. Nascar has driver Danica Patrick and for winter sports they have skier Lindsey Vonn. We seem to place sex symbols on them but I don’t believe the reason is just for their looks. What about Serena and Venus Williams, they are not model perfect and they both have so much more publicity than many other tennis players. And don’t we do the same for men in sports? Girls fawn over David Beckham, Tim Tebow, Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps. No one seems to believe that there is anything wrong when women throw themselves at these men.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that we all have such a problem with women in the media being treated as sex symbols when we are doing the same exact thing to men. All of these people regardless of gender are really good at the sports they play. We have been doing this for ages, we have always thought the most of the people who were in high level sports and were also in the media. They become a type of celebrity to us because we will see them in all the gossip magazines. Especially the men and women who enter the Olympics, we always turn those people into mini celebrities.
I understand that being good looking doesn’t hurt the fact that they are good at their sport, but the point I am trying to argue is that that’s not the only reason they are looked at. If they weren’t good at a sport they wouldn’t have been noticed by the media in the first place and would never be in the position they are in currently as sex symbols of sports.
This doesn’t just help the player make a name for their selves, it helps the companies that back them with advertising and sponsorship too, and “They generate billions of dollars in advertising revenue and merchandising sales.” (Raney) It seems that no matter what these players do they are making big money from it. Tim Tebow’s biography sold over 100,000 copies, and tons of other athletes make clothing and advertising spots to make them a better-known athlete.
I find it still so interesting that we have such an issue with women being sex symbols when we expose men to the same means that we expose women in the media. Men are constantly in magazines with barely any clothes on and then we have an issue with women in bikinis? I’m not sure why this type of gender inequality has happened in sports but I’m sure its not going to change anytime soon.
Nielsen. "Year in Sports 2011.” N.p., 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 7 Apr. 2013.
Raney, Arthur A. “Why We Watch and Enjoy Mediated Sports.” Florida State University.
Even though I already commented on another blog post, I find this blog interesting too, especially your notions about how the media focuses more on sexuality and physical appearances of female athletes more than their talent and expertise. I agree with that idea, even though it's really sad idea. I'm not a huge sports fan by any means but I watched the Olympics heavily last summer and one of the female athlete received a consideration amount of media attention even before the games. This athlete was Lolo Jones and criticism that the media over hyped and focused on her looks and not her achievement. She turned out to be a disappointment at the Olympics, but most of her notoriety from the general public came from her appearing on magazine covers naked. I never even heard of her until I saw a picture of her scantly clad.
ReplyDeleteEven though male athletes get that attention too, I do remember much coverage about Ryan Lochte and his apparent good looks during and after the Olympics but there are more examples of females being used as sex symbols than male athletes. Other than David Beckham, Christiano Renaldo, Ryan Lochte a few other male athletes being marketed with their recycled sex appeal over and over again who else is out there?
Especially with newer, lesser know woman athletes are being put out there was sexual and disappear before your eyes, like that viral video if Australian track runner, Michelle Jenneke dancing before a race. Where she is now
Hopefully this will change a little with time. Nice blog post!!!
Athletes always have huge appearances in the media. Whether it is a man or a woman the media usually focuses on the body and physique of an athlete. Is this because an athlete’s main focus is their body? Because their body is what makes them the talented athlete they are? Or is it because the media focuses on sex? I think it is a little bit of both.
ReplyDeleteDanielle brought up the Olympics. Although I usually do not watch the Olympics heavily I followed these past Olympics pretty regularly. I remember watching the male athletes on the swim team because they were attractive. I also remember my male friends mentioning how a lot of the women gymnasts were attractive. Although their good looks help them get noticed it is usually the best athlete that is recognized the most.
I liked this quote from Reaney; “ 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) I agree with this quote because well, its true. All the women that receive sponsorships are always the more feminine women. The women that are athletes but still have sex appeal. These women should be recognized for their talent not for their level of attractiveness. The media likes to make women athletes the picture perfect woman. A woman who is strong, lady like, attractive, a housewife, etc. Sure it might humanize them a little more so we can understand they are not just a physical powerhouse, however they are showing these women in the wrong light. I am all about girl power but the media is portraying them more as objects then anything else. I am proud of the power that women have with their bodies but I am not a fan of how it is portrayed. Hopefully this will change some day and women will be truly recognized for their outstanding talent.
Reaney, Patricia. "Female Athletes Judged By Sex Appeal." ABC News. ABC News Network, 11 Sept. 0000. Web. 03 Apr. 2013.
I think that Anthony focuses in on a great topic relating to women athletes sexuality becoming a focal point in sports media. People will do almost anything to gain media attention, so if these athletes are getting a little more press then usual do to their appearance or tweets, is it necessarily wrong? I do agree with Natalie that I do not believe these female athletes are solely getting attention based off of their looks. Should these athletes’ talents really be shunned because they have some good genes and ended up not only physically talented but also physically good looking? Also Natalie mentioned Anna Kournikova and Maria Sharapova, they are amazing tennis players and also over the years have become sex icons because of their good looks, but this doesn’t mean that they are necessarily getting more media attention then Serena and Venus Williams, who may not be a perfect ten but who are still praised and rewarded for their moves on the tennis court.
ReplyDeleteNeilsen mentions the 2011 World Cup winning team including Hope Solo, Amy Wambach and Alex Morgan, Neilsen quoted “… they captured the imagination of Americans this summer with their thrilling run in the Women’s World cup”. Though these girls may be very attractive we have to remember that they are only noticed and received the attention they did because of their talents on the field. America may not have any idea who Hope Solo or Alex Morgan is if it wasn’t for their love of soccer and their unbelievable athletic talent. The athlete came first, and the attention came second seems to be a common misconception.
Another question I would like to raise is that is really so wrong for women athletes who are in the media spotlight to use it to their advantage, even if it is for the wrong reason? Though these female athletes are gaining much attention for themselves, we also have to remember that they are in fact gaining attention for the sport they love as well. America acts like we have such a problem with using women as sex symbols when in reality it is used as an advantage in every industry.
Raney quotes in his article that “watching your favorite team win can produce boundless joy and exuberance. This fact keeps many viewers coming back time and time again.” The fact of the matter is that the US Women’s Soccer team’s victory in the 2011 World Cup is the reason why we became so infatuated with these female athletes in the first place. They were winning so we continued to keep tuning in and getting to know these players a little better as time went on. So what if we are tuning in just to catch a glimpse of Hope Solo run across the field even if we don’t know any other players are the team, though we are giving the attention to Hope, we are also helping Women’s Soccer in general gain publicity and I don’t see anything wrong with that.
Work cited
Nielsen. "Year in Sports 2011.” N.p., 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 7 Apr. 2013.
Raney, Arthur A. “Why We Watch and Enjoy Mediated Sports.” Florida State University.
I think attempting to garner interest in female athletics is one of a few topics that truly stump me. No matter how talented and perhaps even historic a female athlete may be, there are only a handful of sports that receive recurring attention from both male and female audiences. The Women’s World Cup in 2011 was an exciting event, and I know my friends and I actively watched it. We knew everything about the U.S. Women’s Soccer team, were obsessed with Alex Morgan and Hope Solo, and didn’t even have any other sports (male or female) cross our minds. The problem is that everything I just described was past tensed. We knew everything about them, we were obsessed; after the world cup ended everything relating to it seemed to slip not only the minds of my friends, but also the minds of many. Sure Hope Solo and Alex Morgan continue to be recognizable names, but like Tony mentioned it seemed almost as though after the World Cup their media attention revolved around their sexuality as opposed to their skill.
ReplyDeleteHere in lies the problem that I can’t really brainstorm how to solve. According to Nielsen even after the World Cup in 2011 Hope Solo’s percent awareness was only 9% (Nielsen). So what can really help improve that, or even keep it constant in coming years? In regards to today’s media, it sadly might be heavily flaunting their physical attributes. Sex sells, plain and simple. And when a sport has a seasonal, inconsistent fan base like Women’s Soccer seems to, the only way to stay afloat might have to be selling out. Morally it sounds stupid; there truly is no reason why these women shouldn’t be consistently commended for their talents. But in reality that just isn’t working. Not for the long term, anyways.
Change isn’t impossible though. When I first read the NASCAR article I had assumed it wouldn’t even mention the word “female,” but in fact I was surprised to learn that they are soon becoming the majority (Hugenberg). Granted the piece does claim that sex-appeal ads play a role in such a change, but if NASCAR can build a consistent audience of the sex opposite of what most would assume, why couldn’t female sports do the same?
Works Cited
Hugenberg, Lawrence & Barbara Hugenberg. “If It Ain’t Rubbin’, It Ain’t Racin’: NASCAR, American Values, and Fandom,” Journal of Popular Culture 41.4: 2008: 635 - 57.
"Neilson Reports ." State of the Media: 2011 Year in Sports.” N.p., 24 Jan. 2012.
Trying to consider the reason for the lack of proper coverage I can only look to the reason why people are motivated to watch sports and follow athletes in the first place. Raney discusses the general scope of motivation, pointing out the "emotional allegiances" that the fans form for their favorite teams (Raney 315). Perhaps we as viewers have already pre-determined allegiances to primarily male athletic teams, therefore women's sports in the same categories have much more of a niche following. If the demand isn't there, networks will not cover these events when they are up against the male equivalent which has a much greater following. If a WNBA game is taking place at the same time as a Knicks game aren't people more likely to be interested in the latter, due to a long-time allegiance to the men's team?
ReplyDeleteFurther more, if you look at how fans sport their allegiances to these teams - buying jerseys and other merchandise there is another trend that could prevent women's sports from gaining equal popularity. Although women are seen wearing men's jersey's at sporting events I don't think many men would are seen wearing apparel that has a woman's team logo embroidered on it.
On the other hand, sex catches the consumer's attention, and I agree with Anthony that it has become the primary way the media has been able to get women athletes to gain any sort of time in the spotlight. It is a shame because of course there are many talented female athletes, however, since the media has not advertised these women for their athletic abilities their reputation has become primarily based on physical appearance instead. Even in Sports Illustrated magazine, it seems like the women's chance to "shine" is in the swimsuit issue, rather than being interviewed for what happens on the field. Unfortunately the media has taken advantage of female exposure in sports and encouraged viewers to follow these women for reasons unrelated to athletic ability.
Even from the other side, woman as spectators are still not viewed as your average "fans." Hugenberg's article about NASCAR mentions a television ad that involves a group of women spectators "standing around in the pits examining the backsides of several of the drivers" (Hugenberg 637). Although this stereotype isn't necessarily true, the media certainly makes it seem that way, making it difficult to allow for women to achieve appropriate coverage and portrayal when it comes to sports in general.
Raney, Arthur A. “Why We Watch and Enjoy Mediated Sports.” Florida State University.
Hugenberg, Lawrence & Barbara Hugenberg. “If It Ain’t Rubbin’, It Ain’t Racin’: NASCAR, American Values, and Fandom,” Journal of Popular Culture 41.4: 2008: 635 - 57.