As a society, we've been discussing the proper role for women in athletic journalism for decades now. Since athletic endeavors were, for many years, almost the sole province of men, the incorporation of women into broadcast and print media coverage of these activities has been a slow-moving process. In recent decades, that pace has accelerated as more young women in schools increased their athletic participation. That led to more overall female interest in athletic activities, and more reporting jobs covering the games. Despite those changes, however, gender discrimination in sports media continues to exist.
This should come as no surprise, though, given the recent nature of the quest for equality in this area. Women were not even permitted into men's locker rooms for player interviews until the mid-1970s, and no legal challenge asserting their right to engage in such interviews was undertaken until that decade was nearing its end. As a result, women were but minor players in the world of athletic reporting.
Progress has occurred in the decades that followed, however. Women now routinely conduct critical interviews in locker rooms. That's important, because those are often among the most emotionally intense and interesting interviews found at any game. They are the interviews that draw fans' attention, and help the reporter conducting them to gain the notoriety she needs to advance her career.
Despite that progress, female power in the world of media is all but non-existent. There may be more women reporters and anchors, but the coverage continues to be dominated by men. In many instances, female reports are still relegated to the sidelines of each game, and often in the most literal way possible.
That's not just a metaphor, either. If you watch a typical football event, it is often the female journalist stuck on the edges of the field, busy reporting on emotional aspects of the game rather than strategy and other critical factors. That complex analysis is left to the highly-paid anchors and analysts in the studio.
Worse, they can face sexually-charged jeers and comments from fans, dismissive responses from athletes, and outright hostility from coaches and others in the higher echelons of the game. Decades ago, team leaders wanted no part of female journalists. They did not want them in their locker rooms, their meetings, or on their fields.
The main emphasis still seems to be on how attractive these women are, and how well their makeup looks on television. It sometimes seems as though they are the media's version of the teams' cheerleader squads. They're there to look young and pretty until they're no longer young, and then the networks bring in replacements cut from the same pattern.
There is much ground to be covered before women in athletics coverage will obtain the standing enjoyed by male reporters. Yes, things are changing for the better. Opportunities are increasing, salaries are growing, and the future looks brighter than ever. None of that, however, changes the fact that today's female reporters will have to continue to struggle to blaze the trail toward real equality for future generations.
This should come as no surprise, though, given the recent nature of the quest for equality in this area. Women were not even permitted into men's locker rooms for player interviews until the mid-1970s, and no legal challenge asserting their right to engage in such interviews was undertaken until that decade was nearing its end. As a result, women were but minor players in the world of athletic reporting.
Progress has occurred in the decades that followed, however. Women now routinely conduct critical interviews in locker rooms. That's important, because those are often among the most emotionally intense and interesting interviews found at any game. They are the interviews that draw fans' attention, and help the reporter conducting them to gain the notoriety she needs to advance her career.
Despite that progress, female power in the world of media is all but non-existent. There may be more women reporters and anchors, but the coverage continues to be dominated by men. In many instances, female reports are still relegated to the sidelines of each game, and often in the most literal way possible.
That's not just a metaphor, either. If you watch a typical football event, it is often the female journalist stuck on the edges of the field, busy reporting on emotional aspects of the game rather than strategy and other critical factors. That complex analysis is left to the highly-paid anchors and analysts in the studio.
Worse, they can face sexually-charged jeers and comments from fans, dismissive responses from athletes, and outright hostility from coaches and others in the higher echelons of the game. Decades ago, team leaders wanted no part of female journalists. They did not want them in their locker rooms, their meetings, or on their fields.
The main emphasis still seems to be on how attractive these women are, and how well their makeup looks on television. It sometimes seems as though they are the media's version of the teams' cheerleader squads. They're there to look young and pretty until they're no longer young, and then the networks bring in replacements cut from the same pattern.
There is much ground to be covered before women in athletics coverage will obtain the standing enjoyed by male reporters. Yes, things are changing for the better. Opportunities are increasing, salaries are growing, and the future looks brighter than ever. None of that, however, changes the fact that today's female reporters will have to continue to struggle to blaze the trail toward real equality for future generations.
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