unequal gender equality within sports

1. Feminist approach
within sports
Presented by: Gabrielle Englund

2. Article:
“Fair play: business can help kick
sexism out of sport”

3. Article Review
• Serena Williams is the image of women’s sports, as she dominates in
tennis. You wouldn’t know this because very little sports involving
women are seen on television or in media in general
• Women’s sports are down on the totem pole compared to men
concerning media coverage.
• Woman athletes are also paid less then a man in a comparable sport
within the same rankings.
• Sexist comments are made more often than any knows concerning
sports and women in sports business
• Women are standing up in the sports masculinity world

5. Feminist Approaches
• “Sexual Harassment” is the act of making
comments, gestures, or sexual jokes towards
someone.
• “Discourse at women-Led business” shows how a
business ran by majority of women still play into
the sexual stereo types of women.
• “Disciplined Bodies” says that there is an ideal
body for race, class and gender.

6. Framing devices on sexual
harassment narratives
Framing Device Explanations
Accepting dominant
interests
Sexual harassment accepted or justified as a less important
problem than other managerial concerns
Simple
Misunderstanding
Sexual harassment accepted or justified as “mere flirting”
Reification Sexual harassment accepted or justified as “the way things
are”
Trivialization Sexual harassment accepted or justified as “a harmless joke”
Denotative hesitancy Sexually harassing encounter not defined by the term sexual
harassment
Public/private
expression-
public/private domain
Sexual harassment described as part of private-rather than
public-life or described using private forms of expression

7. Women’s low representation
• Ashcraft (2005) provides more detail and says “A belief
that dominant systems of gender privilege men and
masculinity relative to women and femininity, although
these systems are not ridged or neatly drawn. This is
seen within sports “Women in Football’s (WiF) report last
month on sexist incidents in the sport found 61 separate
reports of sexism (from match-day incidents to workplace
harassment), which it says is just the tip of the iceberg.”
This is just within one month, but no one even knows
these facts because they are highly overlooked. We do not
have the same representation that men have or defended
the same way. Women’s bodies is what sells their sport,
not their talents.

8. • In the article “Fair play: business can help kick sexism out of
sport” they make a really important point. Bella Qvist says
“Policies tackling racism and homophobia in football have long
been in place but when it comes to gender discrimination little
effort has been made.” which is seen throughout all women
sports, gender equality is far off the beaten path I don’t know
if women will ever have a spot light, if so many years from
now.
• She also makes another great point concerning the same thing,
she says “It was an incredible oversight from the entire
industry that they didn’t consider 51% of the population’s
experience, not that football is 51% female but there are a
huge number of women working in the game.” this is
absolutely true and unbelievable that they do not consider
women within the sports organization.
• I think this is all unfair for women when there is suppose to be
gender equality within sports. Women can be athletes too and
should have the same spot light that men have.

9. Positive outlook for women
• “A belief that gender, power, and organization are continuously
created and changed in ongoing everyday life and that
communication is the process through which this is
accomplished.” was present recently. Chief executive Helena
Morrissey spoke up and “demanded that the women’s race be
given equal investment and it was broadcast live for the first
time.” this is a huge accomplishment for pushing women’s
athletics. Women’ sports are not on television, in which are not
popular because no one knows what’s going on. They claimed
“It was a huge lift for the sport, not to mention Newton’s
publicity.” Newton was a sponsor for the women’s race, who
sees potential.

11. Network Air Time Breakdown for Men’s
and Women’s Sports Teams
Chicago sport scoop
(20-year study of network and cable by USC & Purdue sociologists)

12. • This graph shows that there is an equal amount of participation
in women’s sports compared to men and we still cant have
equality in sports
Chicago sport scoop
(20-year study of network and cable by USC & Purdue sociologists)

13. Sexual harassment
• Sexual harassment happens more than anyone knows or is willing to
share within the culture of sports.
• One of the instances interferes with the sportscasters job, “Then
there’s the female sports reporter based in a major market who has
been asked out repeatedly by coaches, agents and players of various
sports. Once, an NFL player told her that it was cool she was
married because so was he. There was also the time a source offered
to let her sleep in his hotel room during a championship game. Then
there was the time the Division I basketball coach hit on her.” these
acts are happening in this masculinity sport and might not ever go
away. It’s hard as a women to compete in a sport dominated by men.

14. Sexual Harassment Cont.
• These happenings that are supposedly rules are broken which result in
hurting careers, personal life and personalities.
• In a certain circumstance over social media a reporter says ““Lots of the
time it all starts on Twitter,” she said. “I follow athletes for information,
they follow me back, they message me, continue to message me, etc. I've
had a lot of good interactions on Twitter with athletes, professional
relationships, but lots take them too far. They call at 5 a.m. They
Snapchat inappropriate things. On the road, I make sure to not even
make eye contact with players or even really talk to them unless I'm
doing an interview. You block everything out or else you become a
‘whistle blower’ and no one wants to have you around.”
• This is not what their job should be like, they are strictly there for
business and they are being attacked by men everyday. These women
also feel attacked because it’s their word against a player/coach who
make ridiculous money.

16. Discourse at women-led businesses
• Discourse at women-led business is women going against other
women and playing into the sexual stereotypes as women!
• I feel that within the sports industry its such a struggling up coming
that women really stick together and support each other. With being
in a culture full of men you have to stick together in order to make
people see the unequal rights between gender.

17. Disciplined bodies
• Disciplined bodies are in a women’s nature in which they are
conscious of their looks 24/7.
• Sports have an ideal body for a female athlete and if they don’t fit
that certain standard they are made fun of and put down.
• Women’s bodies are used to sell football and beer. They are used to
advertise sports but yet don’t even have equal rights within sports.
• Women are also looked frowned upon if they are too masculine or not
masculine enough.
• Sports culture also thinks that the women’s body can do just as much
as the men’s, but we are physically made different and need different
treatment within the sport. Ex. Shorter basketball hoops so women
can dunk, which will increase interest in the sport.

19. Google: “women and football”

20. Works cited
• By ChicagoSportsScoop on February 15, 2013 | Leave a Comment.
"ChicagoSportsScoop." ChicagoSportsScoop. N.p., n.d. Web. 16
Oct. 2016.
<https://abbywilson14.wordpress.com/tag/discrimination/>.
• Deitsch, Richard. "Sexual Harassment toward Female Sports Reporters
Is Far Too Common." Sports Illustrated. N.p., 16 Aug. 2015. Web.
16 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.si.com/more-sports/2015/08/16/female-sports-reporters-
sexual-harassment-norwood-teague-rio-olympics-ryan-seacrest>.
• Qvist, Bella. "Fair Play: Business Can Help Kick Sexism out of
Sport." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 16 July
2015. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.
<https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jul/16/sexism-
sport-industry-gender-equality-business>.