While there are plenty of reasons for the lack of media coverage, three of the most common factors contribute to a lack of women's sports. Men's sports tend to be dominant and under-funded. These factors, combined with a lack of consistent presence in the media, make the absence of women in sport a serious issue. The media must do a better job covering women’s sport to counter these problems.
Consistent absence
Nearly 80 percent of all televised sporting news programs do not include stories about women's sport, according to the study. Even those that include stories are usually shorter and sometimes overshadowed in part by stories about male sports. Even though the study was done prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the amount of coverage of women’s events in sports has increased. The study also cites recent investment by ESPN to broadcast WNBA games.
Subfunding
Despite the fact that the NCAA has been taking action to ensure equal funding of sports teams, the changes are still insufficient. The NCAA rules are not staggered, and the games are not broadcast simultaneously. The second issue is that women still have a low representation in coaching positions. It has been a problem for decades and it still is today. The change, while welcome, is a step in the right direction.
Men's sports dominance
Media coverage of women’s sports is almost entirely dominated by men. Asymmetry in gender marking may temporarily raise the profile of a specific women's sport or team but it does not mean there is more coverage for other women's sporting events. Asymmetric gender marting often works in conjunction with local parochialism and obscures the local men’s soccer team's success.
We lack role models
The media has become the main source of information for the younger generation, but female athletes are rarely represented. This underrepresentation creates a lack of role models for young girls. Lack of role models in the media contributes to the perpetuation of differential socialization of gender roles. Here are some ways media outlets can increase their representation of female athletes, and their viewership. This is just one example.
Investments are not made
Studies on gender disparity in sport investments are few and far between, and often distributional. There has been very little research on why managers spend more money in male sports than women's. And sponsorship spending is becoming more strategic. We need to ask ourselves why. Let's investigate the matter. Tokenism has been a long-standing problem in women's sporting. Major brands see their investment in women's sports as a PR stunt.