In light of the controversy surrounding the rise of the WNBA’s biased and misguided media policy this season, coupled with the absence of top-tier female sports media experts, the desire to boost and diversify sports media has reached a critical tipping point. Women’s teams, athletes, and occasions remain particularly inferior to those of their male counterparts, and women and their diverse voices remain grossly underrepresented in media roles, especially in leadership positions. A report by the University of Central Florida (UCF) estimates that only 14. 4% of professional sports journalists in a hundred national media outlets were women. From a leadership perspective, the same study estimates that only 16. 7% of the editors of those same media outlets were women.
According to the report’s lead author, Dr. Richard Lapchick, the proportion of women in sports media increased slightly between 2018 and 2021, but “the overall record of sports media having women in management positions remains appalling. “A notable increase in the proportion of women in sports media positions: sports editors increased from 10. 0% to 16. 7% and journalists from 11. 5%. % to 14. 4% and publishers from 20. 4% to 24. 7%. Columnists also noted a slight increase, from 16. 6% to 17. 8%. Despite this progress, women’s sports policy remains disproportionately low, accounting for only 5% to 15% of content on linear and streaming platforms.
This lack of representation creates a vicious cycle: fewer varied voices in decision-making roles leads to less investment and education for female sports media experts, perpetuating disparity in media coverage. That said, cutting-edge organizations are leading the pace to replace this current status and women-led sports media organizations, like The Gist, need to fill some of those much-needed gaps.
Women are underrepresented in gaming media for a number of reasons, adding to systemic gender bias and long-standing exclusion from the field. Historically, gaming journalism has been a male-dominated industry, with deep-seated stereotypes viewing gaming as an interest and career path in large part. designed for and through men. According to previous research, gaming media has long perpetuated narratives that marginalize women’s gaming and downplay its importance, which in turn influences hiring practices and opportunities for women in gaming journalism. The result is a lack of female role models and mentors in the industry, making it difficult for aspiring female game hounds to navigate their careers.
In addition, structural barriers and pictorial cultures obstruct the advancement of women in sports media. The researchers further note that women in sports journalism face a “cold climate,” in which their presence and contributions are underestimated compared to their male counterparts. This environment can lead to higher attrition rates among women, as they are at risk of leaving the industry due to a lack of support, mentorship, and opportunities for advancement. In addition, since women’s sports enjoy less coverage than men, this fuels a formula of limited opportunities for female hounds to cover large-scale occasions in sports spaces, which also restricts their ability to advance their careers. For those reasons, addressing those issues requires an intentional effort to challenge and replace institutional biases and cultural norms that perpetuate gender. Disparity in sports media.
Despite the existing underrepresentation of women in sports media, pioneering organizations like The Gist are leading new efforts to address the existing landscape. Ellen Hyslop, co-founder and chief content officer of The Gist, explained that her organization’s project is to signal the gaming sector. box in the male-dominated sports industry.
According to Hyslop, “A big component of the reason we looked to start at The Gist was to develop another style of business in the sports industry, and focus on other types of fans, other types of creators, other types of athletes than what the classic sports media was doing, especially since it was a male-dominated space. Overall, The Gist approaches sports media and focuses on designing a more inclusive style for both journalists and fans. Hyslop highlighted that The Gist’s project focuses on 3 key areas:
CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 5: South Carolina Gamecocks’ Te-Hina Paopao #0 speaks to the media after. . . [ ] beat NC State Wolfpack 78–59 in the NCAA Women’s Final Four semifinal game between NC State and South. Caroline at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on April 5, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo via Thien-An Truong/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
Diversifying the workforce in women’s sports media is imperative not only to increase the volume of media coverage, but also its quality. Research indicates that diverse organizations in a variety of industries enjoy many benefits, adding higher quality of work, increased decision-making, superior team satisfaction, and greater equity. The sports media industry can gain in the same way by prioritizing diversity and making an investment in varied voices, which will lead to deeper and more comprehensive coverage.
In light of recent controversies involving sports journalists who primarily cover men’s leagues and teams, the urgency of diversifying and nurturing women experts in sports media has become increasingly apparent. Incidents such as Indy Star reporter Gregg Doyel making irrelevant comments to WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark and ESPN reporter Pat McAfee referring to Clark using a derogatory term, highlight the upheavals that arise when multiple voices are not well represented in this space. According to Hyslop, organizations like The Gist can help create this change.
Hyslop said that “some other people underestimate women’s football and underestimate the fact of participating in it. And I think there’s a lot of rhetoric like, ‘oh, I cover the NHL, maybe I just cover the PWHL’ or ‘Oh, I cover the NHL. ‘the NBA. ‘” So I don’t have any challenge in covering the WNBA. And the fact is, it’s other games. It’s other players, they have other rules, there’s an absolutely different setup. And there are also many other stories and contexts for each of them. That’s why I think a lot of this is about finding other people who are willing and able to put their e-passes aside and who need to be informed and pass through training.
Continued engagement with women’s leagues, teams, events, and athletes, as well as investing in media experts who excel in women’s sports coverage, is to turn this narrative around. To help you even more, Hyslop strongly believes that The Gist can be a wonderful resource. for professionals in the sports media industry.
“I would like [gaming media professionals] to subscribe or visit our website, because that’s what [The Gist] is here for as well. Explain [aspects of the women’s game such as] how long a season lasts and who the keys are. What are the main scenarios?Why is this important? What is the context?I think other people are in a position to make and deploy this effort in the men’s games aspect. We have an analyst for each one. And then, the other people we know are in a position to work. It’s just a question of whether they’re willing to work on the women’s side to get to know that whole history, all that context, to expand relationships with the players. , the teams, the league as a whole to do a smart job.
MONTREAL, CANADA – APRIL 20: A new world attendance record is set for women’s hockey with 21,105 Arrays. [ ] other people the third generation of the PWHL game between Montreal and Toronto at the Bell Centre on April 20, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
The pressing desire to elevate and diversify gaming media has never been clearer. Ultimately, widespread gender bias and the longstanding exclusion of women from gaming journalism have led to a significant underrepresentation of women in media roles, especially in leadership positions. Despite some progress in recent times for years, women still make up only a small fraction of professional game journalists and editors, and women’s gaming policy remains disproportionately low. This lack of representation not only limits customers and the quality of gaming policy, but also perpetuates a cycle of exclusion and marginalization. However, organizations like The Gist are pioneering efforts to close those gaps, demonstrating that a more inclusive and varied gaming media landscape is possible and feasible. By challenging institutional biases and selling the diversity of voices, the gaming media industry can offer richer and more comprehensive offerings. policy that benefits both the industry and the fans.
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