Children\u27s Perceptions of Male and Female Athletes as Presented in Sports Illustrated for Kids

Despite gains made by Title IX in the past 36 years, including increased female participation in high school and collegiate sport, there is evidence that gender equity in sport is not fully achieved. Researchers target the media because they tend to shape social values and disseminate information to the masses (Kane, 1978, in Fink & Kensicki, 2002). As sports become more pervasive, framing theory has become particularly relevant. The purpose of this study is to build on the Hardin et al. (2002) study by examining the relationship among media sports coverage, gender equity in sport and the perceptions young sports fans begin to form about gender and sport based on media consumption. The researcher hypothesized that since women face discrimination in sport starting from the time that they choose to participate, children will perceive male athletes and their sports as more legitimate. Additionally, the media play a major role in shaping the views of audiences, so the way that they represent male and female athletes, including juxtaposing them, may have an impact on children. The researcher conducted a content analysis of 24 Sports Illustrated for Kids issues from 1996 to 1999 and 24 issues from 2006 to 2007. The researcher analyzed the content of photographs (N=3219) and of headlines (N=762) by using the definitions determined by Hardin et al. (2002). We found that there is a disproportionate amount of coverage devoted to male athletes and that the discrepancy between media representation between men and women in sport has grown since the mid-1990s. This study also includes a focus group conducted with three children from a community swimming program in a northeastern town and found that those children were acutely aware of the differences between men and women in sport based on the discussion. The researcher does not attempt to find a causal relationship between these children’s perceptions and the way media represents them, but rather uses the focus group to complement the content analysis. As children become sports consumers in later life, future research exploring the relationship between children’s perceptions and the media’s representations need to be done before causality and the significance of media effects are determined

The Power of Networks: Social Capital and its Influence in College Student Perceptions of Sexual Harassment of Female Sports Reporters

For decades, women have sought legal remedy as they tried to break through the metaphorical glass ceiling in a male-dominated workforce. In their efforts to make it to higher positions of power, many endured the subtle taunts and comments, while others struggled with blatant discrimination and environments that clearly did not welcome women (Hardin & Shain, 2005a; 2005b), including their own place of work (Hardin & Whiteside, 2009). In multiple studies, female sports journalists admitted to sexual harassment, but dismissed it as part of the job (Hardin & Shain, 2006; 2005a; 2005b). Public outcry over this phenomenon is minimal, and when it does occur often the victim is the one facing sanctions (Disch & Kane, 1996). This study utilized masculine hegemony and gender role expectations within social capital theory to uncover if negative social capital influenced future sport managers and journalist perceptions of sexual harassment using a sample of n=81 from a large Northeastern university. Results using MANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests demonstrated significant differences between men and women on accepting sexual harassment (p\u3c.05). Correlations between subscales using Kendall’s τ also showed significant positive relationships between trust and locker room norms (p\u3c.001), trust and information networks (p\u3c.01), trust and adherence to beliefs about traditional gender roles (p\u3c.001), information networks and locker room norms (p\u3c.001), and locker room norms and adherence to beliefs about traditional gender roles (p\u3c.001). Results are discussed within the context of social capital and gender roles