The Chicago newspaper’s
infamous Twitter headline
read “Wife of Bears’ lineman
wins a bronze medal today in
Rio Olympics.” Corey Cogdell-Unrein
had just won her second Olympic
medal in trap shooting only to
have her name and success attributed
to her spouse’s athletic career.
Unfortunately, microaggressions
such as this one are not uncommon
in the media’s coverage of women’s
sports. Moreover, the coverage itself
is problematic, as it is nearly
non-existent compared to the attention
men’s sports receive. Society
has arbitrarily placed sport within
the domain of men. The debate is
often framed by the claim that insufficient
interest in female athletics
makes them unprofitable. The real
question is whether or not the reason
behind the lack of interest is the lack of coverage. Evidence suggests
the market of female audiences is
growing all the time. The solution
to the disparities faced in coverage
and microaggressions may rest with
female journalists who are more
likely to quote and report on women
than men. In a vicious cycle, gender
hiring practices in sports journalism
are unequitable, perpetuating
the media’s problematic limited
attention to female sport. Media organizations
must support women in
editorial and leadership roles if they
wish to avoid sexist culture and the
estrangement of female fanatics
