Female Athletes In Sports Media Analysis

Ginsberg and Gray (2005) studied images in sports magazines depicting female athletes in judged and non-judged sports in sports media within the frame of Social comparison theory. Social comparison theory revolves around the idea that we decide our social and self-worth based on how we compare to others we identify with (Ginsberg & Gray, 2005). The way in which racial, or even class and gender groups are perceived by society, are manipulated by the way the media frames athletes in photographs. This manipulation convinces media consumers to think or feel a certain way (Clavio & Eagleman, 2011). Clavio and Eagleman (2011), report that photographs have a greater influence than text because they allow the media to frame the athletes the way …show more content…
Priming theory posits that distinct messages can temporarily persuade other’s perceptions (Harrison & Frederickson, 2003). Both theories explain how Black female athletes are continually marginalized in sports media. “The media is a powerful purveyor of messages about culture and gender ideology” (Weber & Carini, 2012, p. 196). Although Black female student-athletes may or may not consume sexualized sports media, other people do. According to an article by Rubie-Davies, Liu, and Lee (2013), advertisers simplify messages by using stereotypes to make them easier to understand. Rubie-Davies et al. (2013) stated “This allows uncontested stereotypes to influence viewers and shapes attitudes and beliefs, particularly those of children.”(as cited in Bang & Reece, 2003). In the context of this discussion, sports media images can also be considered an advertisement, as the artist or publisher is creating a message that will guide viewers’ perceptions, and, if stereotypical, contribute to the marginalized group internalizing the message. As stated earlier, the media has immense power in the way viewers perceive media. The more sexually suggestive the media, the more likely society’s perceptions of the female athlete are affected. In a content analysis of Sports Illustrated covers by Weber and Carini, (2012) they reported women of color portrayals are also affected by the rarity in which they occur. Of the 716 covers analyzed from an eleven year period, only 35 covers included women, and only 18 featured a female as the primary image. Only 11 covers included women of color, and the context of their inclusion is not mentioned in the article. In addition to content analysis of covers, another study by Fink, Parker, Cunningham, and Cuneen, (2012), looked at advertisements featuring female athletes. They found 81% of female athletes endorsing a product were scantily