The last 25 years have seen tremendous strides for women in terms of social change. However, there is a disconnect between what is happening in our culture and what is reflected in mainstream news media. With the influx of more female participation in youth, high school, college, and professional sports, it can rightfully be assumed that coverage would also increase. This, however, is false. Over time, women’s athletics have received less time on screen because of the overwhelming number of men’s sports and the disinterest in women’s sports all together. When broadcasted, the overall attitude and tone toward the female athletes and the program are poor. This differs drastically from those of men’s sports. The media coverage of women’s sports media, the enthusiasm, and overall attitude toward these athletic …show more content…
Despite the dramatic increase in the number of female athletes, mainstream sports news shows still lag behind in coverage. A survey of Los Angeles broadcasting and ESPN’s SportsCenter reveled coverage is actually lower then it was in 1989. Within the past 5 years, L.A. basted broadcasters found that only 3.2 percent of airtime was devoted to women’s sports, down from 5 percent in 1989. ESPN’s SportsCenter devoted only 2 percent of airtime to women’s sports, however 81.6% of women’s airtime was basketball coverage. With the influx of participation in athletics, one would anticipate these numbers to be much higher. Furthermore, the overall focus on females should not be limited to a single sport, as basketball is not the only women’s sport that has increased in participation. As this overall interest in athletics increases throughout the nation for females, this rise should be reflected on news, highlights, and game coverage. By broadcasting more female sports, more enthusiasm can be sparked in the younger generations and allow for these young women and girls to find role models within other female