I found this statistic, for lack of a better word, crazy. Considering this study was done in 2009, only 4 years ago, it seems like the television and media end of athletic equality is really lagging behind. Title IX, a law passed to create equality between men's and women's sports, was passed in 1972. That is 35 years before this study was done. That is a very long time, and there has been so much progress made. There are so many more opportunities for women at the college level (although not equal with men in some instances), the growth of opportunities is clearly evident. Because of Title IX, many schools and universities added many women's teams to their varsity rosters.Considering the history and the progress women's sports have made since the 20th century, I am utterly confused as to why that statistic exists. It seems to me that women's sports are only displayed on TV in rare instances, and more frequently if it is a women's sport that has a larger following than the men's version (perhaps gymnastics, or figure skating). Now, I know there are many sides to this argument. Some say that it is completely unfair, while others say that men's sports are simply more exciting to watch on television, so the networks should air men more often. I side with the group that argues that it is not fair. I believe that women should get much more air time on television, considering they are also athletes at the professional level (or at least at the collegiate level). They are competitive people, who deserve recognition for their talent. I understand that there is no way for the above statistic to dramatically increase to 40% or more anytime soon, because that is not the way society functions. However, I do hope that in the near future that percent is raised by any amount, even a small amount, because that would be a step in the right direction.
Do you think women's sports should get more air-time on national television?
Sara, at first I found this to be an astonishing statistic. It seems that as a society we have been priding ourselves on the feminist movements that have done so much for our country. We now see women in high power jobs, earning more money, and really breaking all of the stereotypes that were once held. However some things, as shown in your post, have not changed. We still don't give women the same attention in sports as men. I do think that the reason women don't have as much televised sporting events as men, is because people aren't as interested in women's sports, and I think people aren't as interested in women's sports is because women's sports aren't televised! Although I don't know what really causes this cycle in the first place, I do think that it is this cycle that we are stuck in resulting in the observations you have made.
ReplyDeleteHi Sara,
ReplyDeleteI like your challenge to the audience, but the only things I would change about this post might be to:
1) quote from the linked article and analyze it
2) posit WHY things are the way they are for women's sports: what makes it an American issue?
Devastating stats, agreed.