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Sports

The Gun Show || Gender Equality in Sports?

Hardly: Analysis of Women’s Sports Coverage Using the Baylor Championship


default article imageFrom net-cutting, to pre-game dunks, national viewers missed out on a memorable women’s basketball championship game this year. Although it has been reported that the game received positive TV ratings (and its best since 2004), it still had a sub-par standing compared to other popular sports. It sure seems like the media just ‘forgot’ to cover Brittney Griner’s pursuit of championship and its aftermath.

A 26 point, 13 rebound, and five block game seems quite memorable, correct? Well if you didn’t log onto Yahoo! Or ESPN.com, chances are you wouldn’t find out about Brittney Griner’s powerful play versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Is this a question of what commercialization and a media marketing stance has done to the sports world? In 2012 it seems that ad revenues drive programming, which ultimately decides what gets national coverage, from live airing to post-game analysis. So, noting how men’s sports and their cult-following drive more viewings and therefore generate better business, programmers decide to cut or limit women’s sports coverage.

Is this analysis controversial, considering you may go online and read a story about how good the championship did with ratings? Well my personal opinion still tends to lean towards “no.” Throughout the season you could have easily found a powerhouse men’s program playing during prime time ESPN or network broadcasting hours. You’d be hard-pressed to find the same for women’s basketball.

While this power struggle continues between men’s and women’s sports…we had history unfolding. Baylor, led by 6’8” Brittney Griner was attempting to conclude a perfect season (40-0) and win its first championship since 2005.

The dazzling play of Griner has led to a season of dunks, numerous blocks, scoring outbreaks, and interesting post-game breakdowns of her drop-step, one-handed put downs. Breezing through the tournament, Baylor beat UCSB, Florida, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and Stanford to make the championship.

Faced up against a Fighting Irish team who made the same game a year ago (but lost to Texas A&M), this game was slated to be huge! Instead, it was just another college sport with mediocre coverage. If viewers really wanted analysis, they had to turn to their computers. You could barely get more than a quick highlight reel regarding the game. In contrast, we saw people breakdown the men’s championship in mass.

As I said, all media coverage seems to be carefully plotted, following some sort of formula that to stray from, is extremely frowned upon. Sadly, women’s basketball does not make the cut for huge grossing profits and therefore, we barely got to see even this year’s dominant women’s team earn their spot in history.

What a shame. The sport’s world has clearly continued down this path of commercialization. Although women’s sports have never really been extremely popular television events, historical matchups and high-tension championships should earn a spot on the same level as men’s. It’s only fair.

As networks, can’t you just put aside your revenue projections long enough to be fair while picking which sport to cover? Realize that women’s sports are held dear to many, even though it may not be made clear through some Nielson media company readings. We need to be fair and objective…plus we might catch Brittney Griner throw-down on her next victim. Women’s sports can be highly entertaining.

If I was an executive for one of the four major networks or cable stations like ESPN, I’d do whatever was in my power to be objective. In this case, it would involve even coverage of the NCAA championships. Both men and women would receive equal promotion, coverage and later analysis. There can be no other way around it.

Although we haven’t reached this goal this year, even with a historical 40-0 Baylor season, we may have a chance to re-do it next year. Five starters are returning for Baylor, including Brittney Griner, so an 80-0 streak is not a wild projection. With an immensely powerful team possibly back in the hunt, it’s the perfect gateway towards the next generation of programming.

Come April next year, will we be able to praise the networks for their new coverage or question their tactics again? Only time will tell.