Transcript of Final Project- Ethical Breach of Sports Journalism in Women's Tennis
- 1. ETHICAL BREACH OF SPORTS JOURNALISM IN WOMENS TENNIS media
outLETS
- 2. WHAT ARE ETHICS? According to Merriam- Webster dictionary,
ethics are: Rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally
good and bad According to the Pew Research Center, the journalism
code of ethics states that: 1. Journalisms first obligation is to
the truth. 2. Its first loyalty is to citizens. 3. Its essence is a
discipline of verification. 4. Its practitioners must maintain an
independence from those they cover. 5. It must serve as an
independent monitor of power. 6. It must provide a forum for public
criticism and compromise. 7. It must strive to make the significant
interesting and relevant. 8. It must keep the news comprehensive
and proportional. 9. Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise
their personal conscience.
- 3. WHAT LED TO THIS Women are often considered weaker and more
delicate than men and therefore are assumed to be less adept at
sports. Societys bias toward men as superior athletes and
physically stronger beings has rendered women as second-rate
counterparts in the sports world. This bias towards men in sports
has sparked far more interest for mens sports than womens sports,
thus weakening support and viewership for womens sports.
- 4. Gender was verbally, visually and graphically marked, for
example Womens National Championship, an average of nearly 60 times
per game in womens basketball, and never was marked in mens games
(which would be referred to only as The National Championship
Game). Female athletes frequently were referred to as girls and
young ladies. Male athletes were never referred to as boys, but
rather usually as men, young men and young fellas. NEWS COVERAGE OF
WOMENS SPORTS The Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles
analyzed six weeks of NCAAs men and womens basketball national
championship tournament as well as the mens and womens U.S. Open
Tennis Championship and found that:
- 5. NEWS COVERAGE OF WOMENS SPORTS News coverage is vital to the
success of professional athletes and teams. Women in tennis and
golf have proven more successful professionally than women in more
physically demanding sports like basketball or softball. One
possible explanation for this is that fans, sponsors, and TV news
coverage stations dont like the portrayal of woman as aggressive.
Golf and tennis are often associated with country clubs and are
considered more recreational than traditional, competitive team
sports, thus preserving womens more mild image. On an average day,
research suggests that 8% of sports stories are about womens
sports, 5% being about individual sports and 3% being about team
sports.
- 6. WOMENS INVOLVEMENT IN SPORTS In contrast to their limited
coverage, women are increasingly involved in playing sports. Since
the enactment of Title IX in 1972, the participation of women in
intercollegiate sports has increased consistently. As of 2011, 43%
of all NCAA student athletes were women and 53% of all NCAA teams
were womens teams. Also, women are increasingly interested in
reading about sports and watching sports programs. Though watching
sports coverage is still more popular among men, and recent
research suggests that domestic roles and gender stereotypes may
make it difficult for women to engage more actively as sports
viewers, the amount of female readers and viewers is continually
growing.
- 7. NEWS COVERAGE OF WOMENS SPORTS In the U.S., women account
for 27% of regular readers of newspaper sports sections and 45.9%
of the audience for the Super Bowl. Further, women now make up the
majority of viewers of the Olympics, as they comprised 53.8% of the
television audience for the 2012 Olympics. On KNBC and KCBS, the
proportion of "ticker time" (information displayed on a ticker text
box at the bottom of a broadcast) devoted to women's sports in 2009
was 4.6%. This is more than triple the airtime on the main
broadcasts. On ESPNs SportsCenter, women's sports were allotted a
mere 2.7% of the ticker time, a sad fall from 8.5% in 2004. This
data illustrates just how news networks are literally marginalizing
womens sports in comparison to mens.
- 8. NEWS COVERAGE OF WOMENS SPORTS The Amateur Athletic
Foundations research of weekday newspapers from the Boston Globe,
Orange County Register, Dallas Morning News and USA Today showed
that the professional obligation of sportswriters to report the
facts wasnt fulfilled when they nearly entirely excluded women's
sports. The research found that: Women-only sports stories
accounted for 3.5% of all stories; men's stories made up 81% of the
total, while the rest of the stories are mens and womens sports
combined. In the three-month period that the research was gathered,
golf and tennis, sports in which women "have a long tradition of
world-class competition, were in their high season, yet a mere 301
women-only articles appeared in the four newspapers during the
three months.
- 9. It's not about the money. It's about the equality message.
Billie Jean King
- 10. I really like the United States, but that's one thing I
don't like, everybody's crazy about money, Martina Navratilova
- 11. Wimbledon is like that. You have to overcome a lot of
things. They'd write something nice one day, and I'd think maybe
they like me a little, and then they'd rip me. I had to stop
reading the papers. Chris Evert
- 12. John McEnroeMartina Navratilova "In the meantime she played
soccer with boys and ice hockey in the winter and went to school
like everybody else, (A Straight- up Cool Martina, 24 Feb, 1975).
1. Treated men and women as if they are different creatures 2.
Reported her eating habits and her weight and lots of descriptions
on her looks 3. Focused on Martinas emotions on the court 4. Scores
of her recent games were reported, but lacked analysis of her play
Some of the weight is gone now, but she remains a sturdy 57". Her
shoulders are broad and her arms and thighs look powerful. She has
short light-brown hair, as fine as a child's, and her face is
dominated by high, wide cheekbones and forthright hazel eyes, (A
Straight-up Cool Martina, 24 Feb, 1975). 1. Talked about his
success before his professional career in tennis 2. Only mentioned
his outlooks slightly 3. Occasionally brings up his thoughts toward
his opponents 4. In-depth report and analysis appear more
frequently So far, Junior's absolutely horrid on-court nature has
managed to obscure his wonderful talent. A soccer and basketball
player in high school, McEnroe picked up tennis very quickly. Early
on he was a natural, and his game mirrors that of his teacher,
Palafoxall spins and angles and changes of pace, (Winning Is No
Laughing Matter, 11 Dec. 1978). A rarity in today's double-fisted
tennis world, McEnroe hits one- handed from both sides with the
racket head held extremely low. The preparation for each stroke is
so casual that often the racket appears to be falling from his hand
as he drills winner after winner. McEnroe has such a gift for
touch, such a delicate feel, that the ball is seldom out of
control. Because of his active, quick wrists, he also gets away
with many late hits, the racket suddenly flashing out from his
shoulder socket as if no arm were needed as middleman, (Winning Is
No Laughing Matter, 11 Dec. 1978). "So, no, I'm not surprised at
all. I don't want to be surprised. And I don't want to be
satisfied. I mean, it's great to be 19, ranked No. 5 in the world
and playing Davis Cup. But this isn't luck. I've worked for this.
Let's put it this way. I deserve this, (Winning Is No Laughing
Matter, 11 Dec. 1978). She did a lot of howling and arm waving,
after which she slammed her racket to the ground and lost the last
10 points of the match as the tears flowed. I'm just not ready
psychologically, Navratilova said, (A Big Home Victory At Last, 15
Sept., 1975). Navratilova is probably the strongest woman in
tennis, stronger even than Court, and she moves deftly, always
following her left-handed serves and ground strokes to the net and
looking to sock away volleys. Her forehand is lethal, so opponents
tend to hit to her backhand, which is erratic. When she is getting
her first serve in, it is difficult for her foe not to hit a high
return that Navratilova swats with gusto, (Love Conquers All, 14
April, 1975).
- 13. Suzanne Lenglen, 1922 Mrs. George Wightman, 1924 Carolyn
Babcock and Joan Ridley, 1932 Martha Barnett, 1939 Gussie Moran,
1950 Martina Navratilova, 1970 & 1978 Chris Evert, 1976 Tracy
Austin, 1981
- 14. Serena Williams and Roger Federer in the Media
- 15. FEDERER CAREER FACTS Seventeen Grand Slam Singles titles.
No double titles. Currently ranked the fourth-best mens player in
the world.
- 16. WILLIAMS CAREER FACTS Seventeen Grand Slam Singles titles.
Thirteen Grand Slam Doubles titles. Currently ranked best female
player in the world.
- 17. OVERALL COMPARISON Williams career longer, arguably more
successful Federers career shorter, though more dominant while at
pinnacle Both given fair praise in media for success Williams body,
personality also receives more attention than Federer Federer
rivalry with Rafael Nadal highly covered
- 18. FEDERER IN SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
- 19. WILLIAMS IN SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
- 20. WILLIAMS IN SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
- 21. SEXUALIZATION OF MENS TENNIS
- 22. TENNIS COVERAGE ON TV Womens game now as, if not more,
popular on TV as mens. 2013 U.S. Open Womens Final between Williams
and Victoria Azarenka: 4.9 rating. Mens final between Rafael Nadal
and Novak Djokovic: 2.8 rating. Individual womens sports more
popular than team sports on TV.
- 23. TENNIS COVERAGE IN WRITING Writing in Sports Illustrated,
Bleacher Report or other outlets mention both espnW, ESPNs womens
sports blog, has lots of strong content on womens game. Most say
Federer would beat Williams head-to-head. Jury out on who has had
better career, but writers argue both.
- 24. MARION BARTOLI Former French Tennis Player Australian Open
(QF 2009) French Open (SF 2011) Wimbledon (W 2013) U.S. Open (QF
2012) There's nothing conventional about Marion Bartoli on a tennis
court. LA Times (July 2013) Bartoli is known for her unorthodox
playing style: she uses two hands on her forehand and backhand
- 25. JOHN INVERDALE ON WIMBLEDON 2013 Inverdale comments that
Bartoli is not a looker, immediately undermining her grand athletic
achievement. He regards Bartolis looks as if they have some
correspondence with her performance. No reporter would mention a
male athletes looks as a context for his success.
- 26. In his comments, Inverdale fed into the sexism and
stereotyping that plagues womens tennis, and womens sports in
general. He makes a comparison between Bartoli and the blonde,
long-legged bombshell Maria Sharapova. His statement highlights the
typical mold of womens tennis stars that attain the most media
attention. Inverdales sexist remarks are indicative of the way in
which woman athletes become sexualized by the media. While male
athletic stars are portrayed as heroic, female athletes like
Sharapova, Venus Williams, and Danica Patrick sexualize themselves
in order to gain the same media attention and revenue as their male
counterparts.
- 27. THE RESPONSE Bartoli received a lot of hateful comments
from the public on Twitter and other social media sites because she
was too unattractive to win Wimbledon. Its not just the media that
sexualizes women athletes, but the audience itself has become
conditioned to fitting female sports stars into that role. Bartoli,
though hurt by Inverdales later retracted comment, proved strong.
She said: I am not blonde, yes. Have I dreamt about having a model
contract? No. But have I dreamed about winning Wimbledon?
Absolutely.
- 28. I had the big muscles before they were in. Now it's OK.
It's OK to be athletes, to go out there and be strong. There are
still plenty of girls out there who are primping before they play a
match, making sure they look glamorous, but so many of them now are
very athletic and very strong and in-your-face confident, almost
arrogant - it's good to see that. Martina Navratilova "You are
going to include us, aren't you? And they said: 'Absolutely not.' I
said OK, but I went back to them more than once, and some of them
said: 'Nobody would even pay a dime to watch you girls. Billie Jean
King
- 29. "Any woman who wants to achieve anything has to be
aggressive and tough, but the press never sees us as
multidimensional. They don't see the emotions, the downs. Billie
Jean King Of all the things that have grown out of the bloodless
revolution in women's affairs that has been going on for a decade,
the most significant is options. Freedom lies in having options,
and nowhere has the increase in the number of options for women
been more dramatic than in sport. Chris Evert
- 30. CONCLUSION Womens sports coverage violated the following
journalism ethics: 1. Journalisms first obligation is to the truth.
2. Its first loyalty is to citizens. 3. It must strive to make the
significant interesting and relevant. 4. It must keep the news
comprehensive and proportional. 5. Its practitioners must be
allowed to exercise their personal conscience. Todays coverage has
significant improvements. Womens Sports Foundations Words to Watch.
Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, and many other female
athletes. continue to push for change in journalistic standards.
The public supports sexual equality in sports coverage.
- 31. CONTACT THE MEDIA OUTLETS Check out our blog:
http://lholthou.wordpress.com/ On Twitter: #mediaoutLETS
#ethicalbreachinjournalism #womenssports QR Code E-mail Us! Luke
Emily Tayla Sara
- 32. FUTHER READING
http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/9190445/espnw-val-ackerman-chats-sports-tv-consultant-neal-pilson-
latest-man-up
http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/9625127/2013-us-open-loss-serena-williams-sloane-stephens-arrived
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/photos/1306/classic-photos-of-serena-williams/59/
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/swimsuit/year/2005/index.htm
http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/history/great_ao_champions.html
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/about/history/pastwinners.html
http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/roll_of_honour/mens-singles.html
http://2013.usopen.org/en_US/about/history/mschamps.html
http://www.wtatennis.com/rankings
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Rankings/Rankings-Home.aspx
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20130611/roger-federer-serena-williams-best-players-ever/
http://tennis.si.com/2013/06/08/serena-williams-maria-sharapova-french-open-final/
http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/9190445/espnw-val-ackerman-chats-sports-tv-consultant-neal-pilson-
latest-man-up
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2013/09/us-open-womens-final-scores-better-tv-ratings-men/49130/#.U13JEpUVqkg
http://heiidianniina.blogspot.com/2013/01/gender-stereotypes-right-way-to-segment.html
http://www.donsteinberg.com/newspaperpage.htm
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/fcc-to-look-at-repealing-sports-broadcast-rules/
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~womenstu/ws201student/professionalsports/homepage.html
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