Women on ESPN

Today if you watch ESPN on a daily basis, it is likely that you will see very little coverage of women's sports. This is especially true for shows like Sportscenter, ESPN's First Take and Around the Horn. For the most part, 88% to be exact, men's sports are covered on these shows, while women only get the remaining 12% of air time. This unequal balance in coverage of men and women in the media is seen in more types than just sports, it occurs in newspapers, talk shows and many other media outlets. Although the participation of women in sports has increased dramatically since the passing of Title IX in 1972, the amount of coverage of women's sports is serously lacking. This hurts women in sports because, in today's culture, the media has enough power to make or break a team, athlete or even a whole city. Just look at the New York Yankees, they are one of the most popular sports teams in the world because they are able to connect with so many different people. They have their own television network that allows them to show fans anything and everything that they want, which brings in more fans, which equals more money. There is not one woman's sport that has a team or an individual with the same type of power as the Yankees or Lebron James or Tiger Woods due to the fact that women dont get the same kind of opportunities from the media. The next step for women's sports should be to fight for equal coverage and advertisement in sports, this could help boost the economy in womens sports, creating more money for women athletes.

Ben Ellis
KIN 338 T/Th 2:00