There are many reasons women's sports don't get enough media coverage. Here are three. Men's sporting are under-funded and dominant. These factors, combined with a lack of consistent presence in the media, make the absence of women in sport a serious issue. The media must do a better job covering women’s sport to counter these problems.
Consistent absence
Nearly 80 percent of all televised sporting news programs do not include stories about women's sport, according to the study. These stories, while shorter, are partially overshadowed partly by stories on men's sport. Despite being conducted before the COVID-19 crisis, sports coverage of women's events has increased. It also cites recent ESPN investments in WNBA games.
Insufficient funding
Despite the NCAA taking actions to ensure equal funding of all sports teams and their activities, the changes have not been sufficient. One, the NCAA rules do not allow for simultaneous broadcasts. Another issue is that women are still not represented in coaching posts. Even though this has been an issue for decades, it remains an issue even today. The change, while welcome, is a step in the right direction.
Men's sports dominance
Media coverage of women's sports is overwhelmingly dominated by men. While gender asymmetry can temporarily boost the story of a certain women's sport/team, it doesn't always lead to greater coverage of other women-related sports. Asymmetric gender-marking often blends with local parochialism to obscure the local men’s team’s success.
Role models are lacking
Media has become the primary source of information for younger generations, but female athletes are not represented as often. This underrepresentation creates a lack of role models for young girls. A lack of role models in the media can lead to gender stereotypes being perpetuated. Here are some ways media outlets can increase their representation of female athletes, and their viewership. This is a starting point.
Insufficient investment
Studies on gender disparity in sport investments are few and far between, and often distributional. It is not clear why managers are more likely to invest in men's than women's sport. And sponsorship spending has become increasingly strategic. The question is why? Let's look into the question. Women's sport has suffered from tokenism for a long time. Major brands view investing money in women as a PR game.