Athletes and fans of sports want to know everything they can about the teams, players, managers and coaches they follow. They are interested in the history, controversies and debates. They are also interested in the positive stories of athletes. The media plays a crucial role in this coverage. It can inform, inspire and empower people.
There are many ways that the media covers sport, including broadcast television and print newspapers. In the United States, major league events are usually televised on cable or satellite networks. These may be nationally available, such as ESPN or Fox Sports 1, or regionally syndicated by an operation such as Raycom or a local broadcaster. In addition, individual sports leagues have created their own TV networks, some of which are carried as part of cable packages and others of which are available for out-of-market viewers through retransmission consent fees.
Whether through broadcast or print, the news media cover all aspects of the sports world: team, player, coach and fan issues; controversy; scandals; economic impact; and more. This coverage can be critical or supportive, and it often influences how a sport is perceived.
The most important aspect of sports coverage, however, is not the amount of time that a particular sport gets on the air or in a newspaper. It is how the sports are framed, or how their importance is presented. A recent study by the Tucker Center found that while media coverage has increased overall, women’s sports have not yet been framed in a way that ensures equal representation.
For example, the researchers found that while there was equitable coverage during the Olympics for both men and women in terms of hours devoted to gold medal wins, the Olympic coverage largely focused on power- and high-contact sports like baseball, football, soccer and hockey, while ignoring non-contact sports such as tennis, golf and volleyball. In addition, the researchers found that non-athlete sources — reporters, anchors and announcers — were mostly male. This has been true for more than 25 years, although it did improve slightly in the most recent Olympics. Learn more about sports coverage at 해외스포츠중계.
Another example of how the news media frame sports coverage is what they focus on in their headlines and photographs. For instance, the study found that a significant percentage of headlines were about athletes’ off-the-field behavior, while only a small percentage was about the on-the-field performance of a particular athlete. In addition, the study found that there were very few photos of women’s sports, even though they have been increasing in popularity. This is in contrast to the men’s sports, which are covered in greater numbers of photos. This disparity was partly due to the fact that there is a perception that female athletes are less interesting than men’s. Changing the perception of women’s sports can help ensure that they receive equitable coverage. It can also help prevent framing them in a way that suggests they don’t matter. To do this, the media must commit to focusing more on all aspects of women’s sports and not just their winners and losers.