Sexism and Racism Sports Journalism

The first and only woman to receive the Curt Gowdy Award from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for a career of excellence in basketball writing and reporting. She was also named as the first female columnist in the history of the paper – and associate editor of the Globe in January 2002. MacMullan has been a sports columnist and the editor for The Boston Globe for more than 20 years. She covered a variety of sports beginning in 1982, including the 1986 World Series, the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals, the 1988 Olympic Games, and numerous Final Four tournaments and NBA Championships. An award-winning globally recognized sports reporter, journalist and analyst, Jackie MacMullan is one of the few female sports journalists to break through and achieve real success in a male-dominated industry segment.

Even though she won and got a breakthrough but how many female sports journalists have we seen lately? Although women have certainly become more visible in sports journalism over the last few years, it is needless to say that women started working in the sector a long ago. In a male-dominated industry, women sports journalists are often discriminated against and underrepresented regardless of their knowledge or experience.

In 1978, sports reporter Melissa Ludtke sued New York Yankees because during the world series in 1977 because they had banned her from entering the locker room to interview the players. A federal judge decided that the practice of banning women reporters violated the 14th amendment’s equal protection clause. Lutdke won the case and opened the doors for women sports journalists globally.

An incident took place in 2017 where soccer manager David Moyes threatened to slap a BBC female journalist Vicki Sparks.“Just getting a wee bit naughty at the end there, so just watch yourself … You still might get a slap even though you’re a woman. Careful the next time you come in.” that’s a quote from David Moyes who manages Sunderland, a soccer team based in the northeast UK. This incident shows us that the sexism female sports journalists faces are extreme.

Sports journalism has indeed emerged as a fascinating domain in media studies in the fast-paced and media-driven life of today. More and more young people are being flaunted into this profession in the current scenario. In the modern world, women play an integral role in the development of journalism and rising women community showcases the industry’s scientific and technical development

As recent as the 1970s women reporters were not allowed to interview players before and after the games in the locker room, leaving their male counterparts with a distinct advantage. Female athletes and sports professional in the sports industry are often the victims of stereotyping.

If we talk about female sports journalists in India, there are not many renowned female sports journalists. On the other hand, if we look outside India the ratio of female sports journalists is reasonably good and we also see female presenters in women sports tournaments./b>

As a 21st century society, we would like to believe that sexism and gender equality have progressed from where they were a couple of decades ago, but the truth is there is still much work to be done. Female journalists and reporters continue to be criticized more for their outfits and physique than for their knowledge of sports.

Written by:- Nandini Paliwal BA(JMC)M Third Year