Ready for prime time – the state of women’s sports coverage

Story and cover by Daethel Larsen.

This story is part of the March 2022 issue of Daily Universe Magazine†

Odichi Alexander, a bowler for the James Madison University softball team, was a key player in the 2021 World University Women’s Championships (WCWS). JMU had never competed in the University Softball World Series before, but the team was on an upward trajectory, from No. A dismal record of 25-24 in 2002 for a stunning 41-4 streak and a gateway to the first World Series in 2021.

After his impressive championship run, Search JMU on Google More than Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Devin Booker combined. Their number topped the high with an average viewing revenue of $1.2 million per game. This year, WCWS brought together the two largest ESPN audiences since the NFL Draft in April 2021 with an average of two million viewers in the first two games.

To compare those impressive stats, the NCAA College World Series averaged just 755,000 last year –Women’s games got 60% more views than men’s games.

Despite the popularity of WCWS, it was not a priority for primetime television executives. So why haven’t the women had a better period and channel, or at least the same play schedule as the men? They had one day off for a week of play and some teams had to play with two heads, while the men’s teams had six days off and another four days to play.

Michael Meisner, professor of sociology and gender studies at Dorncife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences at the University of Southern California. say it frankly† “Our analysis shows that men’s sports are appetizer, main and dessert, and if women’s sports are involved, it seems a misleading ‘eat your veg’ without the kind of bells, whistles and excitement with which they describe sports and male athletes.”

Jennifer Rockwood, head coach of the Brigham Young University women’s soccer team, believes that “the more exposure you get, the more people know about your players, what they do and how they try to better represent them. .. people will be more invested”. to help the program and athletics in general. It is enormous. Also just this exhibit. All of this reporting benefits us and our show.

Rockwood thinks soccer coaches in general and other female athletic coaches are likely “disappointed with the lack of coverage” shown to athletes.

Coaches, sports programs and broadcasters know the power of prime time exposure. But that’s exactly why the networks have reduced their coverage.

Teegan Graham, originator of the BYU women’s basketball team, whose master’s project examines gender inequality in NCAA sports, argues that men’s teams generate far more money than women’s teams, but no one ignores this hypothesis and asks why.

Graham believes much of this has to do with a system that encourages investment in men’s sports. Broadcasters overemphasize male athletes and their math performance to the detriment of female athletes, who have historically disadvantaged women. But things are changing now that the math is tired of waiting in the shadows. They are ready for prime time.

At the height of the coronavirus outbreak, sports fans turned to women’s sports in record numbers. The Women’s National Soccer League (NWSL) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) have seen an increase in ratings during the 2020 pandemic and It was the only professional competition that had happened to them†

It wasn’t the NFL, NBA or MLB – two women’s sports leagues had more viewers as consumers in the United States and Canada increasingly watched women in prime time.

Before the pandemic, the USA women’s soccer team reached the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019, and the game was watched by an average of 15.6 million viewers in the United States. This is a 22% increase in viewership compared to the 2018 FIFA Men’s World Cup.†

Women’s sports are attracting more and more people who want to see them compete and research these sports and spend time watching them. Although not at peak times, in some cases they attract more male-dominated sports teams.

The Women’s National Team was in the World Cup – a time when all sports teams compete in their own events (Superbowl, World Championships, NBA Finals, etc.). It’s a moment that showcases the best of the best and proves who the true champions are, for a country and for the world. It is a moment of pride for the winning country.

The USWNT passed contestant after contestant and proved to be that champion team. Although they became world champions and deserved this moment in the spotlight, it was not given to them. Not only did the women’s team compete on the pitch, but also off the pitch against the Netherlands national football team, participating in the men’s CONCACAF Gold Cup final and the men’s Copa America final for a spot on prime time television.

Despite competition from men’s sporting events, women’s games continue to draw more viewers on Fox Sports and social media platforms this year and in the past, and have reportedly generated more revenue for the USSF than in the past three years thanks to the men’s games. Looks like a team ready to grab your primetime TV slot without a hitch.

In addition, the women’s American football jersey The best-selling football shirts, for men or women, have been sold in a season on Nike.com.

As head coach of the Georgia Tech women’s basketball team, Neil Fortner said during a press conference“Instead of treating him” [women’s basketball] The sport is like the cost of the cup, the NCAA needs to see it as many treat it more and more: as an opportunity to grow.

Women’s basketball and soccer teams, both professional and collegiate, have been able to develop activities not only for broadcasters, but also for female Olympic athletes.

What are the most watched Olympic sports on television? Is this a male or female dominated event? Would it be surprising to know that this is actually all women’s sports combined? The U.S. women’s teams “live 58.4% of the medals…they also set a TV record, accounting for 59.1% of NBC’s primetime coverage.”

Interest in women’s athletics is on the rise. The masses crave sports entertainment, especially women. Two New York University assistant professors, Bree Newland and Ted Heinock, did the job A survey of the mass base of women’s sport She says 46% of women are “interested” or “very interested in sports, 41% want to watch live sporting events and 39% want to watch sports on TV”.

Sports fans want to see these players compete and create a fanbase that didn’t exist before. Since 2012, the audience for athletics has grown and continues.

The growth and growing popularity of women’s sports begs the question: if women’s sports consistently attract large numbers of viewers, why isn’t prime time airing alongside or instead of men?

The NCAA says women’s teams lose more money than they make. But that’s not entirely true.

Washington Post reports“Between 2016 and 2019, the women’s tournament averaged nearly four million viewers, nearly twice as many as the baseball and softball series, the second most-watched tournaments in the peloton.”

And despite what the NCAA says, the women’s championship could bring nearly $20 million a year to ESPN and ESPN2, according to the Washington Post.

Networks has a treasure chest you haven’t opened yet in women’s athletics. Women’s sport is an untapped source of revenue. Athletes have access to their skills and talents that they have developed over the years, just like their male peers. They are able to perform at the top which is often not available to them. For fans, especially female fans, they can encourage and support female athletes and strong women.

The reputation of Odicci Alexander and her fellow Dukes in the College Girls’ World Series put them on the podium, displaying feminine strength and athleticism. These athletes, along with countless other female athletes, made it to the top in prime time without much help.

Although many prime-time women’s sports teams still don’t get the attention they deserve, they still attract a growing fan base. They have been vying for years to reach the top of their game, earning their chance as the main attraction: to become the future stars of primetime television everywhere.