Media has become a key
driver in the professionalism of sport in Australia. Due to the minimal airtime
that is provided for women in sport, there has been no sense of exposure of women’s
sport throughout our nation. This lack of exposure has resulted in a deficiency
of female role models for our adolescent females and is one of the external
factors that have played in the decline of participation in physical activity
for teenage girls. Without role models, it is challenging for teenage girls to
recognise what other opportunities are available to them if they really enjoy
their physical activity.
As I was growing up, I
was never exposed to any large number of female leaders within the sporting
field. My passion was always sport, I played a variety of sports so I could
make new friends, get into the outdoors and allow my parents to enjoy my
sporting achievements with me. The closest female role model that I was exposed
to and admired was one of Australia’s adopted tennis players, Kym Clijsters. In
Australia, we are a sporting nation. We have many capable sporting females;
however with no exposure there is no real opportunity for teenage girls to perceive
this factor and find the required desire to drive to be a professional within
their sporting field at their sport. Hadland, D & Rothfield, P (2012) named
Black Caviar as the Sportswoman of the year. What kind of message is this sending
to our teenage girls? How can an animal be considered for Sportswomen of the
year over our own Olympic Gold medallist, Sally Pearson? This is another case
of the effect that media has on the success of women’s sport. Instead of
mocking our successful women athletes suggesting she was “pipped at the post
for Sportswoman of the Year by a racehorse” (Schetzer 2012), we should be
applauding them on their hard efforts and what they are doing for our nation.
It is these messages that have direct effect on the way teenagers perceive and affect
their outlook of success in women’s sport.
Shilbury and Kellett (2011,
pp. 264) note that “lack of exposure of women’s sport as preventing the
developing of aspirations to participate”. These days, there is minimal
exposure to female sport which leaves adolescent girls with minimal opportunity
to recognise and aspire to be like, the top female Australian athletes. In a
report, Towards a Level Playing Field (2009) it was recognised that 81% of
media coverage was of male sport and only 9% was given to female sport. This
lack of exposure provides minimal opportunity for teenage girls to recognise
successful sporting females, and therefore they lack potential role models.
Shilbury and Kellett (2011, pp. 264) recognised this “lack of role models was
also cited as a reason for girls lacking the incentive to play”. Not only would
extra exposure give prospect to the younger female generation to see what the
opportunities are available for successful sporting females, but it also would
also give recognition to the female athletes for the dedication they have put
into making their dreams come true.
Media is a massive
outlet for sporting exposure. It has become a key driver in promoting sport,
and with appropriate usage it could be a major influencing factor in increasing
female participation in sport. Girls are unaware of what is out there with
respect to sporting achievement for females and the scale of benefits available
for female sports figures once getting involved. With an increase in
broadcasting female sports, there is great opportunity to help in creating
incentives for adolescent females to continue increase their physical activity
and stay participating in sport in the future.
References
- Greenwood, K, Caple, H, & Lumby, C 2010, Towards a Level Playing Field: Sport and gender in Australian Media, viewed 25 October 2012, http://apo.org.au/node/21948
- Rothfield, P & Hadland, P 2012, ‘What’s the BUZZ: Phil Rothfield and Darren Hadland look at the Best and Fairest of 2012’, The Daily Telegraph, 23 December 2012, viewed 1 November 2013, http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au
- Schetzer, A 2012, ‘Pearson snubbed as newspaper names horse as Sportswoman of the Year’, Sydney Morning Herald, 23 December 2012, viewed 1 November 2013, http://www.smh.com.au
- Shilbury, D & Kellett P 2011, Sport Management in Australia – an Organisational overview, 4th edn, Allen & Unworth, Crow’s Nest, NSW.
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