Media, Women, and the Transformation of Sport

This edited collection provides a singular look at contemporary mediated coverage of women athletes and sports from Title IX to the present day.

Through personal perspectives, contributors provide a valuable overview of common patterns in women’s sports media coverage, exploring issues of diversity, ethnicity, and inclusion. Chapters examine Title IX discourse, NIL brand creation, and marketing among female college athletes through platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter (X), the recent surge in what appears to be empowering gender discourse and contemporary public debates, legislative attacks on the participation of trans and nonbinary athletes, differential treatment of women’s athletic injuries as compared to men’s injuries, and the role of women working in sports media both on the field and on the sidelines. The book includes a review of changes in the media coverage of women in sport, offering an overall assessment of the status of women athletes in the half-century after Title IX. It concludes with an examination of the power of coaching and the imperative to protect athletes from abuses of that power.

This book will be of interest to students and scholars of media, communication, journalism, and beyond that are examining the topic of women, media, and sport.