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Television and digital media visibility and framing shape perceptions of women’s sport.

The Claim

Mainstream media coverage, including television and digital platforms, shapes public perception of women's sport.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

Available evidence shows that coverage on television and digital platforms affects how people perceive women’s sport. Peer-reviewed and institutional sources consistently find that visibility and framing influence attitudes, interest, and perceived legitimacy. The main caveat is that the relationship is partly bidirectional: media shapes demand, and demand also shapes coverage.

Caveats

  • The relationship is not purely one-way; audience demand and media coverage likely reinforce each other.
  • Much of the literature is correlational, so the exact size of media’s causal effect remains uncertain outside experimental settings.
  • Some widely cited statistics on very low women’s sports coverage are dated; coverage has increased in recent years, even though disparities remain.

The Receipts

  1. Media Framing of Women’s Football During the COVID-19 Pandemic

    Frontiers in Sports and Active Living (via PubMed Central)

  2. Media coverage and representation | Clearinghouse | ASC

    Australian Sports Commission – Clearinghouse for Sport

  3. The relationship between media use and sports participation behavior

    PLOS ONE / PubMed Central

  4. News media still pressing the mute button on women's sports

    USC Today (University of Southern California)

  5. 25 Year Study Shows Coverage of Women’s Sports on Televised News and Highlight Shows Remains Very Low

    Women’s Sports Foundation

  6. Her Life Depends On It III: Sport, Physical Activity, and the Health and Well-Being of American Girls and Women

    Women’s Sports Foundation

  7. Media representation of women in sport – Communication Concepts

    CAUL OER Collective

  8. Gender Equality in Sport Media

    University of British Columbia – Sport Sustainability Research Collective

  9. How Women Athletes Are Reclaiming And Reshaping The Sports Media Landscape

    USC Annenberg

  10. More than a game: Sports media framing effects on attitudes, intentions, and enjoyment

    University of Kentucky

+ 7 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Mainstream MediaWomen's Sport

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