YES: Sally Dolton
It feels slightly bizarre that this should even be a matter of debate. Women’s sport should be a normal part of a publication’s sport pages. However, at the moment, it is sadly not. The back pages are dominated by male sports, and mainly football.
Without coverage, sports struggle to build up a fan base, and without this fan base media outlets think they have no market. It’s a vicious circle that can be solved by the media. If they took the plunge and covered more women’s sports, then their fan bases would clearly grow.
Without adequate coverage teams also struggle to attract any significant sponsorship in order to improve the sport and make it more exciting for those who claim women’s sport is boring. We can be subjected to a lengthy debate on golf apparently, but a women’s rugby, hockey or badminton match is sniped at for being too slow…
There is also the case that young girls trying to get into sport lack role models. The papers are filled with men, so who are they to turn to? Boys can dream of being the next Ronaldo but how are girls going to find out about the likes of Kelly Smith, if women’s football isn’t even covered?
The time is ripe to capitalise off the Olympics and the success of team GB’s women. The crowds and the audiences at the games show that people do have an interest in women’s sports and that it can be exciting. Why not let this be part of its legacy?
NO: Sarah Lane
Undoubtedly men’s sport receives far more attention than women’s from the media. Sports sections are fit to burst with the weekend’s latest men’s football scandals and victories, whilst it’s a struggle to find coverage of the equivalent weekend’s women’s contests on TV or in newspapers.
Though this may seem unfair, should it be changed? Men’s sport is where the majority of interest is. Media is an industry based on supply and demand; it would do no good to broadcast more women’s sport. TV broadcasters want to attract high viewing figures, and newspapers alike want to sell; if men’s sport makes this happen then they aren’t going to look elsewhere.
Women’s sport should by no means be considered inferior, but we can’t pretend that when it comes to the media the public interest doesn’t belong with men’s sports. The Olympics boasted an array of incredible athletes, male and female. But if you compare the 19.4 million viewers who watched Usain Bolt pound to victory in the 100m final, to the 16 million viewers who saw Jessica Ennis claim Hepatathlon gold, it is clear where the attraction lies.
Simply increasing media coverage isn’t going to change this lack of interest. Football, rugby and cricket are three of the most popular sports in the UK, and many more males play these at a grass roots level. People recognise that women play these sports too, but they simply don’t receive enough attention at the moment for the media to put in a worthwhile investment.