Although there are many reasons that women's sporting events don't receive media attention, these three factors are the most prevalent. Men's sport is dominant, underfunded and lacks role models. This, along with a lackluster presence in the media make it a serious problem that women are not represented in sport. These issues must be addressed by the media, who should do a better job of covering women's sports.
A lack of consistency
According to the study, almost 80 percent do not include stories about women in sports. Those that do include stories tend to be shorter and are partly eclipsed by stories about men's sports. Even though the study was done prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the amount of coverage of women’s events in sports has increased. It also cites recent ESPN investment to air WNBA game.
Underfunding
Despite the fact that the NCAA has been taking action to ensure equal funding of sports teams, the changes are still insufficient. First, the NCAA does not have a staggered system and broadcasts of games do not occur simultaneously. The second issue is that women still have a low representation in coaching positions. This problem has been a problem over the past decades, but it is still an issue today. This change, although welcome, is a step forward.
Men's sports dominance
Media coverage of women’s athletics is overwhelmingly dominated in men's eyes. Although asymmetry in gender marks can elevate the story of one women's team or sport, it doesn't necessarily mean that coverage will be greater for other women's sports. Additionally, asymmetric gender marking often combines with local parochialism and obfuscation of the local men's team's success.
Role models are lacking
While the media is the main source of information, the media does not include female athletes. This causes a shortage in role models for young women. Media lack of role models contributes to gender socialization. These are some of the ways media outlets can better represent female athletes and increase their viewership. This is a good start.
Insufficient investment
Studies on gender disparity in sport investments are few and far between, and often distributional. Few studies have examined why managers spend more money on men's sporting events than they do women's. Sponsorship spending has become more strategic. What is the question? Let's explore the issue. Tokenism has been a long-standing problem in women's sporting. Major brands view investing money in women as a PR game.