“9-headed beauty athlete,” “America’s most beautiful female basketball player.”
These phrases recently appeared in sports articles. An August piece about former Japanese national badminton player Akane Araki used 9-headed beauty athlete in its title. In May, a story on Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) player Paige Bueckers’ uniform auction described her as America’s most beautiful female basketball player.
Sports reporting that prioritizes female athletes’ looks over their performance has long been criticized, yet such expressions persist.
Experts are calling for change in sports media practices that emphasize women athletes’ appearances or personal lives, or measure their worth against famous male athletes.
United Nations (UN) Women’s recent Gender-Sensitive Sports Reporting Guidelines suggest that reducing gender stereotypes in sports media requires examining everything from headlines and language to interview questions and photo choices.
The guidelines stress focusing on female athletes’ performance and achievements, not their looks, outfits, or personal lives. They warn against primarily defining women athletes as wives or mothers, relegating their athletic abilities to secondary status.
Reporters should also be mindful of the adjectives they use.
While male athletes are often described as strong, leaders, or warriors, female athletes frequently get labeled gentle or elegant. The tendency to portray women’s athletic successes as unexpected or surprising may also reflect gender bias.
The guidelines offer concrete examples. Instead of “The women’s basketball team pulled off a shocking upset,” they suggest “Team X secured a crucial win in their championship quest.” They also advise against comparisons like “the female Michael Jordan.”
Filtering out biased language can be straightforward. The guidelines propose a simple role reversal test.
Ask yourself: Would you use the same headline or phrasing for a male athlete? If you’re asking a female athlete how her personal life affects her performance, would you pose the same question to a male athlete?
This principle extends to visuals. Rather than highlighting body parts or appearances, prioritize images showcasing athletes’ skills, effort, and teamwork during competition. The guidelines also recommend addressing the practice of using different camera angles for male and female athletes.
Some organizations are already putting these ideas into practice.
Turkey’s Fenerbahçe sports club, after workshops with UN Women’s HeForShe initiative, established ten principles for equitable sports coverage.
These include equal airtime and exposure for male and female athletes, consistent language and camera work regardless of gender, and balanced representation across social media platforms.
At its core, the guidelines aim to refocus sports coverage on athletic performance and competition.
Journalists should reflect on their daily choices – from headlines and descriptors to interview questions and photo selection – to ensure they’re not applying double standards to female athletes.