Gender Stereotypes in Sports Journalism. Study by ICSJ Scholars Published in the Prestigious Journal Journalism

“Since childhood you are surrounded only by men, and suddenly there is a woman, so it is harder to believe that she really understands football.” This statement illustrates the stereotypes that persist in sports and sports journalism. These are precisely the focus of the study by Anna Hrbáčková and Alice Němcová Tejkalová from ICSJ FSV UK, which examines how male and female athletes perceive women working in sports journalism – an environment still strongly influenced by masculine norms. The article was published in one of the world’s top journals, Journalism, and is freely available in open access.

Sport has traditionally been associated with “male” values such as performance, competitiveness, physical strength, and hierarchy. The media and the public also devote more attention to men’s sports, while women’s sports are often marginalized, sexualized, or trivialized. Prejudices also persist that portray sportswomen as less mentally stable, even though scientific research disproves such assumptions.

This unequal approach is also reflected in sports journalism, which is one of the most gender-imbalanced areas of the media. Women here form a significant minority – especially in positions of reporters, commentators, or editors-in-chief in newsrooms covering so-called “men’s” sports such as football or hockey. For example, in the Czech Republic women make up only 6% of sports reporters, in the United States 12%, in Australia 8%, and in the United Kingdom as little as 3%.

Those who do work in this environment often face questioning of their expertise, as well as direct discrimination, stereotyping, and sexual harassment. Studies confirm that audiences perceive female sports journalists as less trustworthy and competent, even though there are no objective performance differences between genders in this profession. According to the authors, this “double standard” is closely connected to the concept of so-called hegemonic masculinity – a social system that privileges certain forms of masculinity while marginalizing other forms of masculinity as well as femininity. Men are ascribed authority, strength, and competitiveness, while women are associated with empathy, obedience, and caring for others.

Empathy, knowledge of sports, preparation

Anna Hrbáčková and Alice Němcová Tejkalová therefore decided to look at how twelve Czech athletes perceive female sports journalists. “The opinions of athletes on journalistic work rarely appear in academic studies; this area represents a partial gap in research,” notes Hrbáčková. “The topic of female sports journalists is my main focus within my doctoral studies, and besides the perspective of athletes I also examine how the public views their work,” she adds.

When characterizing a “good sports journalist,” respondents most often mentioned qualities such as empathy, knowledge of the sport, good preparation, and a positive attitude. And how did they perceive women? According to them, women are more empathetic and interested in a broader spectrum of topics. “The questions men ask are mainly about performance, how much time you spend in the gym, how much training is left before the next competition, and so on,” one respondent stated.

Their expertise or knowledge was questioned only by football representatives. A footballer trusted their expertise less, even if they might be objectively well prepared: “Since childhood you are surrounded only by men, and suddenly there is a woman, so it is harder to believe that she really understands football.” A female footballer was convinced that male sports journalists are generally better prepared because they are more „into sport“, especially football. Others, however, said gender does not play a role, and a floorball player and an athlete considered female journalists to be better prepared. They believe this may be linked to their lower representation in sports newsrooms – which, according to them, makes women put greater emphasis on preparation and “work harder to get there.”

Generational shift and greater openness

Some respondents thus reproduced gender stereotypes, while others recognized and challenged them. “The differences in how female and male sports journalists are perceived by people from different disciplines are not entirely surprising. Football in the Czech Republic belongs among the sports where dominantly masculine logic and stereotypes prevail, both among athletes and among fans,” says Němcová Tejkalová. “I believe this will change rather quickly with the increasing media coverage of women’s football we have witnessed in the past year, and also with the involvement of more women in journalistic work in this sport, as they will feel more welcome. Foreign examples such as Spain confirm this.”

In general, athletes did not view the work of female sports journalists as inadequate, less knowledgeable, or less credible. According to the authors, this may be a positive signal reflecting a gradual generational shift and a greater openness of younger athletes to diversity in the media environment.