Today, TV channels broadcast man’s sport shows more than women’s sport shows. Why? Should TV channels give equal showtime for women’s sport and men’s sport?
It is irrefutable that, nowadays, sportsmen receive a dominated coverage on media, while sportswomen receive little attention. While this practice can be ascribed to a number of reasons, I opine that women’s sports should get just as much coverage as men’s.
There are several factors as to why television channels have been dominated by sportsmen, rather than sportswomen. It is a preconceived notion that man’s sport programmes are seemingly more sensational and dramatic as male athletes are innately stronger, more aggressive and more competitive. Therefore, viewers would prefer to watch men’s sport shows, rather than women’s, and generally believe that this gender should be featured more frequently on media. Another reason is that due to the large proportion of male viewers, the television industry has the tendency to produce more sport programmes for men in order to generate more profits and maximise their ratings. Football exemplifies this clearly as male viewers contribute the major proportion of viewership on television channels. It is prevalent to find a group of male fanatics discussing about football match on football seasons, while women are commonly found shopping on streets or subscribing to beauty vloggers.
However, I would contend that it is of utmost importance for television channels to provide equal coverage for both genders. First, in an egalitarian society in which gender equality is championed, it is reasonable that female athletes should receive full recognition for their contributions in sports and public endorsement, therefore, should be featured equally on media as male athletes. This, in return, would create motivation for potential female athletes who have just embarked on their sporting career. Second, having more show time on television channels could attract more investments from sponsors, which may exert beneficial influence on wage rates of sportswomen. This, as a result, would encourage pervasive sportswomen to contribute more to their own fields without concerning about financial issues and their living standard.
In conclusion, the ingrained belief of male dominantly physical characteristics and the major contribution of men in viewership of sport programmes are the two major culprits of the relegation of women’s sport shows. My firm conviction is that both of these genders should receive equal coverage on television channels in order to inspire those who pursue in sporting career and encourage omnipresent sportswomen to contribute more.