I’m a big fan of Lindsey Gibbs and her substack newsletter “Power Plays.” Gibbs describes “Power Plays” as “your home for a no-bullshit look at sexism in sports.” Her work lives up to that description. It’s essential reading. So, if you aren’t already subscribed, I would encourage you to do so ASAP.
In a recent edition of “Power Plays” Gibbs said that she was inspired by Megan Rapinoe’s speech at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year award ceremony. Rapinoe’s words inspired Gibbs to announce that she was going to “launch a project I’ve been thinking about for some time: Covering the Coverage (Of Women In Sports.)”
That got me thinking about the coverage of women fighters. I glanced at a few of the major websites and the coverage was mostly about men.
So, my questions about this fact are a few:
1) Do women fighters get covered equally by MMA media?
2) Do women fighters get the same type of coverage as the men?
3) Why do you feel one way or another on the coverage of women fighters?
4) If you have any other comments on the subject, feel free to share.
I’m going to do my best to stay on top of this thread the best I can. I’ll probably pop in and out during the morning and get more involved in the afternoon.
Hopefully this can generate some discussion and hey, maybe it can turn into a story at some point.
1) Do women fighters get covered equally by MMA media? I think in terms of the AMOUNT of coverage, it's equal. But in terms of the TYPE of coverage, no.
2) Do women fighters get the same type of coverage as the men? I don't believe that they do. The coverage of WMMA is often much more image-based (look who got breast implants, look who dyed her hair, look what she's wearing, she only gets fights because she's hot, etc. Very rarely do we see men being judged on their looks (vs. their fighting skills) and I can't remember anyone saying a man was getting a fight because he was hot.
3) Why do you feel one way or another on the coverage of women fighters? I think because men are the majority when it comes to fans and media. It's second-nature to look at a woman and see her physical attributes first. I also think it's because of the way promotions market their female fighters.
Thanks Amy. I'm curious about the coverage of women fighters. I think there is a failure/gap somewhere. The coverage based on appearance is lazy/gross/dumb and I don't really grasp how anyone could write in that manner for a reputable site. More or less I'm looking for ways that MMA media can improve in covering women fighters. Thanks!
I think MMA is one of the few sports that generates equal media coverage for both male and female athletes. Unfortunately most media coverage for female athletes of any sport is image biased and MMA follows suit. Conversations such as the one you are generating here will help examine those biases and hopefully highlight the difference between real sports journalism and sensationalized junk food tabloid news.
Thanks so much for the reply, really appreciate it. I’ll have to focus on some of the stories on women’s MMA and look for this. I think we do comment on the looks of male fighters sometimes, but when we do, it’s mostly about their musculature, I’m going to guess that is not what the comments are when it comes to women. It probably doesn’t help when folks like Cejudo and Covington are using women as objects in their “promos” Thanks again.
1) Do women fighters get covered equally by MMA media? I think in terms of the AMOUNT of coverage, it's equal. But in terms of the TYPE of coverage, no.
2) Do women fighters get the same type of coverage as the men? I don't believe that they do. The coverage of WMMA is often much more image-based (look who got breast implants, look who dyed her hair, look what she's wearing, she only gets fights because she's hot, etc. Very rarely do we see men being judged on their looks (vs. their fighting skills) and I can't remember anyone saying a man was getting a fight because he was hot.
3) Why do you feel one way or another on the coverage of women fighters? I think because men are the majority when it comes to fans and media. It's second-nature to look at a woman and see her physical attributes first. I also think it's because of the way promotions market their female fighters.
Thanks Amy. I'm curious about the coverage of women fighters. I think there is a failure/gap somewhere. The coverage based on appearance is lazy/gross/dumb and I don't really grasp how anyone could write in that manner for a reputable site. More or less I'm looking for ways that MMA media can improve in covering women fighters. Thanks!
I think plenty of reputable journalists are having this kind of discussion in public ways. (Instagram/Twitter/etc)
All your points are spot on imo.
I think MMA is one of the few sports that generates equal media coverage for both male and female athletes. Unfortunately most media coverage for female athletes of any sport is image biased and MMA follows suit. Conversations such as the one you are generating here will help examine those biases and hopefully highlight the difference between real sports journalism and sensationalized junk food tabloid news.
Thanks so much for the reply, really appreciate it. I’ll have to focus on some of the stories on women’s MMA and look for this. I think we do comment on the looks of male fighters sometimes, but when we do, it’s mostly about their musculature, I’m going to guess that is not what the comments are when it comes to women. It probably doesn’t help when folks like Cejudo and Covington are using women as objects in their “promos” Thanks again.