Small But Growing

Womens’ roles have grown over the years to an extent that was unforeseeable one hundred years ago.

Qin Ru Zhang
Sports Editor

However, in more traditional industries like sports, the progress isn’t as noticeable as in other areas. The sports industry is still very much a male-dominated one, both on and off the field.
Even the most avid fan knows few women who cover sporting events. Have you ever seen a female host on a broadcast of the Superbowl or the FIFA World Cup? The answer is likely no. Women do get anchor roles, but often only on local broadcasts. On a larger scale, women are given minor roles such as reading social media reactions to particular events.

On the playing field, women don’t get noticed much either. Female leagues do not get much coverage and the only time we really pay any attention to female sports is every four years during the Olympic Games. Otherwise, who watches the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) or the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association (LPGA)? Very few. Perhaps it’s because these leagues don’t get much coverage, but it is likely that they are not considered mainstream enough to cover.

Womens’ roles in the sporting industry certainly have increased a lot over recent years, but the fact remains that their roles are small, and large-scale efforts still have to be made in order to increase their visibility to a modern audience.