“Men are foregrounded in commercials. The gender composition and imagery in commercials reinforce the idea that sport is a man’s world. Women almost never appear in commercials unless they are in the company of men. Though women are mostly absent from sports commentary, when they do appear, it is most often in stereotypical roles as sexy, masculinity-validating props, often cheering the men on.” (479)
(Messner, Michael A. “Center of Attention: The Gender of Sports Media.” Rereading America. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2004. 477-87.)
Its no surprise that sports is stereotypically associated with males. Every little boy is exposed to some type of sport at a young age and are introduced into the world of balls, bats, courts, fields etc. Boys play sports and girls do ballet. It is a stereotype in American since the beginning of time practically. Therefore, everything associated with sports is directed towards the male population including commercials and logos. Almost always you will hear or see a male sportscaster delivering the latest stats of a player. Rarely will you hear the voice of a woman delivering the same message. During a football or baseball game will you rarely see a commercial for any female product. Some think this is sexist and discriminatory. However, advertisers are just going to promote their product to the targeted audience watching that program at that time. Beer companies are known for advertising their drink during a sports game. Sports are a way for most men to relax and drown out the rest of the world. They don’t want to be interrupted from their “zone” by a commercial for birth control pills. Coming from a female perspective, I don’t think its sexist or discriminatory that there is rarely a female sportscaster. I just see it as a common thing and just as another fact of life.
I completely agree with what you are saying. Most males will, at some point, either participate in, or watch a sporting event. The majority of televised sports audiences are made up of a male population. Advertisers are being smart, not sexist. They are simply targeting the audience that will most likely be interested in their product. For example, while watching the Super Bowl, you will see an overwhelming amount of beer and truck commercials. Also, this year, many of the commercials were sexually driven. They used attractive women to help see their products. This may be considered somewhat sexist, but it sex sells. Although you usually do not see many female sports reporters, there has been a recent increase. However, if you look at these woman, they are usually young, fit, and attractive. Erin Andrews, a reporter for ESPN, is an example of this stereotype.
ReplyDeleteI think that you are entirely right when you say that the sports world is one that is directed towards men. It would make sense to have the commercials and advertisements geared towards men if they are the main audience. It is also true that at even such young ages boys are introduced to sports and girls to dance. I agree with you when you say that you do not think this is sexist. I think that sometimes things are just the way they are and it is not such a big deal. Great job!
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