• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • College Loans
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • College Loans
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise

You are here: Home / Life / Gender bias? Science backs Auriemma

Gender bias? Science backs Auriemma

January 21, 2011 //  by College Magazine//  Leave a Comment

FacebookTweet

 By Brandon Cooper > Junior > Journalism > University of Maryland, Photo by Brendan Loy

Nobody in the media called any of University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma’s basketball players “nappy-headed hoes” when he claimed his team was victim to gender bias.
 
Still, Auriemma was angry because he felt some members of the media were rooting against his team tying and eventually breaking the collegiate record for consecutive wins in basketball because they were breaking a mark set by a men’s team.

 
“I just know there wouldn’t be this many people in the room if we were chasing a woman’s record," Auriemma said at a postgame news conference. "The reason everybody is having a heart attack the last four or five days is a bunch of women are threatening to break a men’s record, and everybody is all up in arms about it."
 

With these words said by the Lady Huskies coach, the sports world’s attention was the most focused on gender bias it had been since a certain radio shock jock made the offensive, off-the-cuff joke about the Rutgers women’s basketball team.
 
Auriemma’s comments pushed the reporters and news outlets that were covering his team’s historic streak to wonder: Is there a gender bias when covering women’s basketball, or is Auriemma just trying to get more attention for his team?
 
"Because we’re breaking a men’s record, we’ve got a lot of people paying attention," Auriemma said. "If we were breaking a women’s record, everybody would go, ‘Aren’t those girls nice, let’s give them two paragraphs in USA Today, you know, give them one line on the bottom of ESPN and then let’s send them back where they belong, in the kitchen.’"  
 

Any gender bias in media coverage of women’s basketball could be immediately chalked up to a lack of fan interest in the sport. More people watch men’s basketball than women’s basketball. Therefore, the media in general is going to cover men’s basketball more than they will women’s basketball. It’s the same reason there’s more news coverage for football than there is boxing. 
 
Still, gender bias involves more than just how much the media covers the sport. It also involves how the media covers the men and women. 

 
The LA84 Foundation, a non-profit organization created to promote amateur sports, has concluded in multiple studies over the past two decades that the media has shown bias towards women’s basketball and women’s sports in general. Several times over the years the Foundation produced studies that examined the word choice of broadcasters and reporters when they covered men’s and women’s sports.     
 
Some of the conclusions in these studies still hold true today.    
 
A study published in 1990 by the LA84 Foundation , which studied the commentary of announcers on ESPN and CBS during the NCAA basketball tournaments in 1989, found the networks constantly calling the men’s tournament the “Final Four” and the “NCAA Basketball Tournament”, while they called the women’s tournament the “Women’s Final Four” and the “Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament”. 
 
Today, this still seems to be the case, as women’s basketball games are still constantly characterized by the term “women’s” while men have no gender characterization whatsoever. Take a look at the logos for the upcoming Final Four tournaments in March. The men’s logo has no mention of gender, while viewers are immediately made aware who is playing in the women’s logo.
 
Another study, published more recently in 2005, found sports news and highlight shows would not show highlights of games of women’s sports, unless it was part of some humorous, non-serious “gag feature”. 
 
There is still not much attention when covering women’s basketball on the actual games. Recently, aside from Auriemma’s Huskies, the major stories coming out of women’s basketball have dealt with off-the-court issues, not actual games. Instead of actual basketball, the media has focused on Dianna Taurasi’s steroid tests, Brittney Griner’s punch and disgraced track star Marion Jones joining the WNBA. These stories have garnered much more coverage than actual accomplishments and competition on the court. 
 
The good news for Auriemma is that these studies are showing the bias is growing weaker. Based on the same 2005 study, researchers found women’s sports were being shown with a more serious tone than in years past and that highlights of the sports were being shown more consistently. After all, the Huskies now record 90-game winning streak had plenty of reporters covering it, especially after Auriemma complained about lack of coverage.
 
So while Auriemma might just be attempting to create conflict to bring more attention to his team’s accomplishment, his comments seem to still be grounded in some truth. But the question remains: Is the media taking women’s basketball as seriously as men’s?

 

FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Life

About College Magazine

College Magazine Staff

You May Also Like

long distance relationship quotes couple cuddling in mountains

15 Long Distance Relationship Quotes that Make the Distance Seem Shorter

Pots and Pans are Campus Essentials—and Not for Cooking

10 Can’t Miss Inspirational Speakers at The Passion Summit

millennial generation

15 Ways Millennials Are Out Here Killing It

10 Steps To The Perfect Galentine’s Day

sheepshead review publishing and writing

My Experience on a Lit Journal Staff Ignited a Light Within Me

Gourmet Chef? I Think You Mean “Dormet Chef”

keeping your new years resolutions sparklers

Keeping My New Year’s Resolutions

how to surprise your girlfriend like this cat

10 Cheap Ways to Surprise Your Girlfriend

Ready-Made Friend Group: How an In-State Roommate Blessed this Out-of-State Freshman

My First New York Penthouse Party

what does tbh mean

TBH, Shouldn’t We Always Be Honest?

Grab the Bull by the Horns and Barrel It Home

How to Become a Physician Assistant

feshman year to graduation uf

The Leader with Nobody to Lead

uber stories driving miss daisy

The Drive that Helped Me Appreciate Uber Drivers

relationship ross and rachel

I Get Dumped Every September

Win a $2000 Life Changing Experience at The Passion Summit

cute relationship goals couple kissing overlooking sunset

21 Cute Relationship Goals to Make It Last Forever

10 Apps Every College Student Needs in Their Life

Most romantic spots on FSU campus

The 10 Most Romantic Spots on FSU’s Campus

new years resolution

10 Gifts to Help You Stick with Your New Year’s Resolution

Instagram

10 Youtubers Every College Student Can Learn From

how to become a veterinarian puppy

How to Become a Professional Veterinarian

Previous Post: « American Idol Sans Simon
Next Post: Avoiding Laziness Over Winter Break »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment

Primary Sidebar



Enter to Win!

Trending Posts

most beautiful campuses in the midwest ohio state campus
13341

The 10 Most Beautiful Campuses in the Midwest

best colleges for advertising mad men
1478

The 10 Best Colleges for Advertising

340

10 Steps To The Perfect Galentine’s Day

feshman year to graduation uf
303

The Leader with Nobody to Lead

82

10 Can’t Miss Inspirational Speakers at The Passion Summit

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise

Copyright © 2019 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.