Abstract
The primary purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if microaggressions regularly found in sport coverage were present in stories about two elite female tennis players. Microaggressions are subtle statements that unconsciously communicate denigrating messages to female athletes. In recent years, qualitative studies have introduced the types of microaggressions that female athletes experience. In the present study, a content analysis of 643 news stories was conducted in order to provide a quantitative measure of the frequency in which microaggressions appear in news stories about female athletes. Serena Williams, ranked number two in the list of top female tennis players, was selected because several qualitative studies show this female athlete of color is often the victim of racial slurs and epitaphs in news stories, as well as, news reports that feature insults to her physical appearance and body type. Angelique Kerber, the number one ranked female tennis player was selected in order to determine if an athlete of color receives more micro-aggresions than a top-ranked White female athlete. Data show that Serena Williams experienced more microaggresive themes related to gender roles and racial insults than Angelique Kerber (p 0.0000). It is concluded that future research should explore in greater depth the microagression aimed at Black female athletes in all levels of sports and their participation.
Highlights
Women in our western culture must be beautiful in order to be recognized
A content analysis of 643 news stories was conducted in order to provide a quantitative measure of the frequency in which microaggressions appear in news stories about female athletes
Data presented in this study is needed in order to provide quantitative measures on the frequency of types of microaggressions found in news stories about Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber
Summary
Why are the accomplishments of female athletes pushed aside in order to have their appearance and beauty showcased? This research will build on previous research by exploring how elite female athletes are represented in sports media. This study extends the literature by examining racial and sexist insults or microaggressions in news media between a White elite female athlete and a non-Hispanic African American elite female athlete. We sought to 1) characterize the themes published in news stories about two popular and internationally known elite female tennis players; 2) examine differences, if any, in the types of microaggressions that may be printed about female athletes with similar accomplishments and records to determine how media may treat female athletes on the basis of color. The study relies on microaggression literature and theory to provide theoretical and practical implications
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