Media coverage of women athletes during the Olympic Games

Abstract

As one of the only major international multisport events to feature both men and women competitors, the Olympic Games are unique in that they provide an opportunity for more equitable media coverage between men and women athletes. This chapter presents an historical overview of both the amount and the quality of coverage devoted to women athletes during the Olympic Games, while also discussing the emergence of new media, the potential benefits internet-based media coverage holds for women athletes, the power that social media afford women athletes in terms of promoting their careers and seeking commercial opportunities, and the challenges many women athletes face with social media use. The chapter concludes with a profile of Olympic Gold medal-winning gymnast, Nastia Liukin, who is now a member of US-based broadcaster NBC’s Olympic broadcast team and who founded a company focused on empowering young female athletes via the use of a mobile app.