Where's Tamika Catchings? A Content Analysis of Female Athlete Endorsers in Magazine Advertisements

Abstract

Despite Title IX and increased levels of females' participation in sports, the use of female athletes as product endorsers has received limited attention. Some observers have suggested that there may be a media bias against female athletes and other problems related to how female athletes are portrayed to the public. The purpose of this study is to examine the frequency and nature of portrayals of female athletes when they appear as product endorsers in magazine advertisements. Results of a content analysis of a wide range of magazines indicate that females appear in just 12% of the ads featuring celebrity athlete endorsers. While female athlete endorsers are not commonly seen in any type of magazine, they are more prone to be found in women's magazines and are virtually absent from men's magazines and teen magazines. Findings also indicate that three-quarters of the female endorsers came from individual sports, as opposed to team sports. Another key result of the study is that female athletes were shown suggestively or partially clad 81% of the time.