So I decided to watch the movie Playing Unfair: The Media Image of the Female Athlete. Being a female athlete I found it interesting to see what would be said about the media and its portal of women athletes. One statistic that surprised me was in the movie they say that while 40% of athletes they only make up 3-5% of the media coverage. It does not surprise me that women get less coverage, I knew that but what surprised me was how low it actually was reported to then be.
Another major topic the movie touched upon was how female athletes are supposed to be sexy. A male athlete can be simply good at sports and be considered “sexy” for that, but for a woman it seems beauty is valued more than actual skill. A guy can be an athlete and be seen as an athlete while a woman has to be good looking to in order to attract “positive attention.” Anna Kournikova is a key example. She receives tons of endorsements, yet has not really won anything. The movie argues that a woman objectifies herself more by posing in comprising was for such magazines as Sport’s Illustrated.
Another interesting concept brought up was called the “glass closet.” The glass closet refers to how in women’s sports there is homophobia and people are aware of it, yet it is not addressed. A woman may be gay, and it is known, yet it kept within this glass closet. This is due to “society” but also because of how women’s sports are for young girls and having this out would not be fit for a “family atmosphere.” An example they bring up Billie Jean King and how she was “outed.” Once she was outed she lost most of her sponsors. The movie claims that as a woman athlete we need to portray a wholesome image. The most extreme example of wholesome and having it all image was Chris Evert, a professional tennis player. She was really good, and decided to retire early to get married. Yet when Sport’s Illustrated put her on the cover they did so with a picture of her holding a racquet with the title, “ I’m Going to be a Full Time Wife”. I literally had to pause when I saw that. Instead of respecting her athletic accomplishments, she was being labeled as a wife. I found it somewhat disheartening and upsetting. Granted this happened quite some time ago, I find it sad that it even occurred.
Yet in regards to homophobia in sports, I did not fully agree with the film. While it is not easy for a woman to be gay in sports, I think it is equally hard for a man, if not harder. The image that a male I feel makes it harder to be gay in men’s sports. I feel as though men and women have to deal with this “glass closet” in sports.