Media, Women, and the Transformation of Sport

This edited collection provides a singular look at contemporary mediated coverage of women athletes and sports from Title IX to the present day. Through personal perspectives, contributors provide a valuable overview of common patterns in women's sports media coverage, exploring issues of diversity, ethnicity, and inclusion. Chapters examine Title IX discourse, NIL brand creation, and marketing among female college athletes through platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter (X), the recent surge in what appears to be empowering gender discourse and contemporary public debates, legislative attacks on the participation of trans and nonbinary athletes, differential treatment of women's athletic injuries as compared to men's injuries, and the role of women working in sports media both on the field and on the sidelines. The book includes a review of changes in the media coverage of women in sport, offering an overall assessment of the status of women athletes in the half-century after Title IX. It concludes with an examination of the power of coaching and the imperative to protect athletes from abuses of that power. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of media, communication, journalism, and beyond that are examining the topic of women, media, and sport.

Pamela J. Creedon is Professor Emerita at the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication, USA. She has authored and co-edited six books including the fourth edition of Women in Mass Communication (2023). After 15 years in the public relations profession, Professor Creedon started her academic career at The Ohio State University School of Journalism. She then moved into administration at Kent State University, later directing Iowa's J-School. Her research is focused on gender, inclusion, sport, and media. Laura A. Wackwitz renewed her commitment to advancing scholarship in women's sports during her induction into the Lewis and Clark College Athletic Hall of Fame the year Title IX turned 50. Her publications include an early history of sex testing in international athletics, a groundbreaking analysis of the category "women" in sport (Women's Studies International Forum), and numerous articles and book chapters. She holds a PhD from the University of Georgia. This is her third co-edited book.

Introduction Pamela J. Creedon PART I: Title IX and Women's Sports 1. Title IX to NIL: Equality and Equity Pamela J. Creedon and Laura A. Wackwitz 2. Sports Media and the Enduring Significance of Title IX Erin Whiteside PART II: NIL Digital Branding Era 3. Putting the Image in NIL: How Women's Collegiate Basketball Players Build Personal Brands Cara Elizabeth Hawkins-Jedlicka and Andrea E. Hall 4. Twitter/X as a Storytelling Tool for Collegiate Women Athletes in the NIL Era Shannon Scovel 5. Social Media and Student Athlete Self-Presentation: NIL as a Gendered Experience Samantha S. Cary and Jennifer J. Sterling 6. Advocacy in Women's Sport: Business Opportunity and/or Political Action? Dunja Antunovic, Katie Lebel, Nancy Lough, Ceyda Mumcu, Ann Pegoraro, Kimberly Soltis, and Nicole M. LaVoi PART III: Social Issues: Advocacy and Injury 7. Same Game, New Target: How Anti-Trans Policies Continue to Limit Fair Play Caraline Feairheller and Molly Merryman 8. Athlete Injuries and Death: Media Coverage of CTE and Beyond Julie L. Andsager and Sharon E. Baldinelli 9. Now What?: Assessing Past, Present, and Future Scholarship on Women Working in Sports Media Guy Harrison PART IV: Looking Forward, Looking Back 10. Messaging with Voice and Body: Women Find a Comfort Zone in Sports Melissa Ludtke 11. The Deep Three: Athletes, Coaching, and (the Abuse of) Power Laura A. Wackwitz