Interrogating Inequalities in Sports Media: Examining Gender Representation in Sports Illustrated

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/photos/1305/si-covers-2013/2/

The link above takes you to the compilation of all 2013 Sports Illustrated covers. I have included some examples of these covers below. Out of the 102 featured covers of 2013, the ONLY cover that exclusively featured a female was the 2013 Swimsuit Edition. This cover features Kate Upton, who is a model not an athlete. I think this speaks to the fact that women's sports are still seen as inferior to men's sports. Sure, there were covers that featured females (Kate Upton AGAIN in an October edition with two Braves players, a random assortment of female college fans, and a female police officer).

Not only are women misrepresented on Sports Illustrated covers, but their posing is strikingly different from the males. While the women are posed suggestively or "girly" (e.g. sitting with legs crossed), the males are posed in positions of power (e.g. hands on hips, arms/hands spread out). In addition to this, the headlines differ. For example, the cover featuring Kate Upton and the Braves players has the headline: "October's All About Who's Hot", while the cover featuring AJ McCaron has the headline: "King of Crimson".

These trends speak to larger gender "norms" and expectations that have become commonplace in the sporting world. Women's sports have always been underrepresented in the media, and who we choose to place on covers speaks to the fact that female athletes are not as praised as male athletes. When they are praised, it often has something to do with the fact that they are a good athlete and good looking (take Alex Morgan, for example). It's hard to tell if the representation of female athletes will change. If the media continues to look at women as merely "bodies" or sexual objects, the future for female athletes getting the respect they deserve does not look very bright.