Title Xi

Introduction
This is a broadcast from the April 4, 2007 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning. These men are discussing the women’s basketball game between Rutger’s University and University of Tennessee.
IMUS: That’s some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos and –
McGUIRK: Some hard-core hos.
IMUS: That’s some nappy-headed hos there. I’m gonna tell you that now, man, that’s some — woo. And the girls from Tennessee, they all look cute, you know, so, like — kinda like — I don’t know.
McGUIRK: A Spike Lee thing.
…ROSENBERG: It was a tough watch. The more I look at Rutgers; they look exactly like the Toronto Raptors.
IMUS: Well, I guess, yeah.
RUFFINO: Only tougher.
McGUIRK: The [Memphis] Grizzlies would be more appropriate.  

This broadcast is an example of how the media portrays women athletes. The focus is on their appearance and not the skills possessed by the players. This discussion is not from our history when women were not allowed to participate equally; it was from less than a year ago, and it gives the realization that it is still a big problem in the American society to view women, especially the athletes, as equals.
The increase in opportunities, numbers, and media attention given to collegiate women’s athletics is offset by how men’s sports continue to receive more coverage than women’s sports. In addition, when the focal point of the media is on female athletes, the images and words often demean or sexualize their efforts. This lack of representation combined with the evident stereotypes of female competitors may lead the public to believe that few women are interested in athletics and those women athletes to believe they can only be successful when they abide by the rules of suitable female behavior.
In this paper I will be going over two main aspects of the media coverage: Volume and Nature. By discussing the volume of media given to women, I will attempt to explain how women are underrepresented. The nature of the media... [continues]

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