Scheduled for Sociocultural II Free Communications, Saturday, April 3, 2004, 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM, Convention Center: 208


Still Inequitable? Examination of the NCAA News 10 Years Later

George B. Cunningham1, Michael Sagas1, Melanie L. Sartore2, Michelle L. Amsden2 and Anne Shellhase1, (1)Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, (2)Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

Considerable research has demonstrated a gender bias in the reporting of men’s and women’s sport. However, that one common theme among most of these investigations is that media from the private, not public, sector were investigated. As an exception, Shifflette and Revelle (1994) found evidence of bias in the NCAA News (a public publication that is distributed solely for the benefit of its membership). Specifically, these authors found that, when compared to men, women (a) received less written coverage, (b) had articles in less desirable locations, (c) received fewer pictures, and (d) had pictures in less desirable locations. The purpose of this study was to re-examine the presence of gender bias within the NCAA News. Such an investigation is warranted because in the decade that has passed since the issues used in the study were published (1988, 1991), there has been increased attention related to Title IX and gender equity in sports. Further, since the time of Shifflett and Revelle’s data collection, the NCAA began hosting an annual Title IX seminar, during which some sessions include information related to gender equity in the media (“NCAA,” 2002). Therefore, we would expect that the NCAA and those who write for and produce the NCAA News are possibly more cognizant of gender biases in the media and thus a re-examination of possible gender-bias in the NCAA News is warranted. A total of 5,745 paragraphs and 1086 photographs from 24 issues (12 issues in 1999, 12 issues in 2001) were coded by four different researchers for (a) gender, (b) size (in square inches), (c) location (front, back, and/or prime) and (d) content (factual or personal information). Results were then compared to a standard (i.e., the proportion of female athletes competing in NCAA intercollegiate athletics) (see Malec, 1994). Results indicate that, in contrast to previous research from 1988 and 1991, coverage in the NCAA News was equitable in all categories. Subsequent qualitative data collection indicated that staff members at the NCAA News (a) were aware of past criticisms of the publication, (b) perceived pressures for change, and (c) made a concerted effort to provide equitable coverage to both men and women. While recognizing that the NCAA News does represent a nonprofit publication, the data do indicate that change is possible in the media and that excuses for providing inequitable coverage to women’s athletic teams in the public media and are in short supply.
Keyword(s): athletics/sports, gender issues, research

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