"Hey, did you see the Lakers game last night? What about the Dodgers? You think the Kings are going to do well this season?" These are all questions I, as well as many other sports fans, hear on a consistent basis. I've never had anyone ask me, "What do you think of the Sparks?" In reality, I haven't the slightest of interest in the Sparks and I feel as if most people don't. Many of the articles we've read and videos we've seen in class blame the media for this. The common argument is, since the media doesn't cover Women's sport teams, such as the Sparks, then the public won't know about them. In reality though, the media is interested in only one thing, profit. They make money by giving people what they want to see, which happens to be the Lakers, Dodgers, Kings etc. The media isn't going to risk profit loss just because they have a grudge against Women playing sports. In reality, men prefer to watch other men play sports for a variety of reasons. Some men see themselves play the sport vicariously through the athletes, which can be difficult if the athlete is female. Others may feel inferior or even intimidated as they watch a 6'5 Lisa Leslie easily dunk a basketball. The list can go on and on and they all contribute to men not wanting to see women play sports. Regardless of whether you think this is shallow or even wrong, the media shouldn't be blamed for this, because they are not the problem. If the problem is actually solved, then perhaps the general public would be more interested in Women is sport.
Francisco Bueno
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I think the media is to blame. I think it is unfair to speak for all men in general when saying men would rather watch men play sports. I think their are alot of men out there who love to watch sports in general whether its men or women. I think the problem is that the media does not give womens teams enough exposure to spark interest in men. If the media would give women's teams just as much exposure as they give to men im sure that eventually womens teams would create a large fan base like mens teams. The media does not give womens teams any exposure. Its not because men dont want to watch women play sports its because they dont know anything about women sports. Ideally i think that most men would like to decide for themselves what sports they are interested in. I think most would agree that it is unfair that this decision is being made for all men by the media. The media has decided that women sports are not important to men, therefore they have decided not to dedicate any time to women in sports in the media.
C. Callier-Henderson
(Kin338i S.3201)
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