Women in sports have long faced stereotypes simply for their participation in sport. Female athletes are plagued by stereotypes created by the patriarchy that is the male dominated sports media. Huge media corporations and mainstream sports media outlets portray female athletes as anything but athletes. Most female athletes are portrayed as sex objects, lesser then males, submissive, and ultra feminized. In a way, the representation of female athletes in that way assures men’s position in the male dominated sport world. By portraying women as submissive and sexualizing them in photo shoot the mainstream media consequently conditions millions of viewers to develop a misconception of what female athletes are “all” like. Even big sport companies, such as Nike, part take in the type casting of female athletes. In a commercial by Nike linked below, Nike tries to portray women as strong athletes. What the commercial also does is show snippets of women’s body parts, like focusing the camera on the women’s butt and legs. What that does is objects the women down to body parts and dehumanizes them. A women in the commercial also says she wants to be “hot”. Media images and messages like that are troublesome because they portray female athletes inaccurately.

\http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B5sfE1fjLs

Edgar D

Kin 338i sect 2