Frauen machen mehr als die Hälfte der US-Bevölkerung aus, aber sie kämpfen immer noch um Gleichberechtigung in der Welt des Sports, wo geschlechtsspezifische Diskriminierung nur allzu häufig vorkommt. Kürzlich haben wir ein sehr öffentliches und schmerzhaftes Beispiel für die krasse Ungleichbehandlung von weiblichen und männlichen Athleten beim NCAA-Basketballturnier gesehen, und das ausgerechnet während des Women's History Month. Es ist schwer zu verstehen, wie die Vernachlässigung der Versorgung von weiblichen Sportstudenten mit der richtigen Ausrüstung und den richtigen Einrichtungen - vor allem während des größten Turniers ihrer Sportart - heute noch möglich ist. Leider hat es den Anschein, dass der Sexismus im Sport von der Zeit an, in der unsere Kinder im Jugendsport sind, tief verwurzelt ist. Diese Ungleichheit ist auch institutionalisiert - von der Definition dessen, was als Sport gilt, über die Bilder, die zur Darstellung weiblicher Athleten verwendet werden, bis hin zu Ungleichheiten bei den Einrichtungen und der Unterstützung für weibliche Athleten.
As superstar athlete and World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe testified to Congress, “One cannot simply outperform inequality or be excellent enough to escape discrimination of any kind.” As a mother of a son and a daughter, this inequality hit very close to home just last week. Up until two weeks ago, in my state of California, all youth sports, which were prohibited for nearly a year, were permitted to return. All sports, that is, except for one female-dominated sport: cheer. While my son was able to get back on the field and enjoy his sport, I, alongside many other concerned parents, had to continue to advocate at the state level for equity for cheer athletes. We were successful, but why did we even have to fight for recognition and equal treatment for these athletes? Women and girls in sports should not be an afterthought.
It is disheartening to see that the fight for equality for women’s sports continues beyond grade school, as collegiate athletes in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament recently experienced firsthand. Like many of you, I recently saw the viral video from University of Oregon sophomore forward Sedona Prince showing the weight room facilities provided for the female players at the basketball tournament compared with the facilities provided for the men. The women’s weight room consisted of a single set of dumbbells and some yoga mats, while the men’s weight room was stocked with state-of-the-art training equipment, rows of weights, and workout machines. Her TikTok video was further socialized on Instagram and Twitter and now has more than 20 million views.
Die Empörung war schnell groß, denn viele Menschen kritisierten die eklatante Ungleichbehandlung dieser Sportlerinnen, aber die Marken schalteten sich noch schneller ein. Der Aufschrei zur Korrektur der Situation kam nicht nur von Prominenten, Sportjournalisten und Fans, sondern auch von Unternehmen. Fitness- und Einzelhandelsmarken wie Orange Theory, Dick's Sporting Goods und Tonal reagierten bereits am nächsten Tag, um diese Sportlerinnen (die in den sozialen Medien großen Einfluss haben) mit Ausrüstung zu unterstützen und boten an, geeignete Trainingseinrichtungen zur Verfügung zu stellen. Kurz darauf räumte die NCAA diese schreckliche Fehleinschätzung ein und richtete einen voll funktionsfähigen Kraftraum für Frauen ein, verbunden mit einer Entschuldigung.
These brands understand the power of the moment and of female athletes. Research from Nielsen Sports illustrates the power female athletes hold as social media endorsers. Fans like to buy products and services that their favorite athletes endorse on social media. When brands partner with athletes to embrace their power and advocate for equity, they can enact change as well as accountability in sports institutions. That’s a winning play for brands—fully embracing the power of female athletes, while proactively building equity in women’s sports and not just in response to a crisis.
There are several fundamental truths here that brands need to embrace: social media is powerful; female athletes are powerful influencers; and consumers are asking more from brands when it comes to social responsibility. For example, a global Nielsen Fan Insights study reveals that 47.5% of respondents have a greater interest in brands that have been socially responsible and “do good.” The good news is that some brands are taking notice and recalibrating business and marketing models to meet consumers’ changing needs in a new era of sports sponsorship. The brands stepping in to act on the values they espouse as an organization are a perfect example. Brands, including leagues, teams, owners, and even school districts, must address changing consumer and social demands and their female athletes’ needs by operating with equity in women’s sports.
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The weight room in San Antonio isn’t the only place where we need to see change. While we’re seeing progress in how women are represented on television in scripted content, we have not seen the same visibility in women’s sports. This isn’t for lack of women’s sporting events or even viewer interest, but rather the relative lack of access to women’s team sporting events being broadcast and promoted on TV compared with men’s events. We know this needs to change, but it is a catch 22. Far fewer women’s sports are being broadcast, and when they are, games are often carried on difficult to find, smaller outlets, and are under-promoted, naturally resulting in smaller audiences. This overall lack of investment and promotion on television negatively affects audience draw, and therefore ROI for advertisers and sponsors. This lower brand investment is being used to justify disparities in resources for women’s sports. And the cycle continues.
Die gute Nachricht ist, dass sich die Gezeiten zu ändern scheinen. Die Berichterstattung über das NCAA-Basketballturnier der Frauen ist in diesem Jahr eine der umfangreichsten in der Geschichte des Turniers, da ESPN seine Berichterstattung ausweitet - ein Schritt, der die Einschaltquoten der ersten Runde des Frauenturniers im Vergleich zu 2019 bisher verdoppelt hat.
Along with the gripping game play, the increase in reach is most likely attributed to the number of games actually being aired. Round 1 of the tournament in 2019 was exclusively broadcast on ESPN2, which aired just nine game windows. This year’s NCAA women’s games have been on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, and every single one of the 32 games has been aired in round 1. When audiences have access to women’s sports, they tune in. Female athletes deserve the facilities, equipment and support they need to thrive. While the men’s tournament has seen multi-network coverage since 2011, the women’s tournament is finally seeing increased coverage, with 2021 marking the first time the women’s tournament has been on network TV—and not just on cable—in decades. Because that viewing opportunity exists, more people are watching. It is time women’s sports get the investment, coverage and support they deserve. Advertisers should take note: A growing fan base means a bigger audience.
Es ist fast 50 Jahre her, dass die Gesetzgebung des Titels IX Frauen die gleichen Chancen im Sport einräumt. Das Gesetz schreibt aber auch die Gleichbehandlung von weiblichen und männlichen Sportstudenten vor, von der Ausrüstung über die Wettkampfstätten bis hin zu Werbung und Promotion und mehr. Da sich immer mehr Marken für die Gleichberechtigung des Frauensports einsetzen und Athletinnen als Markenbotschafterinnen immer einflussreicher werden, hoffe ich, dass die Ungleichheiten bei der Spielzeit, den Einrichtungen, den Markenpartnerschaften und der Berichterstattung über Frauensport auf dem Bildschirm abnehmen werden. Und dass für künftige Sportlerinnen die Gleichberechtigung im Frauensport ein Kinderspiel sein wird.
