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As the 2012 Olympic Games drew to a close, women's sport had seen a dramatic increase in popularity and support. The nation was flooded with strong female figures such as Jessica Ennis and Nicola Adams who showed, that in a world seemingly dominated by male sporting figures, that women were just as capable.
Officially branded as to 'inspire a generation’, the London Olympics was revered by many as a catalyst for change on the country’s sporting outlook of the women’s game and an event that would define the representation of what it meant to be a woman in sport both on and off the field.
Many thought that this might stem the tide for more women in sports media but, six years on from those games, the sector most commonly framed as sports journalism is still seen as an area of gender disparity with evidence to suggest that we might not have got as far as we’ve thought.
Speaking to female journalists across the board in the sector, we delve deeper into the real experiences of those within the industry and find out what it really means to be a woman in sports journalism.
So, How Did We Get Here?
Although women have certainly become more visible in sports journalism over the last few years, it is needless to say that women started working in the sector a long ago.
Clare Lovell, now a lecturer at Kingston University, has worked as a journalist in sports for a number of decades having worked in numerous positions across the sector.
As something that she believed had evolved over time, she gave us her take on the scope of women in sports journalism.
"It has changed a lot over the past few years in the fact that the sports journalism environment, such as the press box, has become more accessible for women when it comes to writing about sport and analysing data.
“I'd say, I saw a big difference in 2012 when the Olympics was hosted in London when women’s sport certainly got a higher profile.
“I think that the showcasing of women’s sport across the board seen in that tournament opened up the idea of women writing about sport to become more acceptable culturally."
Having primarily covered large football events such as the Champions League and the FIFA World Cup, Ms Lovell spoke of some of her earliest memories covering football and how she was viewed as a female journalist during the 1980s.
"During my early years as a journalist I ended up working as a foreign correspondent and I did a lot of work in Italy and I ended up doing a lot of sport, particularly football.
“At the time I didn't know what was ahead of me but, during the late 1980s, we saw a fantastic era of Italian football with the likes of Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard gracing the game week in- week out and so naturally I ended up doing it full time. “
Referring to the reaction she got from one of the managers during one of the early Uefa Cup games she covered at the Stadio Olympico between Roma and Ballymena United, Ms Lovell said:
"In those days you had to go down to the dressing room to interview the managers and I remember one of the managers saying to me 'And what do you know about football?' when I attempted to ask a question."
Explaining that this had became a pattern over her initial years working as a female sports journalist she added: “During that period in the 80s, I was the only woman in the press box and I certainly got a mixed reaction from my colleagues around me.
“Some people saw me as an interesting anomaly and others were just simply rude and, as a result, I developed a bit of a thick skin. “
However, explaining her view of the situation now she told us: "When I started I was the only woman in the press box and now there tends to be three of four so there has definitely been some growth.
“I think you can see on platforms such as Sky and the BBC that there are more women not just on screen, but in around the production side of things which is a positive sign.
“From what I've seen from my students, they don’t even see any issue about going into the sector as a woman and I certainly don’t think it will hold them back.”
The Modern Press Box
Some would still say that the press box is a daunting place given the cultural aspect that we have mentioned and we asked current BBC sports journalist Katie Falkingham about her experience in the press box and as a woman working in sport.
Recollecting on experiences in her career thus far she told us: "The first few times I entered a press box as a journalist trainee I felt daunted as it was immediately obvious that I was either the only female there or one of very few."
Although suggesting that she said that she had never been directly made to feel unwelcome and 'like she didn't belong’, the BBC journalist did recall two situations that highlighted the unspoken prejudice in the game.
She said: "While I was a trainee, I applied for work experience at a popular football magazine. I was rejected because they said they weren't taking on any work experience students during the month that I had applied for because they were moving offices.
“However, just a few hours before I received my rejection letter, a fellow trainee, who was male, was accepted for work experience with them during the exact same month which certainly got me thinking on the matter."
“Another particular event that will always stay with me is when I was covering a QPR game just a few months into my career.
“At the post-match press conference, the then QPR manager Neil Warnock walked in and, as he sat down, the press officer said something along the lines of "ok gents, fire away with your questions."
“Warnock immediately pointed to me and said "and lady".
“I've never been a fan of Warnock but I'll always be grateful to him for recognising me on that day.”
Speaking on her current experiences working in the BBC, she explained how she was one of many female sports journalists and that any prejudice that she might have experienced thus far in her career had come from members of the general public.
Describing the differences she explained: "The director of BBC Sport is a female, and there are lots of females in other positions of authority so I don't think there is a problem necessary in the industry.
“Whenever people ask me what sports I like or what sports I cover, I mention football and it always gets a "oh wow" in response which annoys me because it just shows how so many people don't expect it.
“As an example, I was recently in a conversation with a taxi driver and when I said I was covering a football match the next night, his response was "oh so you know the rules of football and everything".
“I genuinely don't think he meant this in a sexist way or to offend me, he was just honestly surprised a woman could write about football and that suggests the problem, if any, is through a result of lack of understanding.
The Broadcast Scene
Despite the ranging experiences in the press box, recent years have highlighted the progress that has been made with the identity of the women's game where the exposure of more and more women’s sport, such as the likes of BBCs coverage of the Olympics and the Women’s World Cup, have enabled household names such as Clare Balding and Gabby Logan to rise to prominence and provide some representation in the sector.
Following these developments there has been a clamour by those within the industry to continue to improve the visibility and perception of the women's game through those at the forefront of sport broadcasting.
One woman doing just that is Kate Mason who is a reporter and presenter for the Qatari based global sports network bienSports.
Having previously worked across Europe presenting on big sporting events, she spoke to us on the scope of what she believed to still be an issue of under-representation in the women’s game.
She explained: "I feel as though it is growing positively although I read every year about stats on how little coverage women’s sport gets as opposed to men and that’s a big reason in why I went into the line of work and why I feel strongly about it.
“I am a woman who likes sport, reading about sport and watching sport so it is tough when we put together a whole show and it will not have a single female athlete in it at all.
“The thing is the sport is there, but the real grind is trying to get that sport televised and, being somebody who reports on sport, I would love to see that happen over the next few years.”
One of the biggest debates surrounding female sports broadcasting is whether there really is a positive or negative representation of them on screen and whether being 'glamorous' is a help or a hindrance?
Bringing to the table her experiences on the matter, Kate explained her thoughts on the issue and spoke about whether there was any correlation between glamorous presenters and their credibility.
"It’s something that I have thought a lot about given my role, and I certainly think it can belittle the integrity of women in those roles but I don’t know what the alternative would be.
“You know if people are putting you on television, you’ve got to look smart and respectable as otherwise the people who would employ you simply wouldn’t put you in front of the camera regardless of what gender you are.
“Despite the fact that I might not want be caped in makeup, we have an appearance department and you know it’s up to them at the end of the day.
“Ultimately, I worry it does make me seem less credible in my job and, again, it comes down to a societal thing as you ask yourself well why is there a correlation between looking good and not knowing what you are talking about?
“But, on the other hand, I completely understand it as, if someone turned up to work at say a newspaper and came in all dolled up wearing a tight dress then I might question her credibility as unfortunately that’s the way our society seems to work. “
Back in 2013, Gabby Logan revealed in an interview with the Radio Times that she was once criticised for looking 'too glamorous' by a BBC boss after wearing high heeled boots.
According to a report by Wales Online, the popular BBC sport host has suggested that she was trying to be ‘aspirational’ when she responded to criticism.
Whilst also throwing criticism at her former employees Sky Sports at their representation of women, she opened up the debate about whether the gender disparity was clearly represented in the way women were made to appear on her screens in relation to their male counterparts.
When I spoke to Ms Lovell on the issue, who has seen the development over her years in football, she had this to say on the matter: "I certainly think that there is an issue in the way that women are represented on screen on certain sports channels and I don't think that helps those of us in print either.
“The pattern is you tend to see an old grey haired male reporter next to perhaps a young blonde female reporter and it almost makes the division between the two genders more obvious as I don’t think you would be able to be an old female journalist and work, at least visibly, for some channels.
“The thing is, the women may be very good, but the representation of these glamorous young female reporters suggests that they are just there for show which is wrong and I think it can belittle the integrity of them to a certain extent.
This A Man's World
Perhaps the most obvious disparity is the pure fact that sports has been a male’s prerogative historically and only recently have we seen any female integration into covering and reporting on the males game.
When we asked Kate Mason about the situation she suggested that she certainly felt women would have to 'fight harder' to get that position due to the stigma of a woman covering what has predominately been a male sport for many years.
She added: "But, as you can see with the likes of Jacqui Oatley and Gabby Logan, there is an element that, as you develop more through your career doing that, then you will gain more respect and familiarity from your viewers as they get used to it over time. "
Oately, herself, proved this point back in 2007 when she became the first ever woman to commentate on BBC’s prestigious Match of the Day football highlights show.
Although leaving many men 'calling foul’ on the situation, Oatley professionally commentated on Fulham’s encounter with Blackburn Rovers on the 21st September to open the game up completely for women in Sports Media.
Oatley has since become an advocate for women across the spectrum haven recently set up the #Whatif campaign in order to promote the use of more women in football.
Continuing the good work of Oatley and others, the BBC also announced this month that Final Score regular Vicki Sparkes would become the first female commentator to commentate on the FIFA World Cup when she was selected to take up the mic for this years tournament in Russia.
The Global Issue
Despite the progress made by individuals in the British media, exemplified in our interviewees, the global scope on the matter certainly still suggests that women are still perceived within what some many still consider a patriarchal society for which most cultures have adhered to for centuries and, as mentioned by the Journalists we interviewed, many have looked at the issue as something found in the culture rather than in the industry itself.
One recent example, which has brought light to the claim, can be found in Brazil where female sport reporting has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The country renowned for its love of sport, demonstrated with the recent hosting of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, has come under the spotlight following the #DeixaElaTrabalhar campaign translating as 'Let her do her job'.
Headed by female sports journalists, the campaign aims to expose the harassment from the general public towards their female reporters.
From attempts to kiss the women, touch the women and even threaten the women, the campaign shone a light on the nature of the situation that women have found themselves when reporting on the ground.
Going Forward
Given everything discussed, it is hard to nail on the projected climate of sports journalism for women given the fact that sport itself is one of the most unpredictable beasts on the planet.
From the perspective of the Journalists we spoke to, the problem, they feel, does not lie in the industry itself but from those in society as, rightly or wrongly, many people still pass judgment on whether women 'belong' in that sector or not.
Yet, what we do know, is that women’s roles in sport media have surely seen its worst period and it's sure to be an area to keep an eye on in the years to come.
