Or how about the, ahem, controversy over Gabby Douglas’ hair at the 2012 Olympics?
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Treating female athletes with as much respect as male athletes shouldn’t be that hard.
A video posted to YouTube last week highlights how ridiculous these questions and comments aimed at women are, by imagining journalists asking male sports stars the sorts of questions that have been aimed at female athletes.
A controversial interview with Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard at this year’s Australian Open has formed a central part of a new online campaign calling for equal media treatment for female athletes.
“Could you give us a twirl and tell us about your outfit?”
See something entertaining on social media that you think deserves to be shared? The sports media at large can and must do better than this. Sexist commentary, inappropriate interview questions, and articles focused on physical appearance not only trivializes a woman’s accomplishments, but also sends a message that her value is based on her looks, not her ability.
The campaign #CoverTheAthlete is drawing attention to the differences, with a video that asks a few of the questions of men that are routinely fielded by female athletes.
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Jessica Schnurr, one of the video’s creators, says the campaign is a “passion project created by a few friends who were fed up with the media coverage they were seeing of female athletes”.
