Getting Over the Hurdle Race & Gender in the Sports Media

GETTING OVER THE HURDLE RACE & GENDER IN THE SPORTS MEDIA © The Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles, 1989 GETTING OVER THE HURDLE • • RACE AND GENDER IN SPORTS MEDIA Report From the Conference February 27 & 28, 1989 Host Sponsor The Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles Co-Sponsors The Center for the Study of Sport in Society The Institute for Journalism Education The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund The National Organization of Women Legal Defense and Education Fund The Women *s Sports Foundation Special thanks to: The L.J. Skaggs and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation Published by: The Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles 2141 West Adams Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90018 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Foreword................................................................................................................................ 1 2. Introduction................................................................... ........................................................ 2 3. Videotape Isolates Issues............................. ....................................................................... .3 4. Self-test Debunks Myth of Equal Participation.................................................................6 5. Panel Discussions.............................. ......................................................................................8 6. Keynote Speaker Calls for Diversity in the Newsroom ........................................12 7. Group Discussions............... 14 8. Plenary Session Recommendations................. 16 9. Conclusion...............................................................................................................................18 10. List of Speakers..................................................................................................... 19 11. List of Participants................................................................................................................20 FOREWORD I encourage you to stay in touch with each other and continue the discussion that was started at the conference. It is our sincere hope that the commitment you showed by attending the conference is translated into action to implement the recommendations that appear in this report. Special thanks to our conference co-sponsors: the Center for the Study of Sport in Society, the Institute for Journalism Educa tion, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educa tional Fund, the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Women’s Sports Founda tion, and the L.J. Skaggs and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation. Since the conference, a major event oc curred raising issues of portrayal of African American athletes. Tom Brokaw’s television documentary, "Black Athletes—Fact and Dear Conferee: Fiction," and resulting public reaction pro vided all of us opportunities to discuss issues Following is the final report on this year’s of race. conference, “ Getting Over the Hurdle: Race and Gender in Sports Media.” I say this We did not expect to solve major societal year’s conference because I fully anticipate problems in two days. But I think we have discussion of this topic to continue on an opened a discussion that may lead to a better annual basis. understanding of the issues, if not to immedi ate solutions. Thank you for taking part. I was pleased with the attendance and representation of the print and electronic Sincerely, media, as well as advocacy groups. I am con fident this type of gathering is the beginning of a solution to the problem of how women Anita L. DeFrantz and people of color are represented in, and President by, the sports media. Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles Please take the time to read the report, and share it with your co-workers and friends. Included in this report is a list of attendees. INTRODUCTION that result in subtle, unintentional, but o.'n February 27 and 28, 1989, more than equally damaging discrimination against 60 influential leaders from print and broad women and people of color. cast media, advocacy groups for women and racial minorities, and amateur and pro- The code of ethics adopted by the Society fesssional athletics met in Los Angeles at the for Professional Journalists calls for truth, ac Amateur Athletic Foundation’s Paul Ziffren curacy, fairness and objectivity in journalism. Sports Resource Center to discuss race and One of the goals of this conference was to put gender issues in sports journalism. that code of ethics to the test and see if sport journalists are fulfilling Usually, attention is their responsibility. drawn to issues of race and gender in sports only when Sports have become a prominent sports figure is more open in recent involved—for example, years, and journalists when A1 Campanis was have attempted to do a fired from the Los Angeles better job of covering Dodgers in 1987 for saying all groups, but there that (African Americans still is ample room for lacked the “ necessities” to improvement. become baseball managers; or when Jimmy “ the Education and ongo Greek” Snyder was fired ing discussion are im from CBS just last year for portant weapons against saying that the prowess of unwitting bias, and black athletes was the result many of the recommen of selective breeding by dations found in this slave owners; or when Jerry report — including Rice of the San Francisco research, seminars, case 49ers raised the issue of studies, and hiring racism as a reason for the policies that bring more lack of coverage he received by the sports women and people of color into the newsroom media following his MVP performance at the — have to do with educating the media about Super Bowl. the sensitivities of women and people of color. Participants assembled for this conference, This conference was the beginning of a con however, not in reaction to any one event, but tinuing discussion setting out issues to be ex out of a common interest in sport. Examples amined again. We trust that the conclusions of blatant discrimination were examined, and and recommendations found in this report will conferees focused on attitudes and conditions aid in those discussions. VIDEOTAPE ISOLATES ISSUES “He is a thoroughbred. " Issues of portrayal are difficult to isolate “That was a mental mistake, not a in ways that have impact. Individual com physical one. " ments may seem insignificant, but if viewed “There go those quick hands again, in the same context, over time, patterns of causing trouble. '' stereotyping emerge. The first presentation at the conference was a videotape created by the Using one of the few print media examples Amateur Athletic Foundation (AAF) illustrat focusing attention on this problem, the video ing the problems which exist in the coverage included charts from a January 22, 1989 of women and people of color by sports me article in the Boston Globe prepared by Der dia. The following issues in the category of rick Z. Jackson. The charts summarized the race were addressed: review by Jackson of the TV coverage of seven NFL playoff games and five NCAA 1) The Problem of Stereotypes and basketball games. For white players, 77 Dehumanizing Images percent of the comments in football and 63 percent in basketball were about brains — ' ‘He is the greatest listener in college intelligence, leadership, decision-making, and basketball. ' ' motivation. For example, players were de “Notice that decision-making by .. " scribed with such phrases as: ' ‘He really understands how to play the game. ' ' “He's got his head in the game. That's ‘ ‘He goes and takes the inside, which is where you *ve got to be as a young quarter wise. " back. ” “There is the artist at work, waiting for These are a sampling of the phrases televi people to uncover, sensing the defense sion commentators used to describe the per was looking at him entirely,'' formance of white athletes in two NCAA men’s college basketball tournament games Only 17 percent of the comments about aired on national television. The comments white athletes described physical strength or reflect positively on the mental abilities of the athleticism, and weakling comments often had players. During the same games, however, white athletes overcoming slowness or physi commentators explained African American cal weaknesses with brain power. By con players’ performance almost entirely in terms trast, 65 percent of the comments about of physical strength and athletic ability, using blacks in football and 77 percent in basketball such phrases as: were about brawn — speed, running, size, strength or quickness. They were described ' ‘There 's the athlete. You can 't teach with phrases, such as: that. '' ' ‘There's that athletic ability again. What “This guy is an athlete. He's not a quar an athlete! ' ’ terback. He's an athlete! ' 'He has hands that can catch flies. management of the San Francisco 49ers to the ' 'Look at him weasel in. * * “ dismal picture” for the league as a whole. (In the NFL there has never been a black The phrase ‘ ‘great athlete” is not in and of person in the position of head coach, and only itself demeaning, but coverage attributing 48 of 280 assistant coaches are black men. black athletic performance almost entirely to Only a dozen black people hold front-office “ innate” physical strength and comparing jobs with the league’s 28 teams.) black players to animals ignores the facts -- that every athlete works hard and that team The NBC story is an example of excellent performance depends on judgment, decision coverage of a race issue in sports, but one is making, as well

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