Watching the Pros vs. Playing the Game: How Sports Coverage Affects Community-level Athletes

Romayne Smith Fullerton, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Journalism, Faculty of Information & Media Studies, University of Western Ontario

We are a media nation. At virtually any hour present. It will identify what the of the day or night, Canadians can access approximate ratio of professional versus up-to-the-minute sports scores, amateur coverage is in a national newspaper commentaries and actual games. While (The Globe and Mail), a French language some of the smaller newspapers and provincial newspaper (La Presse), a large television stations cover community sport, metropolitan daily (The London Free Press), a the vast majority of stories in mainstream community weekly (Journal Argus) and media focus on professional games, highly several television newscasts. It will offer paid athletes and related scandals or some idea of what the range of diversity is intrigue. in both professional and amateur coverage and will answer questions like how many Professional sport pervades our culture. For girls and women do we see? How many young people, the effects of this are wide non-white athletes? Are there athletes with spread. The world of pro sports offers disabilities in the news? And given that everything from a possible source for Canada is a vast and diverse country, do we fashion, to a place to look for career see most of our regions represented? inspiration, role models and even heroes.

Given the tremendous potential the media Methodology have to influence us, the purpose of this The content analysis focuses on the print paper is to explore how the portrayal of medium—newspapers. While we did watch both professional and amateur sport has an in excess of 12 hours of television news and impact on how Canadians—particularly sports broadcasts and did monitor both young Canadians—see themselves and public and private radio during the month define their goals and values. of February 2003, because of accessibility Through a content analysis of four issues with respect to broadcasts over the randomly selected weeks of sports coverage last year, this discussion is more general. In over the last year, this paper will outline order to have information about all seasons what the current news is about, what kinds of print sports coverage, we divided the past of stories are being covered, what the year into summer, winter, fall and spring, recurrent themes are and what underlying and then used random numbers to select a values—both explicit and implicit—are representative week for each time period.

88 Watching the Pros vs. Playing the Game The dates were May 13-19, 2002; August 5- amateur. Similarly, the New PL (a London- 11, 2002; September 30-October 6, 2002 based City-TV affiliate) covers pro and local and February 3-9, 2003. While 2002 was an sports news. For the weekly community Olympic year (Winter Games 2002 at Salt paper, the Journal Argus (in St. Marys, Lake City), the analysis covers winter 2003 Ontario) the focus is almost exclusively on instead so that this sample is representative local sports. The only time professional of what Canadians see and read in their athletes are mentioned in the weekly paper newspapers on a regular basis. is if the story subjects were originally from the town or the surrounding area. In effect, Summary of Content Analysis these are profiles that concentrate on family history, previous local sports involvement For the purposes of the analysis, the and so forth. Examples of such stories are researchers applied the term ‘professional’ relatively rare in this content analysis. to any athlete or team whose primary income is derived from sport. They used the What kinds of stories are being written? terms ‘amateur,’ ‘local’ and ‘community- based sports’ interchangeably and applied With respect to types of stories for both them to any athlete or team who professional and amateur across the media, participated in sports but for whom most are ‘hard news’ (factually-based stories competing was not their livelihood. The that tell what happened and when) or only exceptions were figure skaters who, features that are closely tied to recent games despite competing for substantial prize or happenings in the world of sport. This is money, are deemed amateurs by Sport because sports coverage does not operate Canada. on different criteria from the rest of news: what gets covered are the newest, most up- The vast majority of coverage in The Globe to-date events. But because the news is and Mail, a national newspaper, La Presse, largely about what just occurred, there is not Quebec’s provincial equivalent, and both a lot of background given in these types of Rogers Sportsnet and CTV Sports focuses stories, nor is there much room for almost exclusively on professional sports. discussion of peripheral issues or This is not surprising given the breadth of implications. This type of story coverage their audience and the practical problems of gives the impression that scores, standings trying to discuss local sports in regions too and outcomes matter most. numerous to mention. This is not to suggest that there was no mention of amateur sport, What are the recurrent themes? but it was much less significant than professional coverage. In terms of the content for the professional coverage, the most popular theme is For the metropolitan daily, The London Free winning and losing and the winners almost Press, the focus is shared with local sports at always get the most space—more a ratio of about 70 professional to 30 photographs, more film footage, more copy

The Sport We Want 89 devoted to their success. The next most Do different papers frame sports stories in popular themes are money, ownership, unique ways? Does this give Canadians a coaching and some mention of the types of different impression of what’s valued in skills that helped the team win the game. sports?

It also needs to be mentioned that statistics, In the Journal Argus, there is a marked in the case of newspapers, and the difference in how winning or losing is scoreboards in the case of television, take conveyed. Whereas The London Free Press up significant amounts of space. This tends to frame both its professional and reporting of scores in a stand-alone fashion local stories in the same manner, usually along with the fact that winning is by far the mentioning the score in the first few most prevalent feature of news coverage in paragraphs and then outlining what events general, significantly divorces the outcome led to the outcome, the smaller local paper from the process and may usually tells the story in suggest to young Canadian chronological order with the readers that scoring and outcome of the game near the winning are more important end. The effect of reading than how you play the game. about the games in this manner is that winning is not In terms of community-based as emphasized and the process sports, the most popular is more evident than when theme is identical to that scores are reported first. found in professional coverage: winning and losing. What about opinion pieces? Next, in contrast to the depiction of professional With respect to types of news outcomes, is a description of coverage, after hard news and skills or positions the athletes features, the most prevalent play and strategies that aided form is the column. Columns them to win their game. In fact, for the are usually written by a seasoned sports weekly Journal Argus, game descriptions writer who, because he10 knows the field so sometimes outnumber winning as the well, has a large degree of latitude in terms primary theme. The effect is that while of subject matter. Columns are not winning is obviously important, being necessarily tied to the most recent events or skillful, playing your position and games, but they tend to be related to current supporting your team are also part of the community news agenda. Can this local coverage offset for young readers the emphasis on scores and winning that the 10 The term ‘he’ is used here because out of the 295 larger papers usually offer? columns analysed, only one was written by a woman and it was a roundup of soccer events, not a commentary per se.

90 Watching the Pros vs. Playing the Game affairs in the same way as other types of on issues related to money, ownership and news. athletes’ skills. While columns were surveyed for the prevalence of The vast majority of columns in The Globe, sportsmanship as a theme, most mention The Free Press and La Presse are about only those plays that resulted in scoring or professional athletes and professional injuries—plays that directly affected the games. For The Globe and La Presse, the ratio outcome of the game as opposed to those of pro to amateur is about 30:1. For the having to do with fairness, honesty, Free Press, it is about 25:1. Given that this consideration for other athletes and so paper sells itself in part based on its local forth. This lack of discussion on sports coverage, it is surprising that its sportsmanship was equivalent in columns columnists don’t devote more space to about professional and amateur sports. commentary on local athletes or teams. Does this silence around good However, columns tend to be critical and sportsmanship leave Canadian amateurs while the sports editor, Dave Langford, says with the impression that these kinds of that The Free Press doesn’t shy away from values are unimportant? negativity in amateur coverage, columnists may subconsciously feel less comfortable The opportunity does exist for these commenting on young athletes who are not commentary writers to open a larger professionals. discussion around issues relating to fair play, the value of competition and the merits of On the other hand, the purpose of columns, integration of sport and community. At like news in general, is not to act as a present, this discussion rarely occurs. community cheerleader, so the result may be that it’s easier to comment on professional rather than local sports. Diversity in Media Coverage Another point to consider is that a large For a variety of reasons, media coverage is number of columns in The Free Press are not as diverse as one might reasonably imported from the paper’s head office, expect. Sports pages and sports broadcasts Sunmedia/Quebecor. Similarly, La Presse are still sexist, class-oriented, largely white relies heavily on AP and other wire services, and dominated by able-bodied people. so these common stories must be relevant to all newspapers in the chain or member Since the vast majority of media coverage group. focuses on the world of professional sport, and because pro sports are an almost all- Do opinion pieces have different themes male arena, hard news, features, profiles and than news stories? columns focus exclusively on women 7.5% of the time. Similarly, women do not appear In terms of prevalent themes, the columns, in as many photographs depicting like the hard news stories and features, professional athletes. Photos of exclusively focus predominantly on who’s winning and women make up 7.2% and photos including

The Sport We Want 91 both sexes make up 1.6%. When women amateur players, only 9 or 2.9% are of non- do appear in pro photos, they are almost as whites. When young athletes of colour do likely to appear only in a tightly framed not see their faces regularly in the sports ‘headshot’ as they are an action shot. While pages, do they wonder if they really belong the numbers of longer hard news stories on the sports fields? were not tabulated separately from the short Because The London Free Press and the Journal summaries or ‘Briefs,’ the impression is that Argus cover local sports, and because photographs of professional women often women and girls are participating in sport in appear in the ‘Briefs’ section where there are ever-increasing numbers, there is a greater a few words about a player’s latest win and a opportunity for more equal representation close-up of her face rather than in a longer in the amateur coverage. However, despite hard news piece or a feature. The fact that the greater numbers available, in terms of women tend to appear in head shots rather total number of stories (hard news, features, than action-based photos and their columns and profiles) devoted solely to likelihood of appearing more in the Briefs women’s or girls’ athletic endeavours, the could give Canadian women and girls the ratio is 3 men to 1 woman. 16.6% of the impression that they are more to be ‘looked stories cover both sexes. at’ than admired for their athletic abilities, and their accomplishments are less worthy Photographs don’t suggest much gender because coverage does not approach equality either. Women and girls are the sole equality. focus of pictures 23.7% of the time. Again, females are as likely to be shown in a casual People of colour fare slightly better in pose or a headshot as they are actually professional photo coverage than in playing a game. amateur. Of the 1511 photos total, 141 are non-whites. Of the photos of non-whites, Arguably part of the media’s mandate is to pros make up 93.6% and amateurs 6.4%. represent its communities to themselves and But professional athletes of colour represent to each other. While La Presse is very good only 11.2 % of the overall total of pro at playing up Quebec athletes and noting photos. Because a large number of African their successes at home and abroad, in American and Latin American men play general, The Globe and The Free Press don’t football, basketball and baseball, this figure often note a player’s hometown or province is undoubtedly low. What is, however, even unless the piece is a profile of that player less acceptable is the extremely low number and the reason for coverage is because the of people of colour in amateur photographs. angle is ‘once-local athlete does well.’ The For example, in the city of London references that were recorded included a (population 300,000), there is a First fairly diverse cross-section of east/west Nations population of about 10,000 people representation, but only one was from the and this is only one segment of the non- white population. But of the 329 shots of

92 Watching the Pros vs. Playing the Game 11 Far North and none named a First The Larger Implications Nations Reserve. The impression our young th Canadians might get is that urban Canada 19 Century amateur recreation and participation th matters most and that sports aren’t played in has been transformed into late 20 Century any organized fashion in the North or on spectator-centered technology and business. 12 reserves. Lawrence Wenner, Mediasport

Athletes with disabilities are similarly We don’t need a content analysis to tell us invisible in news coverage. In the television that the coverage of sport in today’s media broadcasts, only footage of able-bodied is almost exclusively about ‘major league’ athletes was shown. Of the 2461 stories sports: highly skilled athletes compete (professional and amateur, hard news, against each other to win big pay cheques features, profiles and columns) in The Globe, and entertain audiences. No one with a The Free Press, La Presse and the Journal Argus, critical eye is really fooled. This is not sport 13 or .5% make reference to athletes with a for the beauty or exhilaration of disability. And in several of these instances, participation; it’s not about good the disability was a throat problem that sportsmanship, fair play, honesty, respect or curling skip Bryan Cochrane has and the self-discipline. It’s not about the values story was about how he uses a whistle to most parents and coaches want children to signal his team on the rink. In terms of learn. Coverage of professional sport is big photographs, there were 2 in total (both in business and it’s become an integral part of The London Free Press). The overall the entertainment industry. The question is, impression is that coverage of athletes with given that most young people are not a disability only occurs when there is a educated about the underlying messages of major tournament like the Paralymics or if pro sports, do they import expectations, they do play in ‘mainstream’ competition, behaviours and problematic values from the they are noteworthy because, like Cochrane, media coverage to the local playing fields? they play in a unique way. Otherwise, these The purpose of media coverage of athletes don’t appear in the news. professional sports is to deliver audiences to advertisers. That sports broadcasts and sports pages are of paramount importance to their media outlets is supported by the fact that significant amounts of time and resources are devoted to their provision. A recent survey conducted by The London Free 11 This was a tragic story about Brandon police facing disciplinary action because they did not follow Press suggests that the sports section is the procedure in releasing a drunk driver into the custody of a sober adult. The charged youth, Terrence Tootoo, brother of Jordan, subsequently committed suicide. “Police face discipline in Tootoo 12 Wenner, Lawrence A. “Playing the Mediasport case.” The Globe and Mail. Saturday, October 5, 2002. Game,” in Mediasport, Lawrence A. Wenner Ed., S8. London: Routledge, 1998.

The Sport We Want 93 second most important reason people cite When Steve Yzerman chose to play in the for purchasing the paper. The Free Press also playoffs last year despite being injured, he employs 8.5 people in its sports was rewarded by flattering coverage that department—roughly 14% of their inscribed him as a superhuman who news/reporting/copy editing staff and sacrificed his health in pursuit of the win. equivalent to the same percent of their total When young Canadians see the media budget. Similarly, Canwest/Global spends honouring Yzerman’s behaviour, it may lead equal amounts of broadcast time on news them to think that they, too, should place and sports at 11pm—half an hour each. winning above health concerns.

Media organizations make their profits Violence, too, is an intrinsic value of the through selling advertising; or rather, by entertainment world. So players like Tie selling audiences to advertisers. Both Domi will be shown with numerous cuts, advertisers and the media know their target bruises and stitches, in an enormous close- audience for sports is men between the ages up photograph on the front page of the of 18 and 40. A glance through the pages of sports section. This coverage is not because the local sports section in The London Free he is a skilled player or because he was a Press shows that most of the ads are for good sport. He’s a fighter and that’s gained beer, racetracks, sports equipment, cars and him star status. This behaviour is rewarded sex-related items like strip clubs and adults- by his coach, his team’s owners, the fans, only videos. So sport is no longer a sacred the media coverage and the outcome of the experience; it’s a media product and the game: if he beats up enough people, the reality is profane. Leafs might win.

Sport is easily used for the purpose of The appeal of violence is so great that Don entertainment because the pursuit of athletic Cherry makes a great deal of money from excellence is entertaining. Conflict is one of the sale of his “Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em” videos the most important elements of news that replay hockey’s goriest moments and coverage in general and sport employs a most vicious brawls. This is the glamour of contest filled with challenges, risks, violence, the entertainment industry but it is not victory and defeat. We enjoy watching the related to the ethics of sport. struggle and become vested in the outcome. The overall impression from the coverage But it is important to distinguish between of professional sport is a ‘win at any cost’ sport played for its own sake and sport that attitude. In the 1998 American Baseball is packaged for sale. Professional sport season, there was not much media places an inordinate amount of emphasis on condemnation of Mark McGwire’s use of winning. It’s clear that being a winner performance enhancing substances or the means money, popularity and in some cases, ascension to heroic stature.

94 Watching the Pros vs. Playing the Game lack of clear doping policies in baseball.13 celebrated figures. They win for all of us. What was important was setting the home Through media exposure, athletes are run record because that was entertaining. commodified and used as tools to win. They People will watch or read about that: and can be bought, sold and traded—these when they do, is it with the impression that stories are covered—but when these people these entertainment values are synonymous are injured or past their profitable with the values of amateur sport? productive period, they are expendable. What happens after an athlete’s career has The leads of print stories that speak of the ended rarely makes a front page, or an final scores, and the television packaging of inside story for that matter. sports ‘highlights’—in hockey, highlights are goals and fights—divorce the outcome from But while athletes are on top of their game the process. The essential factors of the and winning, they are stars in the making, plays themselves become lost because they simply are not emphasized in the way sports Media provide a mechanism for transforming coverage is constructed. Often they athletes into nationally celebrated figures. are not even mentioned. The effect They win for all of us for Canadian readers and viewers is that athletes appear to exist in a and the value of this potential is not lost on state of constant goal scoring or fighting; large corporations. A significant part of the the more ‘mundane’ aspects of the games transformation process from athlete to are edited out. Do parents, coaches and celebrity involves advertisers who want to even kids themselves expect their sports sell products and these businesses know experiences to be like the compacted, that an endorsement from a hockey or media-created games? Do parents, coaches baseball star will help their sales and kids think the majority of their game tremendously. These athletes then appear in time should comprise ‘highlights’ and goals? a variety of coverage—not just during And if so, does this media-created image games—and their popularity is multiplied. affect local athletes who might prefer to Their success is self-evident. But now, how enjoy the challenge of the game rather than they behave off the field is as interesting to emulate what they consider to be the media outlets as how they behave and play behaviour of their professional elders? on the field.

Media provide a mechanism for The problem is, these athletes didn’t transforming athletes into nationally necessarily sign on to be role models for kids, coaches or parents. Still, when convicted rapist Mike Tyson fights Evander 13 Indebted to “The Mixing of Professional and Holyfield and thousands of fans scream at Amateur Sport: Ethical Considerations.” A ringside, the issue of whether or not his Discussion Paper. Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, September 1999. p.4. morally bereft personal life ought to be part

The Sport We Want 95 of his public performance needs to be the half-time entertainment, Shania Twain. raised. How do we separate violence in one The commentaries written or broadcast sphere from violence in another? Do youths about Twain’s lip-syncing performance and understand the distinction? Is celebrating a her revealing bustier were almost as professional athlete’s sports abilities numerous as opinions about the game itself. tantamount to accepting his personal On CBC Radio One the following day, CBC mores? sports commentator Kevin Sylvester spent several minutes discussing his Local sports are played in a broad context disappointment with her performance. and that environment is one that’s largely created by coverage. In general, the media There is tremendous hyping of some types serve an agenda-setting function; that is, of contests—generally football and they set the parameters for the discussion hockey—and this makes it clear to and have an impact on ideas, attitudes and audiences which contests are worthy of behaviours. And in many cases, local sports coverage and respect. Some sports are are framed in nearly identical ways to considered valid or ‘manly,’ while others professional stories. This implies to our clearly are not. Recently, on a popular youths that the issues are the same. So while London radio station, a DJ commented that we might want to separate professional he couldn’t believe that coverage of curling from community coverage, or say that we see could take up most of the front page of The pro sport but live amateur,14 the distinction London Free Press sports section. He said, is simply not that clear. “Come on. What about real sports? Curling is just housework on ice.”15 The implication Because of the influence of entertainment for Canadian athletes is clear: real sports are values in sport coverage, there are for men; curling is for women or sissies. numerous instances where games become opportunities for broadcasting musical In part, these types of comments emerge performances, parades, soap opera style from the language journalists and profiles and other material unrelated to commentators use to describe sports in athletic pursuits. In recent coverage of the general: The “sharp shooters” and Olympic Games, the actual events took up “snipers” take shots with “laser-like” only a fraction of the overall broadcast time. precision in a contest billed as “first blood”; Instead, the networks focused on athletes’ they “batter,” “annihilate,” “flatten,” calamities, family details, personal challenges “crush,” “mow down” and “trample” their and so on. In Super Bowl 2003, the Tampa opponents. In order to win, even golfers Bay Buccaneers shared the front page with must “really stick to their guns.”16 While the

14 Indebted to “Discussion Paper on the Influences 15 DJ Paul Damen, Drive Home Show, FM 96, of Professional Sport in the context of the Canadian London, Ontario. Monday, March 3, 2003. Strategy for Ethical Conduct in Sport.” Canadian 16 All taken from The London Free Press. These words Centre for Ethics in Sport. December 2001 (revised are so common that they don’t merit individual April 2002). P.2. citations.

96 Watching the Pros vs. Playing the Game language of description is softer in the local only once in all the coverage surveyed, and coverage of the community weekly, the it was used in a sarcastic, ironic manner. Journal Argus, virtually the same descriptors The London Free Press ran a photo of Bobby are used for professional and amateur sports Orr and a ‘teaser’ headline encouraging in The London Free Press. On-air commentary readers to turn to sports for more. The by the New PL is similar in style to headline read, “Hockey Heresy: NHL London’s local paper. When they discuss Legend Bobby Orr preaches making minor London’s Junior A team, the London hockey fun, of all things.”17 In a Knights, they are “battling it out” or commentary in the sports section, columnist “drilling goals” into the net of their Jim Kernaghan makes it clear that the man opponents. This kind of language, obviously who “made all things impossible seem heavy in militaristic overtones, serves to possible in the NHL,” is trying something reinforce the larger values of the battle: even more challenging: making war-like attitudes, behaviours kids’ hockey enjoyable. And and outcomes. This type of although this is the point of talk indirectly supports the story, Kernaghan then violence and brutality and chooses to devote a great deal excludes discussions about of his column space to fairness, justice, skills and the reminiscing about Orr’s past, beauty of participation. his bad knees and his once- Combining the war mentality great skills. Despite Orr’s with an outcome based on status as a star, and despite ultimate supremacy means that promoting fun being the in some cases, even when central reason for his athletes win, only first place appearance, the news really counts. This point is judgment implies that putting demonstrated in a recent fun back in hockey isn’t headline in The Free Press about Hermann enough to warrant undivided coverage. Maier, “Herminator continues to amaze. But he’s not happy with a Super-G silver at The Glass Ceiling, the White the world alpine ski championships.” Room and the Lack of Elevator One word that is noticeably absent from all Access the sports coverage is ‘fun.’ While most Media coverage can create communities. people agree that playing sports at a local Journalists, commentators and news level is supposed to encourage physical professionals decide who and what gets fitness, well-being, self-esteem and so on, it is implied that all these goals are pursued for fun—that everyone has a good time in the 17 “Hockey Heresy: NHL Legend Bobby Orr preaches making minor hockey fun, of all things.” process. However, the term ‘fun’ appeared The London Free Press, Thursday, August 8, 2002. A1.

The Sport We Want 97 covered, in what way, and how often. suggestive poses on the covers of men’s Because our country is vast, we rely on the magazines. Said veteran broadcaster Pat media to create a community for us—a Marsden when asked if women get hired for place where we can see ourselves reflected their looks alone, “Put it this way. As far as to each other. Because of the near women go, I haven’t seen a homely one monopoly that professional sport coverage yet.”18 Similarly, City-TV sportscaster has, and because Canada’s ‘national Kathryn Humphreys defends her decision pastime,’ hockey, is largely white, most of to pose naked with other women the coverage reflects these realities. But the sportscasters on the cover of Urban Male problem is greater than simply saying that Magazine, by saying, “That was so much women don’t play major league sports or about nothing. I cover men chasing balls that not a lot of people of African descent around. For that, I don’t think I need to be play hockey. The issue is that even around taken seriously.”19 the games themselves, minorities are The implication is obvious: men do battle excluded or devalued and marginalized. on the field while women sit on the sidelines watching, cheering and being beautiful. Women and Girls Women commentators aren’t taken Hockey Night in Canada recently hired a seriously and even serious commentators new on-air person, Martine Gaillard, to do make fun of themselves. A female the ‘on ice’ interviews with players. She’s sportscaster on Canada AM recently pointed young, blond and attractive; she is a stark out on-air that she was wearing unmatched contrast to Ron Maclean and Don Cherry. earrings. This was the prelude to her But her functional role is highly commentary on curling. On two recent questionable. While she may know hockey, CBC Radio One broadcasts, Ontario Morning this skill is not made apparent. She isn’t host Erica Ritter introduced the fill-in employed to make a commentary, like sports commentator, Martina Fitzgerald, by Maclean or Cherry; she just asks the players commenting on her pearl necklace. In a later questions and leaves it to the men to make show, she noted Fitzgerald’s shirt. While the analysis. there is nothing inherently wrong with unscripted chitchat or self-deprecating This situation is symptomatic of the entire comments, the situation is unimaginable framing of major league sports. On should the sportscaster have been male. television, the vast majority of sports desks That this is the norm of sports coverage are literally ‘manned.’ When women do suggests to Canadian girls that their role in appear (and they are in increasing numbers sport is to support men and regardless of because they do increase the ratings), the charge that they are being hired for their

looks is often made. One recent Toronto Sun 18 article noted the number of sportscasters The Toronto Sun. “They’ve Come A Long Way…Or Have They?” Friday, January 31, 2003. B2. who have recently appeared in Playboy, or in 19 Ibid, B3.

98 Watching the Pros vs. Playing the Game their own athletic ability or knowledge of of authority or superiority. Women’s the game, their physical appearance is what appearance is still an issue. While it could be matters. argued that when covering kids’ sports, it’s acceptable to comment on a child’s Women and girls do have the opportunity appearance, when the reference is not to be players in the amateur sections of gender-neutral, this approach is debatable. sports coverage. Yet despite the fact there is For instance, a recent column about a phenomenal growth of women’s sport,20 as children’s karate tournament called one girl the content analysis shows, media coverage champion a “cutie” and described another’s remains largely devoted to men and boys. In “bouncing curls.” The effect of this is that the context of The London Free Press, the like female sports commentators, these territory is clearly carved out as ‘male.’ At children’s athletic achievements are The Free Press, advertisers may choose in which section of the paper their ads will appear. The range of a recent column about a children’s karate ads in this section of the paper tournament called one girl champion a “cutie” and shows that in terms of audience described another’s “bouncing curls” appeal, the majority are aimed at men: there are numerous ads overshadowed by the appeal of their for beer, cars, sports equipment, hair appearance. transplants, strip clubs and race tracks. In several instances, the only photographs of Skin Colour, Race and Ethnicity women in the sports section were in ads related to sex products.21 Part of the implicit argument being made is that youths are influenced by what they see Sports language is not neutral. Women still on television and in the sports pages. get referred to in stereotypical ways such as Largely, youths need some sort of when a Globe column about curlers is titled, identification with a player in order to feel a “Diamonds are this Girl’s Best Friend.”22 connection and perhaps, to believe that he Similarly, women are more often referred to or she could have a place participating in by their first names than are their male that particular sport. If you are a young counterparts. This difference makes women person of Innu heritage, and you don’t see appear more like girls and demonstrates that Innu athletes in the national media, do you those commenting on them are in positions feel excluded or marginalized? Does this lack of coverage have an impact on what sports you choose to play? Did the success 20 http://www.caaws.ca/Action/winter99/ media__guide.htm of Jordan Tootoo and the wide-ranging 21 For example, Monday, February 3, 2003, and media coverage of that success have a Monday, May 13, 2002. positive influence on the hopes, aspirations 22 Bill Weeks. “Diamonds are this Girl’s Best and behaviours of other Inuit children? Friend.” The Globe and Mail. Monday, February 2, 2003.

The Sport We Want 99 From the perspective of colour, there are a scope of this paper to offer a percentage of number of athletes of African and Spanish non-white players active in the professional descent in football, basketball and baseball. leagues, the fact that The Globe and Mail, La Because these games are regularly broadcast Presse and The London Free Press run on mainstream television, they do have a photographs of white athletes almost 90% profile in the world of professional sport. of the time surely does not reflect the reality This coverage can demonstrate to Canadian of the sample population.24 kids that in the world of pro sports, colour While it is difficult to quantify news doesn’t matter, and success—social, judgment—how editors decide what economic, athletic—is not dependent on amount of coverage a piece deserves—there being white. were stories that appeared in the ‘Briefs’ Despite the fact that one of the world’s section of the newspapers that appeared to most successful golfers is a be significant enough to Black/Asian American (Tiger warrant larger stories and full- Woods), and the two most size photographs. For successful female tennis example, in The Globe and Mail, players are of African there were a few words about American descent (Serena and the fact that tennis star Serena Venus Williams), in terms of Williams lost for only the print coverage, the fourth time in ten months, but representation of people of this appeared in the last slot of colour is still woefully the Briefs section.25 Similarly, inadequate. This is particularly The London Free Press ran a very the case if there is merit in the short note about the death of age-old saying ‘a picture is Joe Black, the first Black worth a thousand words.’ It’s pitcher to win a World Series difficult to quantify the game, in the Briefs section.26 number of non-whites in written texts because this aspect is not usually commented on in the story, but the evident in the text of the story. Therefore, the photograph tally from the content contention is that such stories do not raise the visibility of people of colour in the print media. In analysis—which is the basis from which contrast, photographs provide a clear indication of these comments are made—suggests that presence or absence and can help create, confirm and maintain the impression in readers that people of there is still a significant inequity in all the colour do play sports. newspapers in both the professional and 24 For photographs of professionals, The Globe and amateur coverage.23 While it is beyond the Mail runs 81% white, The London Free Press runs 85% white and La Presse runs 97% white. 25 The Globe and Mail, “Serena Williams Loses for Just 4th time All Year.” Saturday, August 10, 2002. S6. 23 An example to clarify: If one reads a story about baseball, it may, in fact, be true that the majority of 26 The London Free Press. “Baseball Notes.” Saturday, this team’s players are non-whites, but this is not May 18, 2002. E6.

100 Watching the Pros vs. Playing the Game This story wasn’t mentioned at all in La Presse or The Globe and Mail.

Athletes with Disabilities

For athletes with a disability, the opportunities to see themselves in the pages of the newspaper or on television are extremely rare. In total, mentions of athletes with a disability made up half a percent of all the stories in all the media analysed. In addition, one of those stories and an accompanying photograph were about curling skip Bryan Cochrane’s use of a whistle to win the Nokia Cup Provincial Curling Championship. The almost total absence of this segment of our sports population implies that these athletes are of no interest to audiences and their athletic endeavours only merit coverage when their events are of such a significant size that they cannot be ignored. Like women and girls, or people of colour, athletes with a disability may equate the lack of media coverage of their sports with lack of value in active participation at the local level.

The Sport We Want 101