An Alternative to Talent?
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Play-the-game-Magazine-2002.qxd 11-06-2003 11:43 Side 14 Sex appeal – an alternative to talent? Sport is big business. In the fight for sponsorship and media coverage, female athletes are increasingly selling their sexuality, while the media plays along By Marlene Jensen a strong woman an attractive wo- a large extent, Kournikova herself or- Is man? And is a strong woman inter- chestrates the type of media coverage esting? The American athlete Marion Jo- she is subjected to. This is evident by the nes won five gold medals at the Olympic way she poses for the cameras. »Anna Games in Sydney. But even though she Kournikova is not necessarily a victim was certainly the most successful female of the media,« she says. »Not only is she athlete at the games, she was not the sexy, she is also very powerful. Without most photographed. That honour went her cooperation, the media would not to Amy Acuff, the American high jum- have been able to create the image per and part time model, who won not- which she has today.« hing. Amy Acuff has since claimed that her goal was not so much to win medals, Sex symbols but to be featured on the cover of Sports »The media has a huge influence on Illustrated. In an interview with the ma- sport because an overwhelmingly large gazine Rolling Stone, she said 'I wanted proportion of the public experience to demonstrate that female athletes can sport through the media,« continues be competitive, ambitious and success- Bernstein. »Although the media consi- ful and still retain their feminine quali- ders itself to be reflecting what is impor- ties.' Acuff's implication appears to be tant in sport, it neglects female athletes. that competitiveness, drive and success Their underrepresentation gives the im- are not 'natural' female qualities – unlike pression that they either don't exist or the ability to appear half naked in ma- they are of very little value.« Alina gazines! Bernstein adds that this lack of coverage Despite never winning a Grand Slam is partly to blame for the fact that many tournament (she won Australian Open sportswomen have difficulty finding in double with Martina Hingis in 1999, sponsors. though never a title in single!), Anna »Women did beat men at their own Kournikova is the most photographed game in the media's coverage of last sportswoman of modern times. Lindsay year's Wimbledon tennis tournament,« Davenport has achieved this feat on nu- she continues. »The women's doubles fi- merous occasions, but for every picture nal, for example, attracted more US TV of Davenport, 20 of Kournikova are viewers than the men's singles final'. published. A quick search on the Inter- However, she adds that this boom in po- net reveals the extent of the two players' pularity was not caused by a fresh ent- respective popularity. While a search on husiasm for women's tennis – rather, by Lindsay Davenport's name gives 92,100 the 'attractiveness' of the female players hits, Anna Kournikova gives 491,000. on show. »Anna Kournikova's profile is built »Appearance is important, but not at around her sexuality,« says Alina Berns- any price,« she adds. Search for Anna Kournikova on one Internet search engine and tein, an Israeli sociologist and anthropo- Despite the tendency for women to at- you will be presented with 491,000 hits and links to homepages logist based at Leicester University. »It tract more media coverage as a result, across the world. You can purchase her pin up calendar, watch is her body and her looks that get her at- Bernstein believes that by being por- the video she recently made with her new boyfriend Ricky Iglecias tention – not her performances.« trayed as sex symbols, they are being and even be lucky enough to contract a computer virus named Alina Bernstein, who is the introdu- symbolically degraded. As one example, after her. The pop band 'Binge' has a song about Kournikova ctory speaker in a debate entitled The she cites the different methods in which currently featuring in the Lycos Top Ten Video chart. Kournikova Syndrome, believes that to sports commentators refer to women and Play the game 2002 14 Play-the-game-Magazine-2002.qxd 11-06-2003 11:43 Side 15 This initiative is the only of its kind worldwide. It is a very “important project if we want to preserve values in sport Sandro Donati, Head of Research, CONI, Italy ” PHOTO: POLFOTO »Sport has be- Starting come business the Day at the highest level – if you With Sport cannot provide the right goods you have to Many Vietnamese workers parti- produce some- thing else to cipate in some form of sporting sell,« says activity at four or five o' clock in Gertrud Pfister the morning. Thúy Há Nguén, from the University of a sports journalist on the English Copenhagen Language Vietnam News, is no exception men. »An investigation showed that wo- For Thúy Há Nguén, starting the day with a game of bad- men were referred to by their Christian minton is as natural as brushing her teeth. In fact, half an name 53% of the time. This compared to hour in the badminton court is generally the first thing she just eight percent of men,« she points out. does after finishing her bathroom duties. And she does not Beauty for Sale lack playing partners – her mother, father, brother, neig- »Beauty is not something we are or we hbours and friends all follow the same routine. have – it's something we make or create. Similar morning schedules exist for many thousands of Vi- And the media has a powerful role in de- etnamese, who take over Hanoi's parks early in the morning termining the 'attractiveness' of athletes,« »Media present to warm themselves up before starting work. »Exercise is an says Professor Gertrud Pfister of Copen- hagen University. »Over half the media's female athletes excellent start for a long, deskbound working day in front of coverage of sportswomen concerns their as sterotype the computer,« says Thúy Há Nguén. appearance, not their performance.« sex symbols« Despite the fact that she is a competent badminton Like Alina Bernstein, Gertrud Pfister says Alina player, she rarely plays in tournaments. The same applies to believes that the media portrays sports- Bernstein, tennis, which once in a while replaces badminton as her pre- women as the vulnerable sex, and that media many women willingly play their part ferred morning exercise. On the tennis court she plays with researcher in the process. To emphasise her point three or four friends – but, as with badminton, they do not from Tel Aviv she shows overhead projections dis- play structured matches. When the points are not counted, playing pictures of half-naked women – there can be no winners nor losers. amongst them badminton star Camilla Thúy Há Nguén has previously been a member of a ten- Martin from her photo session for the nis club, but as membership entailed playing matches, her Smart business cover of men's magazine 'M'. Gertrud Pfister adds that the female athlete who involvement was short-llived She prefers to play for her own woman, seductive poses most in the media was, and still is, babe or sharp tennis health and well being. Anna Kournikova. In fact, sports results only begin to matter when she arrives player? Anna »Anna Kournikova is for sale,« says Kournikova knows Gertrud Pfister. »On the Internet there is at the editorial desk of the Vietnam News in central Hanoi. how to win the no limit to what you can buy – Anna Here, she helps to produce four daily pages of results and re- media without Kournikova books, pin-up calendars, ports focusing on both national and international sport. Such a any major victories and much, much more. She has become task demands sports journalists are at the peak of their form. the object of collective voyeurism.« at the tennis field khr 15 Play the game 2002.