MEN CAN'T SIT ON THE SIDELINES

Many times when the conversation of women's sports not getting the same attention than men's sports come up, a rebuttal is usually given that it's because women's sports doesn't have enough spectators and bring in the same money.  Well, let's dive into that a little bit and first talk about what men's sports receives that women's sports doesn't; such as monetary investment, media coverage, and societal support.


If you ever look at a male star athlete, you'll notice that brands provide huge sponsorships giving these athletes placement on billboards, magazines, buses, video games, etc... where consumers not only begin to recognize the athlete, but begin to feel like they know them.  Brands are capable of marketing athletes and create a following, but it's not the same amount of sponsorship women athletes receive.  However, some brands are beginning to see the value in investing in women athletes, like Nike.  In 2019, they launched a campaign called "Dream Crazier" bringing to light the double standard for female athletes and feel 2019 is the "tipping point" for women in sports.  Retailers are now starting to increase the amount of products that support female athletes and guess what? They're selling, they're selling fast!


The second major benefit men's sports receives is media coverage. When looking at media coverage, not only is women's sports coverage only 4% of total sports media, but the reporting typically doesn't focus on performance.  To perpetuate the problem further is that females also only make up 4% of sports reporters.


Lastly, societal support leans favorably to men's sports more so than women's, and this is where everyone plays a role.  As of late this is beginning to change with women athletes finally receiving the recognition they deserve for being the badass SHEthletes they are, but media needs to stop changing the narrative.  You have superstar athletes like LeBron James and Draymond Green going to WNBA games, but the highlight is usually their attendance of the game as opposed to the game itself.  Therefore, men can't just sit on the sidelines, they need to keep speaking to the talent of these women.  In an industry dominated by men, these women need your support, they need you to be allies.  Hire them.  Pay them.  Give them the coverage they deserve.  Their talent will bring in the spectators, it will bring in the money, but they require to be supported. #watchmework #supporther