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Feminist Approaches to Media Theory and Research pp 111–130Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Feminist Sports Media Studies: State of the Field

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Part of the book series: Comparative Feminist Studies ((CFS))

Abstract

Feminist analyses have long informed studies of sports media by detecting and interrogating gender hierarchies and gendered expressions of power. In the current “postfeminist” media environment, women celebrate through individualized narratives of progress, but continue to face structural barriers as a group. To critically assess cultural shifts around women’s potential in sport and media, feminist scholars face a challenge and an opportunity to question underlying assumptions that have informed their analyses.

This chapter critically assesses three interconnected areas of research on women and sports media: representation, workplace cultures, and consumption/fandom. Further, the chapter provides theoretical insights into future directions in feminist sports media research and discusses implications for the field.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bradley University, Peoria, IL, USA

    Dunja Antunovic

  2. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Erin Whiteside

Authors
  1. Dunja Antunovic
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  2. Erin Whiteside
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Correspondence to Dunja Antunovic .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA

    Dustin Harp

  2. Bob Schieffer College of Communication, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, USA

    Jaime Loke

  3. School of Communications, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Ingrid Bachmann

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Antunovic, D., Whiteside, E. (2018). Feminist Sports Media Studies: State of the Field. In: Harp, D., Loke, J., Bachmann, I. (eds) Feminist Approaches to Media Theory and Research. Comparative Feminist Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90838-0_8

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