While a discrepancy still exists between the frequency of coverage between women’s and men’s basketball, an even wider difference is evident in how the two sports are covered. This section will explore the ways in which women’s basketball has been covered in the newspaper by dissecting the discourse used within headlines and newspaper articles

In 1997, two New York Times articles were released regarding the potential of women’s basketball (see below). While one was titled, “Women’s Basketball Can’t Be a Star Game,” the other had the headline, “Too Much Praise for the W.N.B.A.” Both articles were released within months of each other and expressed similar sentiments about the future of women’s basketball. Such headlines insinuate that women’s basketball is not valuable enough and can never be valued like the men’s team due to the perceived inferior nature of women’s athletics; women players are marked as ‘less than’ and ‘inferior’ to their male counterparts. It is unfortunate to see female athletes are not only publicly doubted, but also wrongfully compared to men athletes; the lack of positivity or hope associated with the future of women’s basketball as a valued and respected sport reveals the misogynistic nature of sports coverage.

In addition, newspaper articles typically frame women’s basketball as a sport that has simply dragged on without any real success. The attention and focus of these articles are allocated towards the mediocre fan-base and support women’s basketball receives. The factors that lead to such mediocrity, such as inequality of pay, treatment, financial support, and adequate coverage, are constantly overlooked. As a result, headlines frame women’s basketball as unsuccessful.  As seen above, headlines worked to point out the lack of attention and respect women’s basketball received. It is important to note the satirical nature of this headline in particular; it works to confirm how women’s basketball was constantly seen as a joke, rather than a legitimate sport.

Such satirical discourse continued in newspaper headlines throughout the years to continue to devalue women’s basketball. In 2018, the newspaper article came out titled, “Welcome to the W.N.B.A.: Good Luck Finding a Job.” This article worked to expose the likelihood of actually making it to the W.N.B.A.. The language used almost positions the W.N.B.A. as something not even worth trying for; the sport is framed as a worthless shot in the dark. It is important to question why these newspaper articles are not pushing for aspiring athletes to try to pursue the W.N.B.A.. Women’s basketball is devalued as a sport and as a women’s sport. The lack of support it receives in headlines, even in 2018, exposes the sexist hierarchy within sports; while men’s sports are always positively represented in headlines, even when they are not meeting the standards fans are hoping to see, they are rarely framed in discouraging terms.

In many instances, newspaper coverage has emphasized female players’ physical appearance, rather than discussing their athletic performances in the most recent game. The tendency to focus on the “beauty” of these players works to remind readers that female basketball players are women first, and athletes second. Unlike male players, who receive notable attention for their “outstanding” athleticism and dedication to the game as basketball players, women players are often stripped of their label as a basketball player and presented simply as a female. Their appearance is also constantly being compared to societal beauty standards.

The NY Times released an article in 2001 that was dedicated to the “beauty and grace” of women basketball players, as seen above. The headline claims the sport is defined by beauty; that is, beauty of the plays AND of the players. Such rhetoric works to make women’s basketball synonymous with beauty and, therefore, assumes there is a value associated with women player’s physical appearance, not just physical performance.

Years later, another headline made the spotlight concerning the outward appearance of women basketball players; in 2014, Skylar Diggins’ hair routine made headlines. The article claimed Diggins “needed” to constantly be changing the appearance of her hair as a notable W.N.B.A player. The discourse used within the headlines that presents makeovers as “needs” for female athletes and the overall focus on these women’s physical appearance proves to be rather misogynistic; it is not necessary to comment on the physical attributes and beauty of athletes, especially when male athletes do not receive such attention and pressure to be aware of their “beauty.”

Collegiate and professional players are discouraged with the ways the media frames their sport as a less than version of men’s basketball. This past March Madness tournament, in particular, players spoke out about their frustration. Breanna Stewart, who once played for UConn and is now a professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm, made headlines for calling out the NCAA for their lack of respect towards the women’s game during March Madness.

Breanna, along with many other female basketball players, fans, and supporters of women’s basketball, took issue with the NCAA’s tweet during the tournament, which can be located below. The tweet claimed there were no games until that upcoming Thursday, but Breanna was quick to point out that there were in fact women’s games occurring during that time. The newspaper headline regarding Breanna’s action does not necessarily reward her for rightfully calling out the NCAA for overlooking women’s basketball and focusing solely on the men’s tournament, but does position her against the NCAA. While she did receive both backlash and support on twitter, it was at least a step in the right direction that her action did not go unnoticed this year, allowing for a catching headline and initiating a meaningful conversation.

Since the start of its existence, women’s basketball has been negatively portrayed in newspaper reporting. Catchy headlines and articles rife with misogynistic discourse frame the sport as inferior and unsuccessful.  The performance of outstanding female athletes is overlooked, while athletes’ appearance and beauty regimens are instead unnecessarily brought to the forefront. While it appears as though such headlines may start to be changing as the sport receives more attention thanks to people like Breanna Stewart, the patriarchal and misogynistic society we live in today constantly presents women in sports as the lesser version of male athletes playing a male’s sport.