The next Summer Olympic Games aren’t until 2024, so there’s still time for broadcasters to rethink their coverage of female athletes. Broadcasts of the Olympics reach massive audiences, giving athletes a thrilling moment on the world stage. Yet broadcasters often take the opportunity to minimize women’s achievements.
This was especially noticeable at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics — so noticeable that for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics (played in 2021 because of the pandemic), the International Olympics Committee issued “portrayal guidelines” that included such advice as to not focus on athletes’ looks, clothing or intimate body parts and to refrain from broadcasting wardrobe malfunctions.
“You will not see in our coverage some things that we have been seeing in the past, with details and close-up on parts of the body,” said Olympic Broadcasting Services chief executive Yiannis Exarchos.*
Even so, female athletes at the 2020 Olympics staged protests over the skimpy uniforms some sports’ ruling bodies require. German gymnasts wore unitards that covered them from head to toe. And, after verbal protests at the Olympics, Norwegian women refused to play in bikini bottoms at a European beach handball event, instead donning skin-tight shorts. They were fined for breaking the rules.
So, what did broadcasters say in 2016 that ticked people off?
Target: gymnasts
Because of their petite size, female gymnasts in particular were the frequent target of sexist comments. When NBC cameras panned over the world-beating Olympic gymnastics team on the sidelines, commentator Jim Watson said, “They might as well be standing around at a mall.”**After all, he apparently wanted the audience to know, they’re just vapid teen girls.
Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in U.S. history, was also reduced to average teen girl status in 2016. In NBC’s promotional video, “Better Know an Athlete,” Simone was shown getting a manicure, and an interview with her parents was reduced to comments about her love of shopping.
Commentators also attacked gymnast Gabrielle Douglas for her hair, repeating criticism she faced at the 2012 London Olympics. Never mind that she’s a world-class athlete and the first African-American gymnast in Olympic history to be named Individual All-Around Champion.
When female athletes achieve feats of strength or speed, they are often compared to men, whose achievements clearly are thought superior. In 2016, both commentators and viewers compared Simone Biles to runner Usain Bolt and swimmer Michael Phelps, but she batted away the comparisons.
“I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps,” she insisted. “I’m the first Simone Biles.”***
Not satisfied to confine their sexism to just one sport, Fox News ran a segment on whether all female Olympians should wear makeup — inviting two men to weigh in with their opinion. They declared that the only way for women to snag sponsorships was by wearing makeup.
“Would you put money behind a gal that won the gold medal that looks like a washed out rag?” asked commentator Bo Dietl. “No. If she looked beautiful, and looked a little happy-looking, then you’d support her.”****
So there!
The good news is that female athletes are persevering and thriving. At the 2020 Olympics, women comprised almost 54 percent of Team USA and won 58.4 percent of the medals, including 23 gold medals. NBC spent 59.1 percent of its broadcast time on women’s events.
Still, 82 percent of commentators were male, and female athletes were ten times more likely than male athletes to be visually objectified with camera angles. Female athletes were also seven times more likely than men be referred to using diminutive language such as “girl” or “lady,” according to Power Play’s #RespectHerGame Olympic report.
Let’s hope broadcasters get the message going forward, because people are watching. In 2016, one tweet on this very failing went viral.*****
“Seriously commentators stop calling women girls. From: pretty much everyone.”
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* Graham Dunbar, “Olympic broadcasters curb sexual images of female athletes,” Associated Press (July 26, 2021).
** Carole Glines, “Tarnished Olympics? NBC Blasted for Blunders as Ratings Tumble,” Fox News, August 9, 2016
***Megan Garber, “The Olympic Quote (That Should Be) Heard ‘Round the World,” The Atlantic, August 12, 2016. In 2020, Simone withdrew from the women’s team final and the women’s all-around final, due to mental health concerns.
**** Jihan Forbes, “Male Commentators Offer Some Very Important Opinions on Female Athletes’ Wearing Makeup,” YahooSports, August 11, 2016. Dietl is a retired New York City Police Department detective and media personality who was a frequent guest on Fox News programs. He held no credentials in the sporting world.
***** Tweet by Chris Mayer (@chrismayer), Twitter, July 8, 2016.