نقش رسانه در بازتوليد هژموني مردانه در ورزش (مطالعه موردي: بازي هاي المپيك)

The Role of Media in the Reproduction of Masculine Hegemony in Sport Case study: Olympic Games

Contemporary mass media are able to influence the thoughts and behavior of many people around the world. That is why the media seek to diffuse and transfer their own ideas to other people in the process of news preparation and publication. Research about the process of salience-making emphasizes the relationship between media preferences and public preferences. Overall, societal thoughts and actions can be influenced by mass media. The present paper examines the extent of gender reflection in sport media. For this purpose, the printed articles and photos in the most circulated newspaper in Iran during the 2004 Olympic Games were examined. The content analysis method was employed. The study found that the female athletes were significantly under- represented in terms of number of photographs and news column sizes. Male athletes not only received more coverage, their photographs and news were also better positioned. Overall, the newspapers upheld hegemonic masculinity through their under- representation and marginalization of female athletics. By examining the role of media in sport, the present paper contributes to the growing literature of media studies.