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No medals for sexism in Olympic sports commentary
- Updated: August 22, 2016
Reflecting on a Rio Summer Olympics that usually wrapped up, we detected a satirical witness competition for those of us undone by a nightly prominence reels belittling womanlike athletes: “Olympic media sexism bingo.”
Comedian Megan Ford posted a diversion label on her Twitter critique says after a Games began. When a sportscaster remarked on a womanlike athlete’s conform instead of her forehand, we could symbol a card. Ditto if a womanlike contestant over 21 was called “a girl.” If a commentator snidely pronounced a lady was behaving “as good as a man,” call bingo!
Sexism bingo was usually one of many new examples of amicable media users pier into a ring to take gender stereotypes in sports and media — and stereotypers — down for a count.
Women were obliged for some of a many noted moments in Rio. Female athletes crushed universe annals and delivered grand performances. Huge props to swimmer Penny Oleksiak for winning some-more medals than any Canadian (of any gender) during a singular Summer Games.
These moments were injured by adequate sexist explanation to win a bingo diversion many times over. Women’s accomplishments were relentlessly diminished, compared to, and credited to men. Still, for each inequitable and demeaning comment, amicable media took a offenders to task, to a grade that sexism itself became a title story of a Games.
While amicable media is mostly seen as a domain of trolls, a Rio Games were an implausible proof of a energy to fight small-minded discrimination.
When Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu took bullion in a 400m event, cameras panned to her husband/coach. “Here’s a male responsible,” pronounced contributor Dan Hicks. Twitter recoil forced Hicks to awkwardly acknowledge that he regretted his statement.
After Corey Cogdell took bronze in trap shooting, her hometown paper — a Chicago Tribune — tweeted: “Wife of a Bears lineman wins a bronze award currently in Rio Olympics” (Cogdell’s father is NFL actor Mitch Unrein). A amicable media conflict was adequate slam for a Tribune to coop a second square praising Cogdell’s accomplishments.
Canadian kayaker Adam outpost Koeverden deserves a award for job out his crony and former Olympic rower Adam Kreek. In a broadcast, Kreek suggested that tennis actor Eugenie Bouchard was some-more committed to holding selfies than to her sport.
“If group don’t call out group when we are being sexist, afterwards we are not a partial of a solution, and a problem persists,” outpost Koeverden wrote. (Kreek has given apologized).
Rio is not a usually example: amicable media is also giving a red label to sexism in advertising.
A practical host can broach consequences to any sportscaster or advertiser who doesn’t consider before they speak.
Earlier this year, LG Canada ran a debate for washers with slogans like “Less soaking time means some-more selling time.” Online critique forced a apparatus builder to apologize for a stereotyping. Meanwhile, an Irish ad for Sprite was savaged on amicable media this month for slights like, “She’s seen some-more ceilings than Michelangelo.”
Consumers currently have an rare height to opposite gender stereotyping in advertising, says Lisa Kimmel, arch executive of PR organisation Edelman Canada. “You can pronounce adult by amicable media — and maybe some-more importantly, pronounce with your wallet.”
More than 60 per cent of Canadians contend they would be reduction expected to buy a product from a association that runs sexist ads, a new consumer survey.
Media outlets and marketers feed off of open opinion. Audiences and consumers — a bread and butter of media — are some-more engaged, with some-more collection during their ordering than ever before. A practical host can broach consequences to any sportscaster or advertiser who doesn’t consider before they speak.
That puts a round in your court.
When we hear sexist or demeaning comments from media, don’t usually put a symbol on a bingo card. Get online and twitter about it. Consider it a idea scored for a some-more deferential society.
Craig and Marc Kielburger are a co-founders of the WE movement, which includes WE Charity, ME to WE Social Enterprise and WE Day