[Sport] Latest data: men's rugby gets more news coverage than every women's sport combined

[DuCkyBhaI]

 

Men’s rugby gets more than double the media coverage than all of women’s sport combined.

That’s according to research – released on International Women’s Day – conducted by Wellington data firm Dot Loves Data, which analysed 68,124 online sports stories from New Zealand’s major news organisations over the past three years.

 

Dot Loves Data found only 9.95 per cent of online sports coverage was dedicated to women, men received 83.02 per cent and 7.04 per cent of media articles covered both men and women.

 

 

Rugby made up approximately 22 per cent of all sports coverage, with the men’s game totalling more than 90 per cent of rugby coverage.

Coverage of football and cricket made up a quarter share of all sports coverage, yet women received only 5.9 per cent of all football coverage and 4.5 per cent of cricket coverage.

Netball makes up only 2 per cent of all sport media coverage. Women’s netball make up 80 per cent of that coverage.

 

Former international basketballer and Olympian Megan Compain has been part of the team behind the data collection on women’s sport.

She was also behind the recent S’PORT campaign with Wellington Cricket, encouraging fans to engage with women’s sport.

 

It’s the second time Dot Loves Data has analysed media coverage of women in sport.

The first was looking at the coverage of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and the coverage hasn’t “changed much” over the past few years, Compain said.

“...especially with so much more focus and effort to raise awareness of the importance of supporting women in sport,” she said.

 

She said it was going to take a collective effort to “boost” coverage of women in sport.

“We all have some responsibility and a part to play to take a broader interest. Click on stories, engage with major events,” she said.“It’s too easy of a reason for some media to say ‘we are just catering to our audience’. So let’s make sure we, the audience, are reading and taking a greater interest.”

Putting women front and centre in sport media can offer so many benefits, Compain said.

 

“Women and girls who stay active in sports have higher self-esteem, less chance for depression, and are more likely to succeed in leadership roles,” she said.

“All of these reasons contribute to positive societal change and healthier communities. Pretty powerful stuff.”

 

Sport New Zealand statistics released in 2020 paint a slightly rosier picture, showing women’s sports coverage makes up approximately 15 per cent of all sports coverage in New Zealand.