Sexism, the Olympics, and ‘swimming like a man’
Is coverage of the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro sexist?
Whichever side of the fence your opinion falls on, NBC and other media outlets are taking a beating this year for their coverage of female athletes participating in this year’s games.
This year, an estimated 45 percent of athletes competing in Rio are female — the highest-ever percentage in any Olympic Games. Still, despite giving performances on par with their male counterparts, some say female athletes don’t seem to get the credit they deserve.
Here are a few examples:
- When Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu set a new world record in the 400-meter individual medley on Aug. 6, NBC’s camera panned to Hosszu’s American husband and coach, Shane Tusup. “There’s the guy responsible for turning Katinka Hosszu, his wife, into a whole different swimmer,” NBC’s Dan Hicks remarked. Slate.com
- The Chicago Tribune labeled two-time bronze medal-winning Olympian Corey Cogdell as “wife of a Bears’ lineman” in an attempt to a localize the story. The Huffington Post
- South Korea even got in the game. The English-language Korea Times ran a story speculating on the love life of 6-foot-3 Kim Yeon-goung, headlined: “Boyfriend a tall order for 192cm South Korean volleyball star.” The newspaper reporter claimed Kim was “looking for a boyfriend,” but was unlikely to find a South Korean man willing to date such a giant. LATimes.com
- As Katie Ledecky beat her own world record in the 400-meter freestyle on Sunday night, viewers heard NBC commentator Rowdy Gaines say that “a lot of people think she swims like a man.” Slate.com
Retired U.S. gymnast and Iowa native Shawn Johnson also spoke with CBSN about sexism at the Olympics and how she feels it is getting worse. See the interviewonline.
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