A Content Analysis of News Coverage of Asian Female Olympic Athletes

Abstract

Asian female athletes' prominent performances have caught the media's attention for coverage. Despite the success of Asian female athletes, stereotypes and expectations of feminine characteristics towards female athletes may still exist, especially in Asia where there is long history of a male-dominated society. The major purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how the media covers Asian female Olympic athletes and to see if sports writers emphasize feminine characteristics in news coverage when reporting Asian female Olympic athletes. Content analysis was administered to review news stories of Asian female Olympic athletes who were reported in 266 sport news articles from 1 January 2000 to 31 August 2008. The results indicated that sports such as diving and the marathon are more likely to be covered although Asian female Olympic athletes have been successful in other sports. Topics and content related to athletes' achievements in sports, physical/athletic strength, and psychological characteristics were frequently included in the news stories.