It's a Man's Man's Man's World

“There’s no crying in baseball” was a line made famous by Tom Hanks’ character Jimmy Dugan in the movie A League of Their Own. In the famous scene, Dugan as Manager of a Women's Baseball team in 1943, showed his distaste in a woman crying during the game. He berates her on her emotional outburst in the middle of a sport. Dugan exemplified the awkward  transition of women in the arena of a traditionally male atmosphere. This scene directly correlates with the long and rocky road for women sports journalists into a man's world.

 

Sports are enjoyed by an audience of both men and women. Sports journalism has evolved into a lucrative form of reporting to the masses. This platform allows people to get their information for their favorite teams or news around each professional league of baseball, basketball, football, golf, and tennis to just name a few. 

 

Women have become more prevalent in the traditionally androcentric world of sports journalism. Although, throughout their rise to a more prominent position, women in sports have always faced a disadvantage. Of all the strides females have taken over the past couple decades, is there a current challenge women are facing in sports and if so what is it?

 

By comparing the past and the present, social media is the X factor. Has America’s new found love of social media and reliance on technology created new disadvantages for prominent women broadcasters in sports journalism?

 

Specifically, have social media platforms such as Twitter, allowed for high-profile journalists to connect personally with their fans or are there are negative outcomes for such over exposure?

 

In modern society, is there still such a thing as gender bias specifically in the sports arena? With female and male broadcasters in an age of digital advancement, how does perception affect the opinions of their fans or critics?