It's a Man's Man's Man's World

James Brown produced a song in 1965 called It's a Man's Man's Man's World where he preached that the majority of material things in the world are referred to in the masculine. 

 

"You see, man made the cars to take us over the road. Man made the train to carry the heavy load. Man made electric light to take us out of the dark."

 

These lyrics are belted by the hypnotic Brown but all of these great things come with a caveat. 

 

"But it wouldn't be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl." 

 

Gender inequality is nothing new but it is something that continues to rear its ugly head from the dark shadows. Although, in many professional environments, women have come a long way to prove that they deserve to be on equal playing fields as men. 

 

One of the harshest environments to garner equality has been the world of sports simply because of the prior established notion of macho masculinity.

 

Sentiments such as "Girls can't play ball" and "Women and sports don't mix" were unfairly established and perpetuated over decades to showcase the male domination over the sports world.

 

In modern times, the growing incorporation of women reporters and broadcasters into the sports news has broken down these barriors once established by male egos. Women are seen just as much as men when you turn on any sports news show. The line once drawn in the sand has been erased. Although, that can't be the end.

 

Women will always have some type of disadvantage that will evolve with the perpetually changing times. Who knows what the future challenge will be but in this day and age, social media has become the factor prolonging the notion of linking males with the sports arena. 

 

Novelist Gustave Flaubert once said, "There is no truth. There is only perception." 

 

In modern times, everything that was once personal and hidden is now on display to the masses. With the addition of social media platforms, this mentality of widespread exposure is easier than ever. 

 

This is especially noteworthy with people in the entertainment industry. Actors, singers, talk show hosts, athletes, reality stars or journalists. These platforms can carry both positive and negative repercussions.

 

It is understood that whatever you put out there is in your control. Which it is. But you can't control the perceptions of individuals viewing your content. Right there is the disconnect. People are seperate entities. Where there are individuals, there are opinions. 

 

The study at Clemson University suggested that although Twitter provides an avenue for female sports broadcasters to break down gender barriers, it currently serves to demonstrate their subordinate sports-media roles. The results reinforced the subordinate traditional gender roles inherent in sports broadcasting instead of showing a breaking down of these gender barriers. 

 

The survey conducted with thirty males and females garnered similiar results as the Clemson researchers. 

 

Although women have come a long way as credible reporters in sports journalism, the public still unconsciously sees them as inferior because of the widespread capabilities of social media platforms.

 

The question then becomes, will there still be a disadvantage in the future for women involved in sports journalism and if so, will it be attached to the newest technological advancement?

 

Only time will tell. Until then, play ball.