Exchange to Change | September 2015 | Page 11

What do you think about this article? Do you watch sport live? Or on tv? Also women’s sports events? It is an interesting article. I do not often watch sports live. I would only ever watch women sporting events when there are track events featuring Kenyan athletes. If sport broadcasting is demand driven (they only broadcast what people want to see), do you think it is not a problem that it’s mostly only men’s soccer, men’s cycling, … on TV … as the viewer is always right ? It is the basic economics of life. Demand shapes supply and vice-versa. I believe not only do women not watch much of sports, but they also do not participate in many mainstream sporting events. It is only in the area of athletics where one would find a near even coverage of women’s and men’s sporting events. What do you think about this article? Do you watch sport live? Or on tv? Also women’s sports events? I’m actually only passionate about a few sports/ teams. I love to watch and follow US college football, but in the professional leagues, I only follow ‘my’ teams for the most part (Dallas Cowboys, OKC Thunder, US men’s and women’s soccer teams). For these, I watch live as much as possible or on TV (and streaming via internet). I appreciate other sports; I just don’t have a lot of time to invest in them. And I still don’t understand cricket. Or hurling. The article alluded to a few of the issues pertaining to sports inequalities, addressed how things are changing over time, but also recognized some valid points responsible for these gaps. If sport broadcasting is demand driven (they only broadcast what people want to see), do you think it is not a problem that it’s mostly only men’s soccer, men’s cycling, … on TV … as the viewer is always right ? What do you think about this article? Do you watch sport live? Or on tv? Also women’s sports events? I like watching sports live, though not getting that chance often. This article is a great read and it illustrates some genders issues on live TV. If sport broadcasting is demand driven (they only broadcast what people want to see), do you think it is not a problem that it’s mostly only men’s soccer, men’s cycling, … on TV … as the viewer is always right ? No, I think it’s also the job of journalists/broadcasters to present something meaningful or worthwhile to educate or guide audience to a more inclusive world we live in. I’m American…everything is demand driven! I love that the question asks if “it’s not a problem that it’s mostly men’s soccer or men’s cycling on TV” – Do you know how difficult it can be to watch soccer or cycling in the US, even with 350+ TV channels?! We could have 5 channels showing American football game re-runs from the last 20 years, but the World Cup Qualifiers cannot be found; and forget about watching most cycling events live on American TV! This is a great example of difference in (popular) culture. Sure demand drives what’s aired on TV, and advertising and big paychecks tend to follow. Do you think the wage difference between top female and male athletes is justified? Or not? What about the fact that women are allowed to participate in all athletic disciplines in the Olympic games, while men are not allowed to enter synchronized swimming? I think we are focusing just a fraction of changes in women-men role. There are still a lot of gender discriminations out there that are so unjust and in many cases life-threatening. For the presence of men in synchronized swimming, I’m positive that this will change in the future, just the way women were banned from most sports decades ago. This will happen but may take time. far from being at the same level. I think major athletes are paid WAY too much…period. But, people around the world aspire to perform and exist as these mega stars do, not as a public servant or teacher. The wage gap is still wide in professional sports, but this may reverse quicker than many realize. I think the world’s females, especially younger ones in the developing world, will begin to have greater exposure to these teams and stars, and the impact will begin to be felt. Do you think the wage difference between top female and male athletes is justified? Or not? What about the fact that women are allowed to participate in all athletic disciplines in the Olympic games, while men are not allowed to enter synchronized swimming? Don’t tell anyone, but I prefer watching the US Women’s soccer team over the men, but, the advertising and merchandise dollars drive paychecks. While more viewers tuned in to the Women’s World Cup Final in the US versus many other major male sporting events, it’s still 11