Examining the Differences in Commentary of Female Athletes in Ncaa Division I Basketball Tournament Coverage

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between female and male play-by-play and color commentators during women's NCAA tournament games. A content analysis was conducted to analyze the commentary between female and male commentators during nine audio recorded Women's NCAA tournament games from ESPN 3.com. A Chi-Square Test of Independence was conducted to test five hypotheses that stated proportions of comments would vary by gender and descriptor. Hypotheses 1 and 5 were supported; as results revealed that female announcers made more positive comments and comments about female athlete's strategy, knowledge, and mental abilities than male commentators. Results for Hypotheses 3 and 4 were opposite of what had been predicted; males were found to have made higher proportions of masculine and athletic comments and team comments about female athletes. No differences were found between gender and the proportion of comments made about female athlete's looks and appearances. Overall, these results suggest there is a significant relationship that exists between gender and commentary. Further research investigating the differences of these relationships is recommended.