Why the conversation about sport matters

Sport holds a special place for so many of us. So many communities – whether as fans or participants (or the families of) – are built around sport.

In fact, sport is the single largest topic covered by Australia’s media. For every story on politics or health, it has been found that there are three on sport.

In other words, sport is shaping the world we all see, each and every day.

It is shaping who we celebrate. Who we put up on a pedestal. Who we follow. Who we prioritise. Who we see as leaders. Who we are told are leaders.

And that influence? It extends far beyond sport.

Last year, we shared that only 15% of sports news available in Victoria focused on women’s sport in 2022-23.

This visibility gap is not only negatively impacting the ability to build fan bases, attract sponsors and, ultimately, support women athletes, teams and leagues to fully professionalise. It is acting as a megaphone undermining the fantastic work of so many to create opportunities for women and girls to participate in community sport in safe and welcoming environments.

And then this week, we saw firsthand why addressing the visibility gap for women in sports media is not only critical to achieving gender equality in sport, but in ensuring respectful attitudes towards women and girls in Australia.

That is why, today, the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation is proud to share with you the second year of The Conversation of Sport.

Working with Isentia, our new research found that while women remain underrepresented in sports news, there is much to celebrate – including coverage of women’s sport increasing by one-third, to 20% during 2023-24.

In fact, news coverage of women’s sport increased across all media types – print, online, tv news and radio news – compared to the previous year.

The narrative of women’s sport also shifted in a positive way, with stronger recognition of the achievements, talent and hard work of our leading teams and athletes.

There were also more opportunities for women journalists and presenters, now contributing 1 in 3 sports news stories, and a 62% increase in coverage on women’s sport contributed by men journalists or presenters.

But there is still a way to go to close the visibility gap.

There were still almost 4 news stories on men’s sport for each story on women’s sport.

Only one women’s team – the Matildas – made the top 10 teams by volume of coverage, off the back of the record-breaking FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

And outside of athletes themselves, men were 15 times more likely to be a source on women’s sport, compared to women being a source on men’s sport.

I encourage you to read The Conversation of Sport 2023-24, and add your voice to those calling for more focus and progress in addressing sport’s visibility gap.

It’s more important than ever to push for more, quality storytelling to ensure that women receive a fair share of coverage. Not only will it unlock new fans and opportunities these athletes deserve, but we simply won’t see a gender equal Australia without it.

Let’s fix this conversation once and for all.

Sarah Styles
Director, Office for Women in Sport and Recreation