The LPGA is preparing to tee off tomorrow at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club northwest of Portland OR and the mood is cautiously optimistic. The Safeway Classic is the tour's longest-running non-major event, and one player's particularly enjoy for what they describe as "a family atmosphere, of long-established friendships and warm relationships with sponsors and organizers". Then of course, there are the fans. Last year's event drew a record 87,800 of them. Which is great.
Despite recent challenges, the LPGA remains the most successful professional sports organization for women and as efforts continue to rebuild a parred-down schedule, first-year commissioner Mike Whan has expressed his confidence that there will be more events 2011 than in 2010. But what about the LPGA and female fans? According to ESPN, 70% to 75% of an average sports audience is male. For women's sports, it doesn't really change: 60% to 70% of the audience is still male. Having attended several LPGA tournaments this year, I can vouch for the fact that the number of females in the galleries is consistently lower than the number of males, and quite substantially so. 30 - 40 percent seems about right to me ...and I'd imagine television viewership more-or-less mirrors those figures. The LPGA, like the WNBA and the WPS, could definitely use a little more support from the ladies.
In fact, one of the few major sports where women make up a majority of the viewers is women's figure skating. It's a sport that involves extraordinary talent, skill and athleticism... and also features sequins, feathers, pantyhose and make-up. Coincidence?The question is: Why, almost three decades after the passage of title IX, is there still such female fan deficit especially in women's sport?
Does it come down to societal roles and culturally imposed preferences? Is it because women aren't treated like athletes and shown in prime time? ~ I've often opined that women simply have much more competing for their attention than men do. Then there are some who claim that the skill level of women's sports is not as high. ~ Oh, and what about the immense interest generated when women compete against men as Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wie have... what does say about gender and sports fans?
That's what we'll be talking about tonight on "Only Two Things". We'll be broadcasting from 9:30 - 10:30PM ET. And you can weigh in on-air by using call-in number 917-889-9592. Or join the conversation in the chat room or on Twitter... or just listen at BlogTalkRadio. Talk to you tonight.
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ReplyDeletepatricia,
boy, you are really asking to get it from jay flemma, with all those observations and statistics that are not properly footnoted with sources cited
as to your questions, the women, of course, would rather go shopping at the mall than to spectate (1)
on the other hand, the men are just the opposite, and would rather spectate than shop (2)
men enjoy bonding through competition and physically train for it (3)
women enjoy bonding through social relationships and emotionally invest in it (4)
it's why there are NO women chess champions but women do play poker which is not directly face to face confrontational like chess (5)
and its why sporting arenas have come to look more like shopping malls (see the NEW dallas cowboy stadium)(6)
anyway have a good show
frankD
ft lauderdale F L A
1 - based on inquiry of a receptionist at my office
2 - based on inquiry with a computer analyst at my office
3 - deborah tannen
4 - ibid
5 - i just made this up
6 - monday night football game last year from dallas texas
I know Frank, I wish he's just call the blogging police and let them handle it. ;o)
ReplyDeleteThat's an excellent point about female vs. male bonding... and I'm glad to see you citing your sources.
You should call in - it could be funny. :o)
figure skating is a "major sport" ? :-)
ReplyDeleteGymnastics and equestrian (not horse racing) sports also draw more women viewers.
Frank - on #5 - it's because women gain a real advantage wearing low cut tops at the poker table...chess generally draws players with more ability to concentrate...and in poker, you get cash. :-)
Court - Ask Heather if figure skating is a major sport... and remember to duck. ;)
ReplyDeleteI changed "the only sport" to "one of the few sports". I had thought of equestrian & gymnastics but guessed they'd be 50/50.
Shopping, Bridal Showers & Baby Showers. Those seem to be the three main reasons women aren't sports fans.
ReplyDeleteWe live in a gender based society and our activities are still separated into "men's" and "women's". Traditional notions of masculinity and femininity still come into play when we make our sports and leisure choices. That's why women tend to hit the mall while men take to the stadium...or more often the couch. It is what it is
ReplyDeleteThe mall rarely sees me. I dread going.
ReplyDeleteMy nails are scruffy and in desperate need of a manicure.
I love watching figure skating, but not because of the sequins. It's the triple jumps and difficult footwork that fascinate me.
I have bought NO new shoes this summer except golf shoes.
I enjoy viewing the LPGA coverage, but I watch WAY more PGA events. LPGA needs far better coverage before it will even come close.
My golfing gals pals and I are fiercely competitive, but we laugh, sing and dance on the course.
I'd rather spend a day watching my daughter play the boys on other golf teams than sit in front of any TV.
So I guess I'm not the average female sports fan.
BTW, figure skating is most definitely a sport, however, the judging system is not perfect and far too subjective.
I prefer golf where the fewest strokes wins. PERIOD. That's how my daughter made an all boys team—and she didn't wear a single sequin.
Since you brought it up, Growl...check this out
ReplyDeletehttp://www.la-z-boy.com/Product/6425/
From what I've read, an equal number of women and men consider themselves sports fans these days but their sports fan behavior and their motivations for being sports fans were generally quite different. With men it tended to be watching their team win, the excitement of the competition and because they played the sport (or had played in the past) and felt they were learning more about it. Women on the other hand even women who played, or had played competitively, overwhelmingly cited spending time with friends and family as their main reason for being a sports fan. I don't know how true it is but one can easily see how it might negatively impact the fan support for female teams and leagues.
ReplyDeletewith you 100% langston - and sports broadcasting starting in the late 70's backs you up, too.
ReplyDeletewhen sports were what the men did, broadcasts were all about the game.
Starting with the Olympics in the late 70's forward, broadcasts started putting in cutesy little vignettes and emotional stories to draw the women to the TV.
Now those side stories take up more time in an Olympic broadcast than the actual sports. Football brought in the female sideline reporter for no good reason.
From there, things just went further and further towards the feminine side...leading us eventually to things like Rich Lerner, Scott Walker, and Kelly Tilghman. Yeesh.
Yes indeed Court, but that recliner might even make Kelly Tilghman watchable. ;)
ReplyDeleteI would like to hear the viewership numbers for Tennis, a sport that has come a long way in both male and female event coverage, where pay equity is now the norm and a sport that has major sponsorship towards both genders?
ReplyDeleteHave a good show tonight.
Hi Patricia -
ReplyDeleteYour post got us thinking over on the other side of the pond - just wondering if its the same over here (for the LET) as you've found in the states (for the LPGA).
We took another look at one of our Flickr photos of the gallery following Laura Davies and Anne-Lise Caudal during last week's event in Wales. Based on that it seems to be closer to 50/50 over here. Take a look at http://bit.ly/aDpF6Z
Our experience has been that once people see the women's professionals in person in a tournament, they get hooked. Probably a combination of the fact that the girls do have to manage the course & conditions and that they all see to be so personable & approachable.
A bit too bad that there isn't anything like the Golf Channel over here covering the LET - otherwise we think attendance would boom over here.
Hope this adds to the discussion & followup. Great blog & radio show by the way.
- Poodle