Journal of Gender Studies · 2019 · 12 citations · 0 references
Social SciencesCommunicationGender StudiesGenderMedia StudiesStereotypingFan StudiesFandom StudiesGender PrejudiceMedia AudiencesMedia Bias AnalysisSocial MediaGender Equity In SportGender Prejudice In MediaGender Stereotype BiasMedia Framing Of GenderSocial Media Campaign StrategySocial Media Content StrategySports Gender DiscriminationStereotypical Masculinity
The National Football League (NFL) is the most popular sport in the United States. Of the NFL’s passionate fan base, 46 percent are women. Despite the substantial attraction and following by women, communication to this audience has been compromised through gender discriminated sport media content. We examined Twitter posts from the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, over a two-month test period. The posts confirm a bias toward men. On the rare occasion woman were noted, it was framed in a stereotypical context, for example, promoting team cheerleaders. We conclude by making recommendations on future social media strategy for the NFL and its related teams. There is an opportunity to embrace womanhood and build trust among this viable stakeholder.