In the Clark, Apostolopoulou, and Gladden (2009) article I found
it very interesting that the results showed what I think most of America would
assume to find if men and women were interviewed when it comes to sport
marketing, gender, and preferred interests. I think I was a little shocked to
read that what I expected from the survey actually occurred. I think I thought
the reading was going to show that men and woman alike showed the same levels
of interest in each category. However, we read that this is not the case.
If I had to make a few assumptions as to why these results
showed this, I would say it is the construction of gender in our society. We have
different expectations for each gender. When it comes to sports knowledge and
the breakdown of strategy, there is not an expectation for women to understand this
especially when it comes to football. When it comes to females in our society
there is an expectation to be in the know of popular culture and what is happening
in entertainment. Dietz-Uhler et al (2000) found that men are more likely to
watch sports on television than women (pg. 168). I am sure that if there was a
similar study conducted that looked at a women’s level of watching
entertainment and popular culture television compared to males the results were
be similar to the level of male v. female watching sporting events on
television. There are just different expectations for men and women when it
comes to what people’s interest should
be. It is an entirely different topic when it comes to a person not fitting
into gender roles and expectations, so I will not even begin to open that can
of worms.
I think that this study could be replicated many more times,
with several different populations. The majority of the population for this
study was people between the ages of 25-44, with a majority of the males being
between the ages of 18-24. Personally, I feel that if they surveyed more women
between the ages of 18-25 the results would have been different. Since the majority
of women were older, I feel that there is less of a chance that they would be
interested in sports because of the socialization that has occurred in older
persons societies. Title XI would have been introduced during their younger
years and they could have still been greatly discouraged from being interested
in sport. Whereas today, we hardly ever see young girls discouraged for playing
sport at the youth level. I think that the population for these results is
something that should be considered because I do not know how generalizable
these results can really be.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNovember 20th—Pocratsky—Comment #2
ReplyDeleteAs a side note, I wanted to comment on the “’Football 101’ and More” section of the article in which Clark, Apostolopoulou, and Gladden (2009) illustrate some ways that the NFL and certain sports teams have employed different methods to try and increase the number of “female sport enthusiasts” (p. 169). As someone who self-identifies as essentially a non-fan of professional sports and one who enjoys the “fluff” of Super Bowl, I find the sport workshops interesting. I think that part of the reason I am so uninterested in professional football is because I really just don’t understand it. I have a basic understanding of the sport, but I think that if I had a more complex understanding of football, I would appreciate the game more. I think the workshops might be an effective strategy to get non-fans more interested in a professional team or a sport because they learn the substance of the game. However, some of the methods that Clark, Apostolopoulou, and Gladden (2009) mentioned discussed incorporating women into a particular team or sport on a less sophisticated level, such as “special events.” One time, someone signed me up for one of those events targeted at women to build the Pittsburgh Pirates’ fan base. Basically, at the game, I just received some coupons or something and then kept getting information about the Pirates in the mail. It was ineffective in my opinion; I am much more open to the workshops.
Cam,
ReplyDeleteYour statement in regards to conducting a study based on the viewing interests of women, in terms of entertainment and popular culture television, made me wonder if they had not already done so in a way. This is because of the commercial that was created and aired during the 2004 Super Bowl with T.O. and three of the cast members from Desperate Housewives (Edie, Lynette, and Susan). The show, DH, was extremely popular throughout its 8 seasons; therefore, the creators of the commercials might have done their research, which led to a “football” commercial targeting the interests of women.
What I was wonder, however, is why the commercial received roughly 50,000 complaints. If the majority of the complaints were from males, I would say that they were upset with the portrayal of T.O. He had a “big game,” but succumbed to Edie Britt’s temptation. In relation to your statement by Dietz-Uhler et al (2000), maybe the men found this degrading of the focus of a professional football player, and believed there it was unnecessary when men are more likely to watch the event. On the other hand, maybe there isn’t much correlation between women who love football, and watching television shows such as DS. There is a possibility that these women submitted complaints as well, which relates to what the interest of the genders (more specifically in this situation- females), and as you said…what they should be.
November 20th—Pocratsky—Comment #1
ReplyDeleteI had the same reaction as Campbell regarding the Clark, Apostolopoulou, and Gladden (2009) article—I thought that the research was going to show that both males and females maintain similar levels of interest regarding the game itself. Also, like Campbell, I think the results of the study are connected to societal gender constructions and expectations. Generally, women are expected to be more interested in popular culture and entertainment while men are expected to be interested in sports.
Additionally, I had a few questions regarding the sample size. I believe the study represented both fans and non-fans of the NFL. Although, Clark, Apostolopoulou, and Gladden’s (2009) data shows that both the male and female participants in the study mostly self-identified as average or above average sports fans, I would be interested to see a version of this study that focuses just on male and female participants who consider themselves NFL fans. I think that the results might show equal interest in the game itself in this case.
While I agree when you say "When it comes to sports knowledge and the breakdown of strategy, there is not an expectation for women to understand this especially when it comes to football." I don't think it's necessarily true. Perhaps the survey is skewed, because I also know plenty of females that know more about football than most males, but it doesn't seem to be an expectation for females to know, which is why people are always so surprised when a female does. Again, after you state "Dietz-Uhler et al (2000) found that men are more likely to watch sports on television than women (pg. 168)." I can't help but wonder what the pop culture levels between men and women are, geographic location, sports analyzed, etc. Sometimes I think the problem with studies are that there are too many parameters. How can you actually prove anything is true at this point? If they surveyed a different age, the results would most likely be different. Studies are interesting, however I think people take the results to seriously, in some cases. Results can be subjective.
ReplyDelete