A new league, new coverage? Comparing tweets and media coverage from the first season of AFLW

Bibliographic Data

ID7918689
AuthorsMarika Sherwood (0000-0003-3671-3304, La Trobe University, corresponding author), Marissa Lordanic (La Trobe University), Tharindu Bandaragoda (0000-0001-5047-3496, La Trobe University), Emma Sherry (0000-0002-9328-5687, Swinburne University of Technology), Damminda Alahakoon (0000-0003-3291-888X, La Trobe University)
Year2019
Volume172
Issue1
Pages114-130
Publication date2019-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedia International Australia (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1329-878X • E-ISSN: 2200-467X
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1329878x19852495
OpenAlexW2951989682
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited40

Recent research has indicated that coverage of women’s sport has become less trivialised and sexualised, compared to historical coverage. This article uses the inaugural season of the AFL Women’s (AFLW) League in 2017 to explore this concept in both media and Twitter framing. It found that most media coverage and tweets were likely to discuss the AFLW as sport, focusing on match previews and reviews. However, there was evidence that women may still be treated differently to men, as the AFLW players who received the most media coverage also had significant off-field stories that were always mentioned alongside their on-field performance. Analysis of the tweets found that more were focused on the cultural change impact of AFLW. This was further exaggerated when looking at the most shared tweets, which were overwhelmingly focused on the socio-cultural impact of AFLW. This study indicates then that women’s sport is continuing to be normalised as part of regular sports reporting, but also that social media did not necessarily share the same frames as media when discussing AFLW. In an increasingly fragmented media environment, this has implications for media’s agenda-building function

Advertising · Business · Geography · League · Media coverage · Media studies · Political science · Public relations · Social media · Sociology · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports, Gender, and Society

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