Roughing the caster! Sexism and perceived female sports broadcasters’ credibility

ABSTRACT

Women football broadcasters still face challenges in obtaining careers and advancing professionally. The researchers sought to bridge the gap in research to better understand the audience’s perceptions of female sports broadcasters in sports, specifically the National Football League. Using an experimental design the researchers explored individual perceptions of the credibility of a female play-by-play commentator in comparison to a male play-by-play commentator. The results demonstrate that participants believed female sports broadcasters were not as credible or exciting as male sports broadcasters. The researchers consider and discuss the implications of these findings and suggest future research in the area.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.