SWAN president to journalists: End gender bias in sports reporting

Spread the word The President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Isaiah Kemje Benjamin, has urged journalists and media organisations to end gender stereotypes in sports reporting, stressing the need for fair representation of female athletes, coaches, referees and sports administrators.

Benjamin made the call while delivering a presentation titled Gender-Sensitive Journalism: Removing Gender Stereotypes and Bias in Sports Reporting at the Annual Women in Sports Leadership Training/Seminar for Journalists organised by the Women Commission of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC). Blueprint reports

He said sports journalists wield considerable influence over public perception, sponsorship opportunities and the development of sports through their choices of headlines, sources, photographs, broadcast time and editorial priorities.

According to him, media coverage can either reinforce the barriers confronting women in sports or help dismantle them by giving their performances, expertise and achievements appropriate recognition.

The SWAN president commended the NOC leadership and its Women Commission for organising the seminar and extending participation to both male and female journalists.

He said gender-sensitive reporting should not be treated exclusively as a women’s issue but as a professional responsibility shared by everyone involved in gathering, editing, broadcasting and publishing sports content.

“Gender-sensitive journalism is not about favouring women. It is about ensuring that gender does not determine whose achievements matter, whose voices are heard or whose stories deserve to be told,” he said.

Benjamin identified several common practices that perpetuate gender bias in sports reporting, including giving men’s competitions greater prominence, focusing on female athletes’ physical appearance rather than performance, defining women by their marital or family status and applying different standards when describing the behaviour of male and female athletes.

He observed that men’s competitions often receive longer broadcast hours, more prominent headlines and more detailed analysis, while women’s competitions struggle to secure comparable attention.

He urged editors and reporters to examine the criteria guiding their editorial decisions, particularly when women’s competitions of significant sporting value receive limited coverage.

According to him, the problem is not that men’s sports attract attention but that women’s competitions may be overlooked because of assumptions about their appeal to audiences.

He argued that audiences could hardly develop sustained interest in competitions they rarely see, hear about or understand.

The SWAN president also cautioned journalists against headlines that emphasise women’s appearance at the expense of their achievements.

Using examples in his presentation, he contrasted descriptions such as “Beautiful Nigerian Star Steals the Show at Continental Championship” with headlines highlighting an athlete’s record-breaking performance.

He said journalists should prioritise sporting accomplishments and only discuss appearance when it is genuinely relevant to the story.

Benjamin further warned against describing adult female athletes as “girls” while referring to their male counterparts as men, noting that such language could diminish their professional status.

He, however, clarified that the use of “girls” could be appropriate for youth teams or where it formed part of an accepted team identity.

The SWAN president said gender-sensitive journalism did not require journalists to shield female athletes or administrators from legitimate criticism.

Rather, he argued, male and female sports professionals should be assessed using fair, evidence-based and consistent standards appropriate to their roles and competitions.

He explained that a male athlete who challenged a referee might be described as passionate or competitive, while a female athlete displaying similar behaviour could be labelled emotional or difficult.

Similarly, a male coach demonstrating assertive leadership might be described as firm, while a female coach exhibiting the same qualities could be characterised as aggressive.

Benjamin urged journalists to describe conduct accurately without allowing gender-based assumptions to influence their choice of words.

He also challenged the tendency to question women’s competence when they occupy coaching or administrative positions traditionally dominated by men.

According to him, female sports professionals should be recognised for their qualifications, performance, decisions and records rather than portrayed as exceptions to conventional expectations about leadership.

He stressed that reporting genuine barriers facing women was important, but journalists must avoid reinforcing assumptions that women were inherently less capable of leadership.

Using Nigerian sports as an example, Benjamin said the achievements of the Super Falcons, the country’s senior women’s national football team, deserved coverage beyond match results and celebrations.

He noted that Nigeria’s ten-time African champions should be assessed through detailed reporting on tactics, coaching decisions, player development, preparation and the challenges confronting the team.

He said victories should be celebrated, while defeats should be subjected to honest analysis, adding that the team’s achievements should also stimulate discussions about investment in women’s football, grassroots development, professional leagues and sustainable sporting structures.

Benjamin emphasised that women’s sports should not begin and end with the national team.

He urged journalists to pay greater attention to the Nigeria Women Football League, emerging players, club development, referees and coaches, arguing that talented athletes should not have to wait for national team selection before receiving media recognition.

He also called for greater visibility for women in athletics, basketball, wrestling, weightlifting, table tennis and other sporting disciplines.

According to him, women coaches, referees, federation officials and administrators should receive serious coverage and scrutiny based on their professional records, just like their male counterparts.

He warned against a reporting culture that gives women visibility only when they win major international competitions, saying sustained coverage throughout the sporting calendar was necessary to build audiences and strengthen the development pathway.

Benjamin also highlighted the commercial implications of gender bias, questioning the argument that women’s sports deserved less coverage because they attracted smaller audiences.

He said limited exposure, inadequate promotion and insufficient investment could themselves contribute to lower audience engagement, making it harder for competitions to attract sponsors and broadcasters.

According to him, when sporting events receive little publicity, audiences have fewer opportunities to follow athletes, understand competitions and develop lasting connections with teams.

He urged media organisations to explore athlete profiles, tactical analysis, interviews, match highlights, social media storytelling and consistent reporting on domestic competitions to expand their reach.

He also cautioned journalists against allowing the pursuit of online engagement to encourage harassment or sexist commentary directed at female athletes.

While acknowledging the opportunities digital platforms offer for reaching wider audiences, Benjamin said journalists must continue to verify information, respect privacy and avoid sensational headlines that expose athletes to abuse.

“Popularity should never become an excuse to abandon professional ethics,” he said.

To translate the discussion into newsroom practice, Benjamin outlined seven measures for journalists and media organisations.

These include adopting gender-sensitive editorial guidelines, auditing sports coverage, diversifying sources, improving professional development, strengthening grassroots reporting, applying consistent professional standards and measuring progress.

He urged newsrooms to periodically examine how frequently women feature in their reports, the prominence given to their achievements and whether coverage focuses on sporting performance or irrelevant personal details.

He also called for the development of databases of female athletes, coaches, referees, analysts and administrators who could contribute informed perspectives to sports reporting.

Benjamin said women journalists should have fair access to training, mentoring, international assignments and leadership opportunities, while male journalists should also receive gender-sensitive reporting training.

He further called on SWAN to strengthen collaboration with the NOC, sports federations, leagues, clubs and other stakeholders to improve access to information and expand the visibility of women’s sports.

In his concluding remarks, Benjamin urged journalists to examine their work before publication by asking whether a story was relevant, whether its language was fair, whether it focused on performance and achievement, and whether the necessary facts and context had been provided.

He said media visibility alone could not resolve all the challenges confronting women’s sports, noting that funding, facilities, professional contracts, governance and effective development policies remained essential.

However, he maintained that journalism could help shape the environment in which decisions were made by highlighting neglected achievements, exposing discrimination, promoting accountability and encouraging investment.

Benjamin called on journalists to move beyond headlines that reduce women to their appearance and build a sporting culture in which talent receives fair recognition and professional excellence is assessed without prejudice.