The research identified how the representation of male and female athletes vary, the differences by market and media type, as well as consumer searches between the two genders.
Key findings from global English, French and Spanish data include: women’s tennis content is twice as likely to reference a player’s age, GOAT (greatest of all time) was mentioned 50% more in men’s tennis content than women’s, women’s tennis is over two times more likely to mention health and medical treatment, and “career” is mentioned nearly 50% more in female coverage than male.
Speaking on this data, ITF president, David Haggerty, said: “Voice is one of the key pillars of our advantage all strategy.”
“To make a positive impact in this area, it is vital that we have a credible understanding of media and social media language.
“The results reveal that, despite similar public appetite across both men’s and women’s tennis, there is a distinct difference in the narrative surrounding them.
“It’s important to acknowledge that this difference is not necessarily always negative, but we must avoid a situation where a different focus arises as a result of conscious or unconscious bias, as ultimately that can diminish the sporting achievements of female athletes,” he said.
The “Level the Playing Field” event brings together influential individuals from sport and business to discuss gender equality in solution-based discussion.
