Fuck Yeah, Gender Studies!

See also She won a gold medal because she’s pretty

The gender-based study published in the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media found: 

• When female athletes succeed, commentators tend to focus on luck and less on physical ability.
• When female athletes fail, physical ability and commitment are noted.
• When male athletes succeed, commentators applaud their skill and commitment to the sport.
• When male athletes fail, it is not necessarily about their failure, but about how their competitors succeeded.
• In 2010, 75 percent of the most-mentioned athletes were male.

The nationality study published in the International Journal of Sport Communication found: 

• When American athletes succeed, commentators were more likely to focus on their intellect, commitment, and luck (both good and bad).
• When non-American athletes failed, commentators were more likely to say they failed because they lacked the strength and skill of other athletes.
• American athletes received enhanced comments about their outgoing/extroverted nature.
• Non-American athletes received more comments about the size and parts of their bodies.
• Overall, commentary about American athletes often focused more on the intangible aspects of their performances, rather than strength and skill.

Angelini’s findings also included marked differences in commentators’ treatment of race: 

• When discussing African-American athletes commentators focused more on physical ability and strength.
• Asian athletes garnered a disproportionate number of comments about intelligence.
• When discussing white athletes, commentators were more likely to mention commitment and composure.