Media Coverage of Emergent Women’s Leagues Within Mainstream Sports: Exploring Intersecting Hegemonies

Abstract

This study adopts agenda-setting theory to examine how emergent Australian women’s professional sports leagues have impacted the distribution of media coverage between genders and sports. In doing so, it assesses how these leagues have simultaneously challenged and reinforced hegemonic cultural structures that shape leisure choice. Quantitative newspaper content analysis from 2019 to 2023 produced 21,129 entries, equating to 8,690 pages of content. Logistic regression revealed a modest rise in overall women’s sport coverage, driven by high-profile international events. In contrast, domestic women’s leagues exhibited limited coverage growth. However, coverage is redistributing between women’s professional leagues, with those aligned to culturally dominant and historically male-oriented sports growing their visibility. This shift exhibits leisure implications, as media hierarchies shape societal perceptions of which sports are valued. The emergence of new women’s sport leagues thus presents a paradox: their growth has created opportunities for women but done so by marginalizing historically female-oriented sports.