The Marginal Roles of Women Journalists Playing as Football Coverage Writers: The Case of FourFourTwo

Research Article
Open access

The Marginal Roles of Women Journalists Playing as Football Coverage Writers: The Case of FourFourTwo

Fangting Gu 1*
  • 1 School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China    
  • *corresponding author gufangting_2022@sjtu.edu.cn
CHR Vol.71
ISSN (Print): 2753-7072
ISSN (Online): 2753-7064
ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-203-4
ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-204-1

Abstract

In recent years, the participation of women in football journalism has gradually increased, but they still face major barriers to gaining recognition. Though Carrie Brown’s appointment as Chair of the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) in 2019 marked a historic milestone, female football coverage writers remain underrepresented, facing challenges like limited bylines, excessive coverage of women’s football, a focus on “soft” news, and a lack of opinion pieces. As football’s global dominance grows and audiences shift more towards online platforms, the paper carries out a content analysis of FourFourTwo, a football news website, to explore the roles of female football coverage writers, with a focus on the volume of their contributions, thematic emphases, and stylistic characteristics. The results show that women authored significantly fewer articles than men, with their contributions primarily centred on women’s football. In addition, opinion pieces authored by female journalists are scarce, suggesting potential constraints on their editorial roles and expressive scope.

Keywords:

Football Media, Female Sports Writers, Gender Representation, Byline Analysis, Content Evaluation

Gu,F. (2025). The Marginal Roles of Women Journalists Playing as Football Coverage Writers: The Case of FourFourTwo. Communications in Humanities Research,71,29-35.
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References

[1]. FIFA. (2024). FIFA women’s football strategy 2024-2027. FIFA. https://inside.fifa.com/womens-football/strategy.

[2]. Byerly, C.M. (2013) The Palgrave international handbook of women and journalism. Palgrave Macmillan, 458.

[3]. Mudrick, M. and Lin, C.A. (2017) Looking on from the sideline: Perceived role congruity of women sports journalists. Journal of Sports Media, 12(2), 79-101.

[4]. Franks, S. and O’Neill, D. (2016) Women reporting sport: Still a man’s game? Journalism, 17(4), 474-492.

[5]. Faedo, N.I., et al. (2024) Are women sports journalists in Spain truly progressing or facing “pseudo-progress”? Journalism and Media, 5(3), 1211-1227.

[6]. Boczek, K., et al. (2023) Gender byline bias in sports reporting: Examining the visibility and audience perception of male and female journalists in sports coverage. Journalism, 24(7), 1462-1481.

[7]. Parry, K.D., et al. (2023) Media framing of women’s football during the COVID-19 pandemic. Communication and Sport, 11(3), 592-615.

[8]. Schoch, L. (2022) The gender of sports news: Horizontal segregation and marginalization of female journalists in the Swiss press. Communication and Sport, 10(4), 746-766.

[9]. Franks, S. (2013). Women and journalism (1st ed.). I.B. Tauris, 6.

[10]. Hoey, P., et al. (2022) Subverting the inverted pyramid: Kevin McCarra and the revolution in British football journalism 1988-2020. TEXT, 26(Special 67).

[11]. Hanitzsch, T. and Hanusch, F. (2012) Does gender determine journalists’ professional views? A reassessment based on cross-national evidence. European Journal of Communication, 27(3), 257-277.

[12]. Hannis, G. and Strong, C. (2007) The visibility of female journalists in Australian and New Zealand newspapers: The good news and the bad news. Australian Journalism Review, 29(1), 115-125.

[13]. Steiner, L. (2012) Failed theories: Explaining gender difference in journalism. Review of Communication, 12(3), 201-223.

[14]. North, L. (2016). The gender of “soft” and “hard” news. Journalism Studies, 17(3), 356-373.

[15]. North, L. (2012). The gendered world of sports reporting in the Australian print media. JOMEC Journal, 2.

[16]. Goffman, E. (1974). Frame analysis. University of Pennsylvania Press.

[17]. Kian, E.M. and Hardin, M. (2009) Framing of sport coverage based on the sex of sports writers: Female journalists counter the traditional gendering of media coverage. International Journal of Sport Communication, 2(2), 185-204.

[18]. Berelson, B. (1952). Content analysis in communication research.

[19]. Duncan, S. (2020)AN ONLINE WORLD: A HISTORY OF THE SPORTS-MEDIA RELATIONSHIP. The Digital World of Sport: The Impact of Emerging Media on Sports News, Information and Journalism, Anthem Press, 13-38.

[20]. Drisko, J. and Maschi, T. (2015) Content analysis (1st ed.). Oxford University Press.

[21]. Faedo, N.I. (2024). The role of women in the production of journalistic pieces: Analysis of Mundo Deportivo and Marca during Qatar 2022. Obra Digital, 24, 93-104.

[22]. Hardin, M. (2005) Stopped at the gate: Women’s sports, “reader interest,” and decision making by editors. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 82(1), 62-77.

[23]. Boyle, R., et al. (2023). Sport, journalism and social reproduction. In L. A. Wenner (Ed.), Oxford handbook of sport and society, 1025-1043.

[24]. Terkildsen, N. and Schnell, F. (1997) How media frames move public opinion: An analysis of the women's movement. Political Research Quarterly, 50(4), 879-900.

[25]. Cairns, A. (2023). It’s still all to play for. British Journalism Review, 34(1), 45-48.

[26]. Woodward, K. (2019) The gendering of defining moments: Heroic narratives and pivotal points in footballing memories. Soccer & Society, 20(7-8), 1108-1117.

[27]. Whiteside, E. and Hardin, M. (2013) The glass ceiling and beyond: Tracing the explanations for women’s lack of power in sports journalism. In Routledge handbook of sport communication, 146-154.

[28]. Rodgers, S. and Thorson, E. (2006) A socialization perspective on male and female reporting. Journal of Communication, 56(2), 336-355.

Cite this article

Gu,F. (2025). The Marginal Roles of Women Journalists Playing as Football Coverage Writers: The Case of FourFourTwo. Communications in Humanities Research,71,29-35.

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Volume title: Proceedings of ICLLCD 2025 Symposium: Enhancing Organizational Efficiency and Efficacy through Psychology and AI

ISBN：978-1-80590-203-4(Print) / 978-1-80590-204-1(Online)
Editor：Rick Arrowood
Conference website: https://2025.icllcd.org/Boston.html
Conference date: 12 May 2025
Series: Communications in Humanities Research
Volume number: Vol.71
ISSN：2753-7064(Print) / 2753-7072(Online)

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References

[1]. FIFA. (2024). FIFA women’s football strategy 2024-2027. FIFA. https://inside.fifa.com/womens-football/strategy.

[2]. Byerly, C.M. (2013) The Palgrave international handbook of women and journalism. Palgrave Macmillan, 458.

[3]. Mudrick, M. and Lin, C.A. (2017) Looking on from the sideline: Perceived role congruity of women sports journalists. Journal of Sports Media, 12(2), 79-101.

[4]. Franks, S. and O’Neill, D. (2016) Women reporting sport: Still a man’s game? Journalism, 17(4), 474-492.

[5]. Faedo, N.I., et al. (2024) Are women sports journalists in Spain truly progressing or facing “pseudo-progress”? Journalism and Media, 5(3), 1211-1227.

[6]. Boczek, K., et al. (2023) Gender byline bias in sports reporting: Examining the visibility and audience perception of male and female journalists in sports coverage. Journalism, 24(7), 1462-1481.

[7]. Parry, K.D., et al. (2023) Media framing of women’s football during the COVID-19 pandemic. Communication and Sport, 11(3), 592-615.

[8]. Schoch, L. (2022) The gender of sports news: Horizontal segregation and marginalization of female journalists in the Swiss press. Communication and Sport, 10(4), 746-766.

[9]. Franks, S. (2013). Women and journalism (1st ed.). I.B. Tauris, 6.

[10]. Hoey, P., et al. (2022) Subverting the inverted pyramid: Kevin McCarra and the revolution in British football journalism 1988-2020. TEXT, 26(Special 67).

[11]. Hanitzsch, T. and Hanusch, F. (2012) Does gender determine journalists’ professional views? A reassessment based on cross-national evidence. European Journal of Communication, 27(3), 257-277.

[12]. Hannis, G. and Strong, C. (2007) The visibility of female journalists in Australian and New Zealand newspapers: The good news and the bad news. Australian Journalism Review, 29(1), 115-125.

[13]. Steiner, L. (2012) Failed theories: Explaining gender difference in journalism. Review of Communication, 12(3), 201-223.

[14]. North, L. (2016). The gender of “soft” and “hard” news. Journalism Studies, 17(3), 356-373.

[15]. North, L. (2012). The gendered world of sports reporting in the Australian print media. JOMEC Journal, 2.

[16]. Goffman, E. (1974). Frame analysis. University of Pennsylvania Press.

[17]. Kian, E.M. and Hardin, M. (2009) Framing of sport coverage based on the sex of sports writers: Female journalists counter the traditional gendering of media coverage. International Journal of Sport Communication, 2(2), 185-204.

[18]. Berelson, B. (1952). Content analysis in communication research.

[19]. Duncan, S. (2020)AN ONLINE WORLD: A HISTORY OF THE SPORTS-MEDIA RELATIONSHIP. The Digital World of Sport: The Impact of Emerging Media on Sports News, Information and Journalism, Anthem Press, 13-38.

[20]. Drisko, J. and Maschi, T. (2015) Content analysis (1st ed.). Oxford University Press.

[21]. Faedo, N.I. (2024). The role of women in the production of journalistic pieces: Analysis of Mundo Deportivo and Marca during Qatar 2022. Obra Digital, 24, 93-104.

[22]. Hardin, M. (2005) Stopped at the gate: Women’s sports, “reader interest,” and decision making by editors. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 82(1), 62-77.

[23]. Boyle, R., et al. (2023). Sport, journalism and social reproduction. In L. A. Wenner (Ed.), Oxford handbook of sport and society, 1025-1043.

[24]. Terkildsen, N. and Schnell, F. (1997) How media frames move public opinion: An analysis of the women's movement. Political Research Quarterly, 50(4), 879-900.

[25]. Cairns, A. (2023). It’s still all to play for. British Journalism Review, 34(1), 45-48.

[26]. Woodward, K. (2019) The gendering of defining moments: Heroic narratives and pivotal points in footballing memories. Soccer & Society, 20(7-8), 1108-1117.

[27]. Whiteside, E. and Hardin, M. (2013) The glass ceiling and beyond: Tracing the explanations for women’s lack of power in sports journalism. In Routledge handbook of sport communication, 146-154.

[28]. Rodgers, S. and Thorson, E. (2006) A socialization perspective on male and female reporting. Journal of Communication, 56(2), 336-355.

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