Podcast Analysis: Laughter Permitted
In her podcast, Laughter Permitted, former U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) soccer player, Julie Foudy, engages in conversations with influential athletes to examine sports and its influence on society. In the first episode of season two, Billie Jean King joins Foudy to discuss the advancement of women in athletics and society. King has won 39 Grand Slam Titles, defeated Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes, was the first female athlete awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and founded the Women’s Sports Foundation (Foudy 2019). Although King has become a trailblazer for female athletics, she endured gender discrimination, unequal pay and sexism.
In 1970, King and 8 other female tennis players formed an alliance to promote equality in women’s sports by signing a symbolic $1 contract (Foudy 2019). The unequal distribution of prize money along with the lack of respect for female athletes fueled their movement. When reflecting on this event in the podcast, King explains their vision was to ensure 3 things: (1) if a female was a good enough athlete she will have a place to compete, (2) she will be appreciated for her accomplishments not just her looks, and (3) she will be able to make a living (Foudy 2019). In the 1968 Wimbledon tournament, King was awarded 750 pounds while her male counterpart received 2,000 pounds (Foudy 2019). In chapter 13 of the Social Issues in Sports, Ronald Woods explains that traditionally, prize money for men in all four Grand Slam events exceeds the prize money for women. Additionally, in the WNBA, the highest obtainable salary was $105,000 while the NBA’s highest salary was $30 million (Woods, 2016, P. 331). In 2014, of the 50 highest-paid athletes, only one was a woman. (Woods 2016, P. 331).
Unequal pay and the stigma surrounding women was created by institutionalized gender discrimination. In every aspect, women have been deemed inferior to their male counterparts. When examining this oppression through feminist theory, it becomes clear how institutionalized gender discrimination has impacted the role of women in society. For instance, in the past, the U.S. government had deemed women ineligible to vote, to gain an education, to compete in sports, and to receive equal pay in the workforce. This institutionalized discrimination created a society structured on undervaluing all women and impacted the governing bodies in the sports industry.
In the podcast, Foudy explains that when the 1999 Women’s World Cup was hosted in the United States, the USWNT had to convince FIFA that they deserved to play in large arenas (Foudy 2019). While the team's request was granted, Foudy felt added pressure because she feared that nobody would show up to fill the stadium (Foudy 2019). The study on women’s sports in television news by Cheryl Cooky, Michael A. Messner, and Michela Musto, prove that Foudy had reason to worry about the fan base during the women’s World Cup. In 1993, amongst 4 media outlets, only 5.1% of coverage was dedicated to women’s sports whereas men received 93.1% of coverage (Cooky, Messner, & Musto 2015). This trend continued in 2014 where among all of the lead stories broadcasted during the year, none were a women’s sports story (Cooky, Messner, & Musto 2015). In relation to the feminist theory, when the media chooses to focus on male sports, they teach society that female athletics are not of the same caliber. Foudy was concerned with how the lack of coverage would impact the fan base for women’s sports.
Ultimately, while the USWNT attracted a large audience in 1999, this upward trend proved to be an outlier. Business implications, however, will continue to facilitate the media coverage of women’s sports. In Chapter 5, Woods explores the business implications of sports media and suggests that “money is the most significant link between media and professional sport,” (Woods 2016, P. 98). In addition to advertisers and the TV networks paying fees for broadcasting rights, the guaranteed income that is generated from TV coverage allows owners and leagues to pay athletes large salaries (Woods 2016, P. 98). Woods suggests that if women’s sports can prove that they can attract larger audiences, then the business model will adjust (Woods 2016, P. 333).
Growing up an athlete, I was familiar with the USWNT and the iconic stories of Billie Jean King. Having two idols together in a podcast piqued my interest. In the future, I am hoping to obtain a job in the professional sports industry. In the podcast, King explains how she continues to advocate for women in the workplace and in sports. King said, “How women’s sports are going will tell you how the world is going,” (Foudy 2019). I felt inspired by King and hope to continue paving the way for future generations of women that dream of working in an industry historically dominated by men.
References
Cooky, C., Messner, M., A., & Musto, M. (2015). “It’s Dude Time!”: A Quarter Century of Excluding Women’s Sports in Televised News. Communication & Sport. 3(3), 261-287.
Foudy, J. (2019, October 23). Episode 21: Billie Jean King. Retrieved from http://www.espn.com/espnradio/play?id=27909847
Woods, R. B. (2016). Social issues in sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.