This annotated bibliography covers the subject of Marketing, and how a lack of marketing has contributed to pay gap in women’s sports which is a prevalent topic in today’s day and age. This will explore how it has contributed to it, why, and what can be done in an attempt to reverse the effects. Examples, articles, and pieces from academic journals will be utilized to cover this topic.
Alvarez, A. (2019, May 9). I thought the main issue in women’s sports was equal pay. I was wrong. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/09/i-thought-the-main-issue-in-womens-sports-was-equal-pay-i-was-wrong
Anya Alvarez writes in her article, “I thought the main issue in women’s sports was equal pay. I was wrong” about how the idea that the wage and earnings gap between male and female sports is the biggest issue in that field is actually a misconception. Alvarez argues that the issue is not equal pay, but rather an issue regarding marketing and promotion. She writes that, “There is systematic sexism in sports that leads to unequal pay, which starts with how women are marketed by their own leagues” as by doing so, there are hurdles placed for the athletes to truly become well-known and capitalize off of their talent. This article directly relates to our research topic, which in fact is how the gap in marketing budgets has affected other aspects of women’s sports, and how it has created an inequality as a result. The article written by Alvarez provides great insight into this topic, with accounts from WNBA players, and different points of view provided.
Rogers, C. (2019, July 1). How brands can level the playing field for women in sport. Marketing Week. Retrieved from https://www.marketingweek.com/brands-level-playing-field-women-sport/
Charlotte Rogers writes in her article published on the UK based business magazine Marketing Week, that recently brands have been becoming more engaged in the sponsorships of women’s sports. Rogers questions if they are truly advocating for female athletes, or simply profiting from the recent wave of popularity. Rogers argues that, brands have the ability to provide a platform for female athletes to be able to appear on an equal footing with men as they can provide exposure to combat issues such as the wage gap which has historically been an ongoing and prevalent issue. This article relates to our key topic as it argues that part of the reason there is a wage gap, and a lower number of viewers in women’s sports versus male sports, simply has to do with the lack of coverage and exposure that brands can give women’s sports. Rather than doing so, many companies choose to capitalize from women’s sports as they have become more popular and are gaining a return on their investment without really investing a whole lot in the first place.
Lobpries, J., Bennett, G., & Brison, N. (2018). How I Perform is Not Enough: Exploring Branding Barriers Faced by Elite Female Athletes. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 27(1), 5–17. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=129126257&site=ehost-live
In this academic journal, Lobpries, Bennett, and Brison examine the barriers facing female athletes when it comes to creating a personal brand. This includes taking a look at social role theory, brand identity theory, and direct case studies through interviews with pro female athletes. Their findings concluded that expected social roles of women and the leveraging of personal brand equity posed as the biggest barriers to female athletes crafting a personal brand. These two central categories also contained five broader themes including, being bold and assertive, an assumption that physical attractiveness matters, more than just performance, limited visibility, and proper brand management. These five barriers all unjustly contribute to a culture where women’s sports are less visible and less equitable, and, as a result, causing the wage gap in sports we are all familiar with. This contributes to our key topic as it argues that many of the equity problems in women’s sports are rooted in outdated perceptions of women and the lower visibility and branding caused by such perceptions.
Shaw, S., & Amis, J. (2001). Image and Investment: Sponsorship and Women’s Sports. Journal of Sport Management, 15(3), 219. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.15.3.219
This article by Sally Shaw and John Amis farther illustrates the disparity of sponsorships for male and female athletes. The authors go into detail about the ways in which women’s sports, and their subsequent athletes, are underrepresented in the media and sponsorships. An argument is made that ignoring women’s sports is essentially ignoring a potentially valuable marketing tool. A qualitative approach and two field studies are used to farther promote the argument, showing that low media coverage and mimetic pressures by sponsors were big causes of the lack of revenue in women’s sports. This relates to our key topic by showing two more examples of women’s sports being overlooked, as well as some reasons it shouldn’t be.
Conversation, T. (2019, August 11). How big brands could solve the gender pay gap in sport. Retrieved from https://www.salon.com/2019/08/11/how-big-brands-could-solve-the-gender-pay-gap-in-sport_partner/.
This article by Katie Lebel explains the major wage gap between male and female professional athletes. She references the 2019 Women’s World Cup and how FIFA estimated it drew in more than a billion viewers. FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced that the 2023 Women’s World Cup would expand from 24 to 32 teams and double the tournament’s total prize compensation to $60 million. This may seem like a great advance, but the 2022 Men’s World Cup has set aside $440 million in prize money. Lebel states that critics often argue that the men’s sports bring in greater revenue and because of this, male athletes earn higher salaries. However, the author informs readers that this argument oversimplifies the issue and doesn’t consider other factors that hinder the earning potential in women’s sports. Katie discusses how there is inequal investment in long term player development, asymmetrical promotional budgets and very limited merchandising opportunities. She claims that brands have the power to promote change for women’s professional sports and if they realized the weight of their influence in the sporting industry and demand gender equality, positive change would happen. This relates to our topic by pointing out the wage gap between male and female athletes and how brands can help by promoting women’s sports.
Rogers, C. (2018, December 21). Why brands must rethink their approach to women’s sports sponsorship. Retrieved from https://www.marketingweek.com/brands-neglecting-womens-sports-sponsorship/.
In this article by Charlotte Rogers, she mentions the recent accomplishments in women’s sports and how their performance has outshined the efforts of their male counterparts, yet brands remain hesitant to embrace the opportunities that women’s sports have to offer. She states that female athletics account for only 0.4% of total sports sponsorship. Laura Weston, board member and trustee of the Women’s Sports Trust and managing director of Iris Culture argues that “brands are not confident enough when it comes to assessing the opportunity of sponsoring women’s sports”. She further claims, “They’re looking for traditional metrics of sports sponsorship, but that’s completely changing”. The article informs readers that brands need to have a different vision and consider the potential opportunities of sponsoring women’s sports. This article relates to our topic by explaining the current situation with marketing of women’s sports and how more brands need to invest in female athletics in order for them to receive more recognition.