Tensions and Challenges in Depictions of Women’s Sport in Audiovisual Media: Perspectives of Spanish Sportswomen

Abstract

Film and television depictions of women’s sports are marked by tensions and challenges in contemporary society. Laia Palau (former basketball player), Núria Picas (mountain runner), Omaira Perdomo (volleyball player), Adiaratou Iglesias (para athlete), and Tania Álvarez (boxer) offer us their first-person perspective on this topic with a focus on three key issues: depictions in film and television fiction, media coverage, and self-representation on social media. The diversity of their profiles and sports results in some thought-provoking differences of opinion, along with a number of significant similarities. In film and television fiction, the interviewees value the portrayal of the physical exertion and determination of female athletes. Historically, films have offered very few role models for women in sport. Although media coverage today provides visibility for women’s sports that have traditionally been ignored, it also objectifies and sexualises sportswomen’s bodies. To combat this, social media provides a space for self-representation where sportswomen can subvert such treatment of their image by conventional media, giving rise to a tension between their private lives and their professional persona as celebrities. In recent years there has been a clear paradigm shift, with an increasing number of female role models in sports films, greater visibility of women’s sports in the media, and positive depictions of female athletes. However, there are still many challenges to face—both in sport itself and in its representation on screen.