Is This What We Need? Or, What "They" Want?

I have a lot of questions and concerns regarding the combination of sex appeal and sports...

Yes, female athletes and female sports are getting more media coverage than ever. BUT is this a true representation of female athletes, or just the image that media has created to appeal to potential viewers and consumers? Obviously, I realize this isn’t the first time the media has done this to sell a product, but as a competitive athlete in a not so mainstream sport, I understand the importance of media recognition with respect to promotion and popularity of your sport. However, I am not sure if using sex appeal is the right way to get recognition.

Then again, I am beginning to second guess myself…

As I begin to watch who is getting attention within the mainstream sports like the LPGA, WTA, WNBA, WPA, and others professional women’s associations, it is obvious that such sport associations are saying “yes” to sex appeal in an attempt to sell their sport to the public.

Some think as long as were in the spotlight it’s a start. But could this time in the spot light, just be like a “one hit wonder” for the specific sport… I mean as soon as the attractive girl gets injured or retires, then what happens to the sport within the media? Will the fan base and media coverage continue purely based on the love of the sport? I think this is what many of us would like to believe, but I don’t think were being true to ourselves.

This brings about another series of questions. If we use attractive girls to promote a sport, our main fan-base should be men... Right? But right now, the majority of the female sport fan base, is in actuality young girls who are aspiring athletes. By continuing to promote sex in female sports, one may create a new fan-base of male sports fans, but the parents of the present young female fan-base may not be happy with the message the media is sending out to their girls…that you have to be both beautiful and good at your sport to gain recognition on an international stage.