Walking the Walk: Gender-bland Sexism, the Fan Experience and Perceptions of Value in Professional Women's Cricket

Abstract

Historically, sport has been the domain of males and is often perceived as a site for reinforcing traditional ideas about masculinity (Muir et al., 2020). Sporting images and language often glorify heroic manhood with women confined mainly to the roles of "spectator, supporter, and admirer" (Osborne & Coombs, 2013, p.673). When sports celebrate masculinity, gender ideology defines women as invaders (Coakley et al., 2011) and men's sport continues to be seen as the 'standard' to judge sport in terms of status. As a result, women's versions of sports are often gender marked as the 'other' version. For instance, and pertinently for this chapter, the men's professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket competition in Australia is referred to as the BBL (Big Bash League) while the women's version is known as the WBBL (Women's Big Bash League).Against this cultural backdrop, women's sport in Australia has undergone rapid expansion recently. In 2016 the Australian women's rugby union team won gold at the Olympics in Rio, whilst in 2017, the Australian association football team (the 'Matildas') won the Tournament of Nations, and the first national Australian rules football league for women (the AFLW) was launched. A new national women's rugby league competition (the NRLW) followed in 2018. These new opportunities for professional women athletes to play sports for financial reimbursement were in addition to the already established professional women's netball and association football leagues. The rise in women's professional competitions has proved attractive to sports fans in Australia and is creating lucrative markets for various sporting codes. This can be illustrated by large sell-out crowds for the Matildas, and the attendance figures at the 2019 grand final of the AFLW, where a crowd of over 53,000 was recorded (Gaskin, 2019). However, while we refer to these leagues as 'professional', in that the players are rewarded for their performances, many of the conditions that they operate within are far removed from those of professional men's sport. Players are frequently poorly remunerated via short-term contracts and are provided with inferior playing conditions. Until recently it has been challenging for women to make a professional full-time career from these sports.In 2015, a women's professional T20 cricket competition was introduced. Despite being governed by Cricket Australia, the WBBL initially had low public awareness and limited commercial appeal,

‘They are doing it because they love it’: U.S. and English fan perceptions of women footballers as ‘role models’

“…We focus on fans as a group whose understandings of women athletes have rarely been investigated (for an exception, see Parry et al 2021). Yet fans' perspectives can be powerful influences on team and league events, and fans are important as the imagined receivers of role modelling efforts.…”

“…Yet, adults are the primary consumers of women's sport above children and many fans actively participate in public discussions about women's sport via social media and online platforms that influence women's sport organizations (Guest and Luitjen 2018). The question of how fans perceive and communicate the value of women athletes and women's sport has begun to be addressed (see Parry et al 2021) but remains understudied, an important limitation given the power of fans through both consumption and communication. This research is also important because it contributes to wider debates around gendered inequalities in women's football.…”