Do women watch sports?

<div style="font-size:14px;line-height:1;" id="toc">On this page&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#where-to-watch">Where can we watch female sports?</a>&nbsp;<a href="#not-as-new-audience">A completely new audience, or not as new?</a>&nbsp;<a href="#how-to-watch">How do women watch sports?</a>&nbsp;<a href="#what-sports-watchers-watch">What sports do women in the Watchers' team watch?</a>&nbsp;<a href="#get-in-touch">Get in touch</a>&nbsp;<hr style="margin-bottom:1vw;">In 2021 and 2022, many information agencies researched how viewing attitudes had changed during the pandemic. How do people watch sports now, and how will they watch it in the future?These studies revealed quite a few exciting things. For example, according to the survey provided by Meta, three out of four sports fans use social media exclusively to follow sports events and their favourite teams. One in five spectators who watch sports regularly don’t identify as sports fans. Also, it turns out that the popularity of women’s sports has risen significantly and that women themselves have become more active viewers. Likewise, they form a more significant percentage of the total TV and online broadcast audiences. Press enter or click to view image in full size<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:1600/1168;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/0af51774-5cfb-4578-b4e7-5b5078735ad3.webp" width="1600" height="1168"><figcaption>By Getty Images</figcaption></figure>The Meta study shows that Latin America boasts the most gender-balanced sports spectators. In Latin America, almost as many women as men watch sports (49% vs. 51%).The most significant difference in watching patterns between the sexes can be seen in the Middle East and Africa. 61% of men watch sports, and only 39% of women do.<blockquote>“Growing up, I didn’t see Muslim women on billboards or TV. I felt like my dreams and goals were limited, because how do you dream bigger without seeing someone who looks like you accomplish those things?”</blockquote>—Asma Elbadawi, the Sudanese athlete, basketball trainer, and poetess, who convinced the International Basketball Federation to remove the ban on hijab-wearing.<h2 id="where-to-watch">Where can we watch female sports?</h2>Despite the growing popularity of women’s sports, finding an online broadcast isn’t easy, and this is even more true on TV.At the end of last year, the Altman Solon company conducted a study in which they surveyed 18 thousand respondents from 16 countries in Asia, North America, Latin America, and Europe. Here are their insights.They found that more than half of women living in the United Kingdom watch sporting events at least once a month. Every fifth woman in the UK says she watches the FA Women’s Super League as her favourite championship.<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:1426/1398;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/b98fe7d8-9e99-4744-8db9-1104053322d4.webp" width="1426" height="1398"><figcaption>Photo: @asmaelbadawi on Instagram</figcaption></figure>Why do these results refer much more to the UK if the poll was international? The answer concerns the partnership which has been active between SkySport, the Women’s Sport Collective, and BBC since 2021. SkySports managers claim audience size and engagement growth were extraordinary due to the integration.According to SkySport, the number of female sports viewers has increased by 49% since 2017. At the same time, in 2017, the International Women’s Cricket Championship final was viewed by more than a million viewers on SkySport platforms—more than the average Premier League match.“The final vs. a regular match?” We might be sceptical of the significance of this statistic, but remember that men’s football is the most popular sport around—and beyond all reach in terms of the overall level of interest. But now women’s cricket can compete with it!<blockquote>Respondents from 33 out of 40 countries indicate that football is the most popular sport. In the USA it is outstripped by American football, in India—cricket, in Canada—hockey, and by basketball in the Philippines.</blockquote><figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:1600/900;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/e3af40dd-38f2-4cb6-b6a8-399a8f19befd.webp" width="1600" height="900"><figcaption>©&nbsp;<a style="color:inherit;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ld25.tv/">https://www.ld25.tv</a></figcaption></figure>The Women’s Super League (WSL) broadcasts show the highest ratings. Nielsen estimates that with the rise in WSL fans, the season’s total British audience was 14.5 million, becoming the country’s fourth most popular national League.However, the most crucial part of this picture is a partnership. No league can become famous if sports fans don’t have access to watch its matches.<h2 id="not-as-new-audience">A completely new audience, or not as new?</h2>25% of those who watched women’s cricket had never watched men’s cricket in the past, and six million WSL viewers had never watched Premier League games. The conclusion is simple — if you don’t provide access to women’s sports, you are losing a potential audience.According to research by Travis Schaedler and Audrey Wagstaff in 2020, respondents who described women’s sports as “slower” and “less exciting” didn’t have any experience watching women’s competitions; their knowledge was built on prejudice. In addition, less than 10% of sports media covers women’s sports regularly.<blockquote>The Olympics have become gender balanced. 48.8% of the Olympic athletes in Tokyo were women. At the Olympics in Beijing, this figure dropped a bit — to 45%. According to Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Japanese Olympic games were the first gender-balanced in history.</blockquote><figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:2318/1544;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/71788633-475f-4dfc-9535-46f773bd987a.png" width="2318" height="1544"><figcaption>©Getty Images</figcaption></figure>As the female viewer base grows, so do the top women’s sports leagues. However, according to research, women are more event-oriented and prefer to watch flagship matches and top competitions. These results give rise to great potential for audience growth and the ability to transform female viewers from occasional viewers into more frequent viewers.Let’s look at competitions that women manage to watch not only in the UK but around the world. Compared to men, women are more likely to watch the Olympics, Women’s and Men’s World Cup, including FIFA games and World Tennis Association events. But women rarely watch regular championships, and this only leaves room for growth.<h2 id="how-to-watch">How do women watch sports?</h2>We also surveyed women to learn how they would prefer to watch games: whether alone or together, online or at the stadium—and what they need to make viewing more pleasant.<figure class="image" style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><img style="aspect-ratio:1036/1300;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/9a9a87de-487f-4aa9-83d5-b44ec1c66311.webp" width="1036" height="1300"></figure>We also asked an open question — what do you need to get pleasure from viewing sports online? Most women reiterated the importance of friends and good company, followed by snacks/food and a lack of advertisement while watching. One of the respondents shared that a bottle of beer comes in handy, “maybe two, if the game is bollocks”.<h2 id="what-sports-watchers-watch">What sports do women in the Watchers' team watch?</h2>"Unfortunately, not all sports close to me can be seen on TV or a video platform, as their broadcasting would be hard to organise, and their entertainment value is low. I would like to see more Open-Water Swimming Championships, triathlon races, and General Aviation Sports (air rally racing, precision flying, and air navigation races).&nbsp;From what the media offers, I watch football and Red Bull competitions. I have never missed a single Red Bull Air Race before, but now, after cancellation, I am following Cliff Diving. These are the guilty pleasures that I watch alone. As for football… Who cheers at the stadium alone? You need company; if we can’t come together with friends, we exchange impressions online”. —&nbsp;Yana Barden, CEO“Different women watch sports differently, just as is true of men. Some like to discuss and be in a crowd, whether real or virtual, because that brings joy. Others follow a game attentively, analysing tactics. I watch football and always react very emotionally. After all, football is like a film — the same strong emotions, editing, and close-ups are all present without any prepared script, and seasons are like series and have plot twists”. —&nbsp;Alina Kuzo, Editor-in-Chief<h2 id="get-in-touch">Get in touch</h2>If you want to build communities on your platform with a trusted and healthy space, and allow your users to discuss sports while watching,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/form">connect with us</a>. We will help you&nbsp;find the most suitable solution.<hr style="&gt;
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 &lt;a style=;margin-bottom:1vw;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/business/news/insights/the-changing-profile-of-sports-fans-around-the-world">Sources:The changing profile of sports fans around the world | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/business/news/insights/the-changing-profile-of-sports-fans-around-the-world">Facebook IQ</a>Analysis: 2021 Sports Survey | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.altmansolon.com">Altman Solon</a>Exposure to Women’s Sports: Changing Attitudes Toward Female Athletes | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://thesportjournal.org/article/exposure-to-womens-sports-changing-attitudes-toward-female-athletes/">The Sport Journal</a>Women's Sport: Record viewing in 2021 according to Women's Sports Trust research | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/other-sports/news/29877/12535281/womens-sport-record-viewing-in-2021-according-to-womens-sports-trust-research">Sky Sports</a></div>

Let's take a deep look at the latest studies about sports fans’ toxic behaviour online.

We take a deep look at how moderation works in online sports rooms and at the latest studies about sports fans’ toxic behavior online.

Abuse in sports online communities. How do we fight it?

<div style="font-size:14px;line-height:1;" id="toc">On this page&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="#according-to-the-reports">According to the reports</a>&nbsp;<a href="#is-it-because-of-social-media">Is it because of social media?</a>&nbsp;<a href="#Real-steps">Real steps</a>&nbsp;<a href="#pitfalls-to-avoid">Pitfalls to avoid</a>&nbsp;<a href="#get-in-touch">Get in touch</a>&nbsp;<hr style="margin-bottom:1vw;"><h2>According to the reports</h2>Since 2020, international sports associations, trade unions, and independent analysts have paid attention to the number of hate attacks on athletes that happen during competitions. This awareness has led to extensive research about abusive behaviour in online sports communities. FIFA, FIFPRO, the Conversation, World Athletics, Australian sporting organisations, eSafety, NBPA, and others presented proprietary studies.<img src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*6qiCkhXHTxe3Bjmzt_mSRA.png" width="700" height="399">Studies have been conducted about different sports in different countries. The nuances of them are different, but the essence is the same: the core of online abuse is homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism, islamophobia, transphobia, and threats. These are listed in order of frequency of occurrence from the most to the least if you look at the situation as a whole. But in various leagues, different phobias and forms of discrimination come to the fore.<blockquote>“In recent times we have seen female athletes, those from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and diverse cultural and multilingual backgrounds increasingly becoming the targets of unimaginable online abuse, hatred, misogyny and racism.” — eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, Australia</blockquote>So, the EURO 2020 Final, ending with the English team losing and the Italian team winning,&nbsp;<a style="color:inherit;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/58e4c303ca2197f5/original/FIFA-Threat-Matrix-Report.pdf">showed</a>&nbsp;an unacceptable level of racism among European and English fans. The African Cup of Nations 2021 Final highlighted fans’ homophobia. Misogyny and sexism traditionally accompany women’s competitions. The Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, which were the first gender-balanced (women’s participation was 49%), showed the highest level of sexism.&nbsp;<a style="color:inherit;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/online-abuse-study-athletes-tokyo-olympic-games">According to studies</a>, 87% of all abusive online messages were addressed to women.<h2 id="is-it-because-of-social-media">Is it because of social media?</h2>Toxicity breeds toxicity. In the beginning, bullying is directed against athletes, then spreads to other fans, training staff, and athletes’ relatives and friends. Toxic comments and messages have no limitation period because they are posted in public accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media; therefore, they continue to get impressions and be shared.<img src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*jCKtoMqioaPGVqH3Uz8GdA.png" width="700" height="828">You might notice abusive comments if you've seen sports clubs' and certain athletes' pages and accounts even once, especially during a match or after a loss. Also, you might want to pay attention to Twitter threads, which have become popular and reached the top.If you are not a social media user, you may know from traditional media that athletes and sports organisations have joined boycotts of social media more than once. In April 2021, the Premier League, the English Football League and the Women’s Super League&nbsp;<a style="color:inherit;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/56872469">boycotted</a>&nbsp;social media for four days because of persistent disregard for abuse problems. However, two months after the EURO 2020 Final, the English team faced a wave of abuse that prompted FIFA to take action.<h2 id="real=steps">Real steps</h2>Many people think that the reason for abusive behaviour on social media is anonymity, but it's not all that simple. Social media is not a space to be completely anonymous. After the bullying waves during the EURO 2020 Final, a lot of online abusers were called to the police.<img src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*CZNd8OCS0KtSVI0RxQrV6w.jpeg" width="700" height="526">Gareth Southgate consoles Bukayo Saka, who missed England’s final penalty in the shootout ©AFPTwitter and Instagram remain the spaces where bullying breeds bullying, regardless of whether the identity of the authors of abusive threads is often fixed or easily revealed. Triggers for bullying can be a game score, a player’s mistake during the game, or even an athlete's photo on their personal account. When anything can be a reason, there are no reasons at all.Following research, FIFA plans to launch a moderation service to search for toxic posts across social media. According to the Threat Matrix company, the two-level check will allow them to solve complex cases (as with the Italian player whose nickname is Gorilla. In this case, the gorilla emoji is acceptable when it is a toxic marker in racism cases.<h2 id="pitfalls-to-avoid">Pitfalls to avoid</h2>Of course, this is not the first attempt to fight toxicity in online spaces. For example, in 2021, Xinning Gui, PhD at Pennsylvania State University, made a presentation at the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. She shared the instruments used to struggle with abuse in the cybersport space and how players utilise them for personal value. For example, they flag game competitors, not abusers.<img src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*Srxvvc0GGbQo3Kf_w9uHfg.jpeg" width="700" height="401">Sifan Hassan of Team Netherlands celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Women’s 10,000m Final on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (Photo by Cameron Spencer / Getty Images via CFP)The dishonesty of some users is not the only pitfall in fighting online abuse. One tough case was the recent Beijing Olympics, where, along with the hate comments towards athletes, real censorship was applied to Internet users. So, many European athletes claimed they weren’t ready to publicly say anything about negative issues related to the Olympics until they left China. In general, the Chinese system for checking online messages is aimed at posts and comments expressing an anti-government point of view, not for checking abuse.How to find a balance? How do you create a trusted online space for comfortable communication, avoiding abuse, and still remembering freedom of speech?<h2 id="get-in-touch">Get in Touch</h2>If you are looking for a way to increase engagement and provide additional content on your website or app, remember the safety of your users. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your">Book&nbsp;a&nbsp;call </a>with the Watchers team, and we will be happy to find the best solution for your platform.</div>