"Mystery Meat" and "Bulldyke": Disciplining Gender and Silencing Women Sports Reporters on Reddit

Abstract

Most of the sports industry is a male dominated space where women are very rarely accepted. We see men in the field, whether they work or play, defend the space and tell women reporters to “stay in their lane.” This study focuses on an online news-sharing site, reddit, and examines how sports fans take it upon themselves to defend sports as a male space. Reporters, such as Sarah Spain, Jemele Hill, and Doris Burke, are subjected to hundreds of comments that silence them and discipline them based on their gender. This study emphasizes the need for gender equality in what we define as a male space, specifically sports reporting, and also how education from a young age can help erase the gender gap.

Date of Award	2019
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	Eastern Illinois University
Supervisor	Marita Gronnvoll (Supervisor)