Today, TV channels broadcast men’s sports shows more than women’s sport shows. Why is this the case? Should TV channels give equal showtime for each?

It is common practice for most TV networks to focus more on men’s athletics rather than

women’s

. In my opinion,

this

is a natural byproduct of the history of

sports

and there should be more equal emphasis depending on the sport in question. Men’s

sports

are more popular because they have developed

further

. In the past, athletics was always the primary domain of men and women were relegated to more domestic roles. Modern society understands

this

was discriminatory but the result, higher quality of play among male

sports

, cannot be argued. A good example of

this

would be professional basketball where the male leagues,

such

as the NBA, feature some of the greatest athletes in the world, executing complex coaching schemes, and consistently showcasing high skill levels.

Women’s

basketball, while it has developed considerably in the

last

two decades, is not the same level of entertainment though

this

may change in the coming years. As

this

situation may require

time

to remedy, only the ratings can justify equal programming

time

. There are

sports

where

this

is already the case essentially,

such

as tennis, where women receive equal prize money and the ratings are comparable. In the United States,

this

also

applies to international football tournaments, where the female team regularly advances far beyond their male counterparts. In these examples, it is warranted to give female athletics at least, if not more, broadcast

time

.

However

, mandating

this

policy for all

sports

before they are ready and the audience exists is likely to produce a strong backlash and in ,fact hinders the progress of

women’s

sports

. In conclusion, there are institutional reasons for the disparity in the

time

television channels dedicate to men’s and

women’s

sports

and

this

should be corrected on a case by case basis. Viewers will decide which

sports

deserve the most attention, regardless of gender.