The portrayal of sportswomen in sport media

This thesis examines the representation of female volleyball players in the Turkish press by analyzing sports news coverage in Sabah and Cumhuriyet newspapers between 2018 and 2023. During this period, Turkey's women's national volleyball team achieved unprecedented success on the international stage, which led to an increase in media attention. However, the visibility of female athletes does not always guarantee fair or multidimensional representation. This study explores how women athletes are portrayed in media narratives, particularly with regard to dominant gender norms and editorial ideologies. Using a comparative content analysis approach, the research systematically categorizes and evaluates the content types and narrative strategies employed in the coverage of women's volleyball. The methodology involves both quantitative and qualitative assessment of news items, focusing on how the representation of female athletes has evolved over time in two ideologically distinct newspapers. The findings reveal a gradual shift from score-based, performance-centric reporting toward more diverse and identity-oriented narratives—especially in Cumhuriyet—where athletes are increasingly portrayed as symbolic, social, and national figures. While this transformation reflects some progress toward gender-sensitive journalism, the study also underscores the persistence of stereotypical and homogenized portrayals, often reducing female athletes to idealized images shaped by traditional femininity. By offering a critical examination of how political orientation and media ownership influence gendered representation in sports news, this thesis contributes to broader discussions in feminist media studies, sports journalism, and gender equality in the public sphere.