Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

The Marginal Roles of Women Journalists Playing as Football Coverage Writers: The Case of FourFourTwo

Fangting GuSchool of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

In recent years, the participation of women in football journalism has gradually increased, but they still face major barriers to gaining recognition. Though Carrie Brown’s appointment as Chair of the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) in 2019 marked a historic milestone, female football coverage writers remain underrepresented, facing challenges like limited bylines, excessive coverage of women’s football, a focus on “soft” news, and a lack of opinion pieces. As football’s global dominance grows and audiences shift more towards online platforms, the paper carries out a content analysis of FourFourTwo, a football news website, to explore the roles of female football coverage writers, with a focus on the volume of their contributions, thematic emphases, and stylistic characteristics. The results show that women authored significantly fewer articles than men, with their contributions primarily centred on women’s football. In addition, opinion pieces authored by female journalists are scarce, suggesting potential constraints on their editorial roles and expressive scope.

Keywords: Football Media; Female Sports Writers; Gender Representation; Byline Analysis; Content Evaluation
Published: June 20, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.BO24139
Volume: CHR Vol.71
pp. 29-35
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