The past year has seen Australian women’s sports soar in the media spotlight, thanks to the Matildas’ continued success in bringing in record-breaking viewership and media attention, and now, the spectacular performance from our female athletes in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Women’s sporting achievements are now firmly at the forefront of the Australian media’s focus, pointing to (we hope) a larger shift in sports culture with increased support and investment, fostering further growth and development in women’s sports.
Our female athletes won the majority of Australia’s 18 gold medals and received 4.2 times more media mentions in total in Australian online and print news.
For 15 of the 16 days of Olympic coverage, women’s Olympic events were mentioned more often than men’s across Australian print, radio, online, and TV. Comparatively, our 2020 Olympic Games analysis found that female Australian Olympians were in the news more than male Olympians on 12 of the 16 days of competition.
With only a data sample of two events, there’s a clear trend here - audiences, and in turn the media, are increasingly recognising and valuing the achievements of female athletes. This growing prominence not only reflects a shift in how women's sports are covered but also underscores a broader cultural change towards greater gender equality in sports reporting.
Ariarne Titmus was the most reported-on Australian athlete, with over 11,000 online and print mentions, she received sustained coverage throughout the Olympics after she won two gold (one as part of the Dolphins squad 4x200m freestyle relay with an Olympic record-breaking time) and two silver medals. With syndications excluded, Titmus more than doubled her media mentions from 2020.
This heightened media attention is not just a reflection of individual success but a signal of a growing shift in Australian sports media. As female athletes continue to break barriers and set new records, their stories are increasingly becoming central to the narrative of the Olympics and beyond. The trend suggests a promising future where women's sports receive the recognition they deserve, encouraging young athletes and inspiring more equitable representation in sports coverage.
However, while visibility and media coverage are on the rise, Forbes 2024 list of The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes didn’t include any female athletes, but there are signs of progress. According to Sports United's latest data, the number of sponsorship deals in women’s professional sports increased by more than 22% from 2023 to 2024. Additionally, more reporting from Forbes shows last year's median earnings for the top 20 increased to $8.5 million, up from $7.3 million in 2022 - and 8 athletes reported estimated total earnings of $10 million or more, which is twice the number from three years earlier.
This increase in brand sponsorships and increased earnings for female athletes reflects a growing recognition of the value and potential of women’s sports.
As we celebrate our athlete's achievements, we also look forward to a future where the media spotlight remains consistently bright on female athletes, allowing their extraordinary talents and hard work to shine even brighter on the global stage.
As for which individual sports received the most media attention for this year's Olympics, swimming unsurprisingly beat out all of the other events by over double the amount of media mentions after the swimmers led the total medal tally for Australia with 18 medals, including 7 gold.
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