This study aims to reveal the representational practices toward female athletes in the news content of Socrates magazine. Sport has historically been regarded as a male-dominated field, and women’s participation in this area remained limited for many years. Female athletes have engaged in long struggles to gain visibility in sport both as spectators and as participants. The fact that sport has come to occupy an important place in society has led to a strengthening of the bond between sport and the media. However, the male-dominated structure of the media has brought about sexist approaches, limitations, and practices of disregard in the representation of female athletes. The subject of the study is how female athletes are represented in Socrates magazine, which began its publication life with the motto “the thinking sports magazine.” Within this scope, 94 covers published during the magazine’s publication period and 100 news items featuring female athletes were examined using the content analysis method. According to the research findings, success- and performance-oriented discourses stand out in the representations of female athletes. However, representations based on physical appearance, beauty, and motherhood roles were also observed. In addition, it was determined that in some covers and issues female athletes were either not included at all or were represented in a limited manner.
Media, News, Women, Sport, Socrates