Abstract
With the emergence of the blogosphere, women have gained a unique opportunity to share their experiences. This study explored the formation of self and the conceptualization of sports in the "Sports Blog" directory of BlogHer, a women's blog network. A content analysis of 449 profiles in the directory revealed that women bloggers tend to use blogging to document personal experiences of participation in sports and to provide resources for others about physical activity, health, and fitness. Women's active and participatory relationship with sports defies both stereotypical representations of women in mainstream sports media and hegemonic masculine discourses replicated in the blogosphere. We suggest that women who blog about sports challenge assumptions about sports consumption and engagement in sports. This study offers an alternative conceptualization of sports blogging as well as a broader understanding of the role of sports in women's lives.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1374-1392 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | New Media and Society |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Blogs
- feminism
- hegemonic masculinity
- identity
- sports
- women bloggers