2019 FIFA Women's World Cup: Media, Fandom, and Soccer's Biggest Stage

by Molly Yanity (Editor), Danielle Sarver Coombs (Editor)

Overview

This book examines the most prolific international women’s football tournament—the FIFA Women’s World Cup—through media, fandom and how mediated women’s soccer can improve on a global scale. Women’s soccer has exploded in terms of media exposure, television audiences and live spectatorship. This book explores those macro-level issues, while also digging into micro-level topics such as Megan Rapinoe’s celebrations and political activism, VAR reviews, LGBTQ imagery, and cultural obstacles for women’s football in Central-Eastern Europe and Nigeria. Using an interdisciplinary approach, scholars look at issues through the lenses of feminist theory, cultural studies, rhetorical criticism, political economy, performative sport fandom, autoethnography, and more. Thus, the book is important reading for students, researchers and media practitioners with interests in women’s soccer, gender in sports media, coverage of women’s sport, and sport fandom.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030754037
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	08/12/2021
Edition description:	1st ed. 2021
Pages:	314
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x (d)

About the Author

Molly Yanity is an associate professor of Journalism, as well as the director of the Sports Journalism and Journalism Master’s Degree Programs at Quinnipiac University.

Danielle Sarver Coombs is a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University.

Table of Contents

Introduction and Overview.- News coverage of the U.S. Women’s National Team: Reinforcing or negating perpetuated discriminatory standards.- “Le Moment de Briller?” Examining France’s media coverage of “Les Bleues” and the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup France.- “Utterly ashamed of their behavior”: Examining the media coverage of Cameroon vs. England in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.- “Perhaps take back whether everyone likes VAR”: An analysis of broadcaster discourse of 2019 World Cup VAR reviews.- Images, commentary and narratives made with memes from the 2019 FIFA Women’s Women’s World Cup.- You Come at the Queen, You Best Not Miss: Post-Colonial Representations of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team During the 2019 World Cup.- Megan Rapinoe’s “Power Pose”: Informing and influencing fan performances.- O’Hara’s kiss: Coming out moment or conventional celebration?.- Being there, being here: What critical field methods can tell us about the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.- A (somewhat)accidental sports tourist: Watching the FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments in different countries.- Nigerian female football, ambivalence and struggle in the shadows.- Rebel, Rebel! How Megan Rapinoe’s celebrity activism forges new paths for athletes.- Beyond the World Cup: Women’s football in Central-Eastern Europe.- FIFA’s Feminist Foot Soldiers: Case studies on Australia, Aotearoa and who benefits from promoting the Women’s World Cup.- Concluding Thoughts.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“It was a pleasure to read this comprehensive and insightful work by leading scholars on gender and football about the 2019 Women’s World Cup. With discussions from post-colonial lenses of Women of Color, fan appreciation and adoration, to queer relationships and even the legendary statuesque pose by World Champion Megan Rapinoe, this book interrogates the many layers of complexity in an intelligent and generous manner. From an in-depth analysis of media representation, lingering sexism, and complex discussions about racial inequities in the sport, this is a necessary read for journalists, pundits, academics, and fans interested in critical discussions that are embedded into women’s football.”
-Shireen Ahmed, Writer and award-winning sports activist focusing on Muslim women in sports

“2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup is a welcome addition to the critical assessment of women athletes and the growth of women’s sport. This collection provides readers with new insights into media representation, athlete agency, and fan communities for women in the world’s most popular game. From the dominance of the United States and Golden Boot winner Megan Rapinoe to the gendered politics of playing football in Nigeria, from media frames to ethnographic field studies, the assembled authors examine an array of topics and theoretical influences to assess the state of the Women’s World Cup as a distinctive cultural phenomenon. Grounded primarily in communication and media studies, the book will also appeal to scholars and students in cultural studies, kinesiology, sociology, and related fields.”
- Michael L. Butterworth, Director, Center for Sports Communication & Media