Sports Editorial: It’s time media led revolution in women’s sport
There are moments in sport when the challenge is not about medals, trophies or league tables — but about mindset. The recent charge delivered by the Secretary-General of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG), Charles Osei Asibey, at the AIPS Africa Congress in Banjul was one such moment.
His message was blunt, overdue and impossible to ignore: the marginalisation of women’s sport in African media is not accidental. It is systemic. And the press must own its role in correcting it.
Speaking at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre, Mr Osei Asibey did not hide behind platitudes. He called for a decisive shift — not incremental tinkering — in how women’s sport is treated, packaged and prioritised.
In essence, he issued a call to action to a profession that shapes public perception, commercial value and ultimately, opportunity. He is right.
Visibility is currency in modern sport. Where cameras go, sponsors follow. Where column inches expand, credibility grows.
Where narratives are crafted with seriousness and depth, respect follows. The persistent underrepresentation of female athletes in mainstream coverage does not simply reflect public disinterest; it reinforces it.
If the press sidelines women’s sport, the market will do the same.
SWAG’s own internal reforms offer a blueprint for change. Three women now sit on the association’s executive body — a symbolic but significant statement. With women currently comprising just 15 per cent of its membership, SWAG’s commitment to structured inclusion cannot be cosmetic; it is strategic.
He said SWAG’s objective was to build a structure where women’s voices were not just present, but also powerful enough to shape how sports stories are told in Ghana and across Africa.
That is more than a slogan. It is a paradigm shift.
For too long, the sports media landscape has been male-dominated — in authorship, editorial gatekeeping and narrative framing. In such environments, unconscious bias thrives.
Women’s sport is often relegated to soft features, sentimental angles or token coverage, while men’s competitions receive analytical depth, tactical breakdown and sustained visibility. This imbalance stunts growth.
Mr Osei Asibey was equally candid about the cultural barriers that compound the problem. In parts of Africa, entrenched religious and traditional norms discourage women from public-facing roles or immersion in sporting culture. These invisible ceilings keep many talented women out of press boxes, newsrooms and decision-making tables.
But culture cannot be an excuse for inertia. Crucially, he identified confidence as a central battleground. In male-heavy newsrooms, aspiring female journalists can find their self-belief quietly eroded — particularly in high-pressure arenas such as major tournaments or elite interviews. Without deliberate institutional support, the cycle of exclusion simply regenerates.
The answer is not symbolic inclusion; it is sustained empowerment.
Female sports journalists must not only be present — they must lead. And they must take ownership of women’s sport with the same rigour, analysis and ambition applied to men’s competitions.
Quality, consistent coverage by women themselves could become the catalytic force that transforms perception and commercial value.
The growth of women’s sport across the globe — from football to athletics — proves that when visibility rises, audiences respond. Africa cannot afford to lag behind.
This is not about tokenism. It is about talent. About fairness. About unlocking half of the continent’s sporting potential.
The sports media holds immense power: to shape narratives, to influence sponsors, to inspire participation and to unearth the next generation of stars.
SWAG’s challenge is clear. The question now is whether newsrooms across Africa are prepared to rise to it — and finally give women’s sport the prominence it has long deserved.
