TY - JOUR
T1 - Women bloggers
T2 - Identity and the conceptualization of sports
AU - Antunovic, Dunja
AU - Hardin, Marie
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2013 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2013/12
Y1 - 2013/12
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
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U2 - 10.1177/1461444812472323
DO - 10.1177/1461444812472323
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84888237431
SN - 1461-4448
VL - 15
SP - 1374
EP - 1392
JO - New Media and Society
JF - New Media and Society
IS - 8
ER -