August 10, 2016

Sports sociologist on gender and the Olympics

Cheryl Cookey Cheryl Cooky Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Cheryl Cooky, a Purdue University associate professor of American studies, can talk about sexism and issues of gender equality in the Olympic Games, as well as related news media coverage or trending social media.

“More women than ever are competing in this year’s Olympics, but they still are fighting to stand alone as athletes, as they are often identified as someone’s wife, girlfriend or mother,” Cooky said. “This focus hurts women’s sports by sending the message that it is what women do off the court that matters. Attributing women’s success to their husband or coach or focusing on how female athletes balance training with being a mom perpetuates outdated gender stereotypes. It is also an issue because it suggests audiences can only relate to female athletes through their relationships or connections to men. Thanks to reactions on social media, fans are pushing back.”

Cooky also can talk about other gender issues, such as the policy of sex testing female athletes to determine their eligibility to compete in women’s events.

Her expertise focuses on girls’ and women’s participation in sports, and she is part of a team based at the University of Southern California that analyzes the amount and quality of media coverage for men's and women's sports.

Cooky also can discuss:

  • The social contexts of advertising campaigns related to women and sports.
  • The relationship between feminism and sports.
  • Gender differences in compensation for athletes, which has been recently in the news with the U.S. women’s soccer team that is competing in the Olympics. 

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu 

Source: Cheryl Cooky, ccooky@purdue.edu. Cooky is on sabbatical but can be reached via email.

Related websites:

College of Liberal Arts 

Full media bio for Cheryl Cooky

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