Many stories of women in sports remain untold or undertold. A recent study found that approximately 15 percent of sport's media coverage focuses on women's sports ("Shadows to the Spotlight," 2023). However, increased coverage in women's sports is a relatively new phenomenon. As recently as 2014, women's sports were only receiving 4% of sport's media coverage (Michelson, 2016). The lack of coverage for women's sports has meant that many stories of female athletes, even those who pioneered their respective sports, have not been told. 

In this project, I aim to examine how podcast media can remedy the forgotten stories of women in sports by telling them retroactively. To do this, I will be creating a series of podcasts about the untold stories of the Women’s Tour de France. This series will first explore the story of Marianne Martin, the winner of the first Women’s Tour de France in 1984. This story was chosen because of the lack of media coverage about Marianne Martin and her ride. Her story also demonstrates other systemic issues, including a lack of pay, for women athletes. This series will then explore the return of a Women’s Tour de France race in 2015, after the race was canceled in 1999. The race was largely brought back because of rider activism in the women’s pro-peloton, which is a story that has also gone untold. 

These podcasts will be created by holding interviews with women athletes, activists, and journalists in sport. This methodology was developed because women athletes should play a key role in telling their stories. In order to achieve this, interviews are being held with Marianne Martin, Kathryn Bertine, and the women’s professional cyclist’s union. Once all interviews have been conducted, the transcripts will be used to develop scripts and any necessary voiceover will be recorded. After that has been completed, the podcasts will be edited together and released to the public. One thing I am still working to figure out is the platform that these podcasts will be released on and how they can be publicized. 

I hope that this research can both educate people on the untold stories of the Women’s Tour de France and help creators who want to continue telling untold women’s stories, especially in sports, by showing podcasts as one method to do this. My goal is to increase recognition for women in sports because they deserve to be recognized for their efforts.

References

Michelsen, Lori. "Women's Sports Need More Attention." University Wire, 6 Oct. 2016, Proquest. 

“From the Shadows to the Spotlight.” Wasserman: The Collective, ESPN Research, 2023.