Female Olympians ─ A Mediated Socio-cultural and Political-economic Timeline

This book examines women's participation in the Olympic Games since they were allowed to be included in that global arena. Using a holistic, social scientific approach, and emphasizing the rhetoric of sport mediatization, Female Olympians reviews the literature relative to sexism, racism, and ageism before providing historical, political, economic, and socio-cultural perspectives such as the gendered language of Olympic reportage, religious considerations, women’s bodies relative to their training for the Games, drugs and doping, and female Paralympians. With numerous critical case studies, never-before assembled data, and personal interviews with athletes, this volume offers insights that both investigate and celebrate female Olympians’ successes.

Linda K. Fuller, Professor of Communications at Worcester State University, USA, is the author of more than twenty books, including Sport, Rhetoric, and Gender; Sportscasters/Sportscasting; Women, War, and Violence; and The Power of Global Community Media. The recipient of Fulbrights to Singapore and Senegal, she recently met her life goal of going to every country that has hosted the Olympic Games. Visit her website: www.LKFullerSport.com.