A new podcast, created by two UT seniors, raises awareness and increases media coverage of UT women’s sports.
Sports management senior Wanjia Chen and advertising senior Stella Lin self-produce their podcast “Her Game Plan” which covers women’s sports teams at UT.
Chen said the idea for the podcast started with a text message Lin sent to her while Chen was studying abroad — an opportunity to highlight underrepresented teams while showcasing their passion for sports.
According to a study from the University of South Carolina and Purdue University, 95% of television sports coverage centers on men’s sports. As women, Lin and Chen said they felt a responsibility to do something about the lack of coverage of women’s sports.
“We got sick of watching the news but there’s only men’s sports,” Lin said.
Every week, Lin said they choose a team to focus on and begin their research process into its previous season, current season and members. After they create an outline for the episode, they record, edit and publish it from Moody’s podcast editing suites.
Chen said they try to alternate their coverage between popular and less-known sports to encourage listeners to pay attention to less talked about teams.
Radio-television-film professor Jennifer McClearen conducted research on women’s sports examining how women are portrayed by sports organizations and the impact of these choices.
McClearen said she believes “Her Game Plan” has the potential to fill the void that has long existed in mainstream sports journalism.
“This is a commendable initiative that not only addresses a critical need but also reflects the evolving landscape of sports media,” McClearen said. “One where inclusivity and representation are gaining the recognition they rightfully deserve.”
Lin and Chen said they hope their podcast will educate the UT community and get them energized about women’s sports.
“We don’t really care about whether it’s gonna be really popular or do we have enough followers or listens,” Chen said. “We’re just trying to try our best.”
“Her Game Plan” currently has one episode available on Spotify, in which Lin and Chan talk about the UT women’s basketball team. Episodes are scheduled to be uploaded biweekly.
