The Sports Personality of the Year honour has been won by a female athlete four times since the award's inception. The first three consecutive wins were achieved by Emma Raducanu, Beth Mead, and Mary Earps in 2021 and by Keely Hodgkinson. The award has recognized the significant increase in female achievements in sports, as seen in limitations such as lack of coverage and representation in the past.
It was only recently that the award highlighted women such as Beryl Burton, "who was voted as part of the BBC's review of 1967.".. despite breaking a men's cycling world record and winning multiple titles.
To appreciate the transformation accompanying a fourth consecutive female winner of the Sports Personality of the Year honour, it is necessary only to glance through the BBC archive. Thirteen women had won in the first 66 years up to Emma Raducanu in 2021 – to be followed by Beth Mead, Mary Earps and now Keely Hodgkinson – but even those victories came against the backdrop of a near blackout of female achievements.
No comments:
Post a Comment