Amanda Nunes, recently retired from MMA, is widely considered one of the greatest female fighters in the sport’s history. She made history as the first woman to hold two division titles simultaneously in the UFC and the first to successfully defend both titles while holding them. Despite this remarkable achievement and her dominance in the sport, Nunes does not have the largest social media following among UFC women. With 1.75 million Instagram followers, she doesn’t even crack the top five most-followed female UFC athletes, and when you expand the scope to include women’s MMA influencers, she falls out of the top 10.
The discrepancy in social media presence can be partly explained by a concept called visibility, as noted by Dr. Jenn McClearen, a feminist media scholar. She explains that visibility in sports media refers to how often female athletes are seen, and where they are and aren’t visible. For years, women fighters in the UFC have faced challenges in gaining media recognition. UFC president Dana White once stated in 2011 that he would never allow women to compete in the UFC, but he changed his stance after meeting Ronda Rousey. Rousey, alongside Liz Carmouche, became the UFC’s first female fighters in 2012, and her subsequent rise to prominence helped bring attention to women in UFC.
Rousey’s success, particularly her six consecutive title defenses and ability to draw large pay-per-view numbers, positioned her as one of the biggest stars in the sport. However, her career record, which stands at 12-2, pales in comparison to Nunes’s 23-5. Yet, Rousey’s net worth of $14 million far exceeds Nunes’s $4 million, and that difference can be attributed to factors beyond athletic achievement, particularly Rousey’s marketability and media presence.
Rousey, who is white and conventionally attractive, benefited from media narratives that played up her charismatic personality, which appealed to mainstream sports fans. According to McClearen, Rousey’s appeal was enhanced by her fitting into certain mainstream ideas of femininity, including her image as an attractive, heterosexual woman. In contrast, Nunes, who is a lesbian and married to a woman, doesn’t fit that traditional mold, which impacts her media exposure.
The broader issue of media visibility is that female athletes, especially those who don’t conform to conventional ideals of femininity, are often sidelined in coverage. Women athletes are underrepresented in sports media, with female athletes accounting for just 5.4% of total sports media coverage in 2019, a figure that has barely increased since 1989. McClearen elaborates that visibility in media is like a spotlight—while some women athletes get the spotlight, many others remain in the shadows, especially those who fall outside conventional gender and racial expectations.
Athletes like Nunes, who is not white and does not conform to traditional femininity, often receive less attention than their counterparts. Resa Lovelace, an assistant athletic director, points out that the media often portrays female athletes as very feminine, fitting into specific boxes of appearance and family life. This tendency is seen not just in the UFC but across women’s sports, including the National Women’s Soccer League and WNBA.
Moreover, female athletes must navigate these media standards while also leveraging their social media presence for financial success. With lower salaries compared to male counterparts, female athletes often rely on social media to secure sponsorships and increase their earnings. However, their visibility online comes with its own set of challenges, including the pressure to conform to societal and media expectations.
The way the media portrays female athletes has historically aligned with traditional notions of femininity—traits like grace, humility, and heterosexuality have been celebrated, while women who don’t fit those stereotypes, like Brittney Griner, have faced criticism. Griner, who has been the subject of media scrutiny due to her sexuality, is an example of how the media often focuses on certain narratives that exclude non-conventional representations.
In recent years, however, some athletes, like Amanda Nunes, have made a name for themselves by embracing their authentic selves. Nunes, who has always remained true to her identity as a lesbian and fighter, represents the LGBTQ community proudly. Her career, which concluded during Pride Month, serves as a testament to the importance of embracing one’s true identity, despite the challenges posed by media and societal expectations.
Nunes’s story and the stories of athletes like her reflect the broader struggle for visibility in sports media. While these athletes may not always be in the mainstream spotlight, they are carving out their own spaces, attracting audiences, and creating opportunities by staying true to themselves and challenging the traditional narratives imposed by the media.
