A recent decision by Sky Sports to launch a separate channel, creating a space designed for female fans of sport, has been eventful to watch unfold. To put it mildly, the way ‘Halo’ was executed completely missed the mark on what female sports fans would positively engage with.
On 13th November, Sky Sports introduced ‘Halo’ to the world as “a new Tiktok channel created specifically for female sports fans” and being dedicated to “championing female athletes.” Describing it as “the Lil Sis of Sky Sports” set the belittling tone from the off and was clear that the idea would not land well. From the very first few posts, the backlash was evident which many felt was deserved.
To begin, there was not a need to segregate female sports fans from the main channels. Isolating them feels like a step backwards in a time where women in sports have made such progress to feel included. For Sky to feel like the correct option to champion female athletes was to create a completely separate page further sets back the growth made. Does this mean female athletes do not deserve to be given a platform or recognition on the main Sky Sports channel? Because this move certainly feels like that can be insinuated.
However, the alarm bells did not stop ringing there. The tone of the videos were unreasonably soft. The edits were overly pink and ‘cutesy’, including references that are deemed as girly. Did the trends they believed to be tapping into reach their supposed target audience? It just did not land. Comparing men’s football to “matcha and hot girl walks” felt patronising, and inferred that women need sports simplified just to understand what is happening. The trends included were more of a mockery than a meaningful attempt at engagement.
Sport being ‘dumbed down’ for women only embraces the negative stereotypes and impacts the progress that has been made. It does not help women whatsoever, rather it sustains the outdated beliefs about ability and gender. Instead of challenging these stereotypes for women, this concept only further reinforced stigma about females partaking in sport- a male dominated field in many areas.
Not only is the outcome from Halo tone deaf, segregation is rooted into the issue from the advertising to the execution. There is still room for female driven content or targeted memes that are not degrading. The intention of what Halo could have done for women’s sport may well have been powerful but the impact was the complete opposite.
The experiment lasted only three days. Sky released a statement stating:
“We’ve listened. We didn’t get it right. As a result we’re stopping all activity on this account. We’re learning and remain as committed as ever to creating spaces where fans feel included and inspired.”
Creating a platform to champion women in sports should be meaningful and celebratory, not degrading and belittling. Women in sport should be elevated, not brought down.
