The terms ‘justice’ and ‘equality’ seem interchangeable for some people. Even though the two are not the same, many do not seem to know how they differentiate. To some, equality is justice and vice versa, but that’s not the case; especially when it comes to athletics in the media.

As sports being one of the most followed subjects in student media, it ultimately led to controversy. Many would argue that when sports are covered it should be completely equal; all teams getting the same amount of attention.

Though this is equality, it is not justice. If one team is doing better than the other, they deserve more coverage than one that is not. Teams should earn their spot in the media by doing well and giving students a reason to be interested in them.

A team’s popularity should not grant them a spot on the front page of the paper, but rather their performance and relevance. A victory deserves to be more celebrated rather than a loss.

Senior varsity soccer player Gina Bracamonte agrees student media should be just rather than equal. “I feel like more people would be interested in knowing how they won […] rather than how they lost,” she says.

If the media was completely equal, it would not do justice to the teams that were more successful. A winning team deserves to be rewarded for their accomplishments, rather than being treated the same as a losing team. With equality, many athletes would not get the recognition they rightfully earned.

Instead, the media must be just; as in everyone gets what they deserve. In which teams that perform better get a greater amount of attention than a team that did not.

Justice in the media would not completely wipe out reports of less successful teams, but rather limit it.  While all teams could still be reported on, the extent of their coverage would be diverse.

Principal Dan Serrano believes this is the fitting way to report on athletics, “I think if a team is successful, then they probably would get more media coverage than a team that’s not.” He thinks this concept can be applied to more than just sports, “I think that’s just life in general.”

The level, gender or type of sport do not matter; it’s their performance that people care about. All teams would still get attention, but their relevance and achievements would determine their amount of attention. Though it may make some angry, complete equality is unrealistic and inefficient in sports media.

The media’s job is not to make sure everyone’s happy; it is to report on what deserves to be reported on.