The disrespect for women sports journalists is disturbing
The recent comments Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton made when a female reporter asked him a question regarding his team’s offense brought to light the hardships that women face as sports journalists.
“It’s funny to hear a female talk about routes like — it’s funny,” said Newton in response to Charlotte Observer beat reporter Jourdan Rodrigue’s question.
It disturbs me that male athletes and viewers consistently disrespect female sports analyst.
Rodrigue is as reliable of a source than any other male reporter in the same press conference. Rodrigue was a former beat reporter and earned a Bachelor’s degree and Communication degree from Arizona State University.
Sports have always had this stigma that they are played, enjoyed and understood by men. Men talking about sports over social media and on talk shows for ESPN or Fox Sports has been the norm for plenty of years.
The fact of the matter is, plenty of women enjoy sports and talk about them the same way that men do on a regular basis. Similar to the track record that Rodrigue obtains, plenty of women are qualified to be sports analyst. Problem is, many viewers, athletes and even networks, don’t seem to accept it.
Another problem that feeds into this topic is that outlets like Fox Sports and ESPN relegate women to host positions, where they serve as decoration.
Rather than allowing them to use their platform to talk about the latest topics going on in the sports world, they use them solely for host purposes.
The outlets treat them as eye candy for male viewers so they have a beautiful women to look at, while the former male athletes are arguing about controversial sports topics.
Female reporters weren’t introduced in sports broadcasting until 1975.
Supporting the idea that women reporters are viewed as eye candy, the first woman sportscaster introduced in the 70's was Miss America pageant winner Phyllis George.
Becoming the first woman to have a role in television sports coverage, George served as a co-host for CBS’ “The NFL Today.”
As George moved on to become a talk show host for CBS morning news, CBS hired Jayce Kennedy.
As time has gone on, networks have started to incorporate more women into the sports world. Women like Jemele Hill, Doris Burke and Beth Mowins have been able to use their platforms to address issues across all American sports.
Jemele Hill has gone from being the co-host of a show on ESPN’s “His and Hers,” to hosting an entire hour of “Sportscenter” alongside Michael Smith. Here, she is given the freedom to give her opinions on whatever is going on in the world of sports.
Doris Burke serves as the main sideline reporter for NBA games shown on ESPN. She has emerged as one of the most knowledgeable reporters covering the NBA today.
In this year’s Sept. 11th edition of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” Mowins became the first woman to call a “Monday Night Football” game.
While these women have opened the door for other women looking to go in the sports field, viewers’ respect has not been easy to come by.
After reading the comments published by the New York Times and stumbling upon some on Twitter, it seems like no matter what strides women make to incorporate themselves in the sports field, men always shoot down their work.
Women shouldn’t serve as eye candy in the sports world. They also shouldn’t have to put up with insults from athletes.Many female journalists have claimed Pulitzer Prizes and broken some of the biggest news of all time. Why can’t a woman be seen as an individual who is knowledgeable about sports?
