Imagine wishing the worst on a writer because she’s a woman. This is infinitely worse than that.
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This is an eye-opening video of how women writers are harassed online. The comments these sports fans read to reporters Sarah Spain and Julie DiCaro remind us that as far as we’ve come in equality, we have years to go before women are treated equally in sports and every other field.
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Photo: YouTube still
The worst part about this video, however, is that they got men to read these comments *who did not make them* Of course they’re embarrassed and ashamed. Why are these guys being punished for what someone else has written? Men aren’t a hive mind and I am not responsible for what someone else writes, simply because he is also a man.
One last comment to add to the discussion. Plain old man talk. The first point, to me anyway, is lesson of the article sometimes gets lost in the comments section. We can’t lose sight of the deeper issues here. What is being written to these is just flat out wrong. I can understand. Gus don’t articulate well. What I’ve seen expressed is, to them, a reaction. They see men disrespected, they are men, they feel disrespected by this situation (just as women are when women a violated). That’s where it starts and ends though. They first have their recital on… Read more »
They had men read the tweets. The implication is that men are doing this. How do they know that or is that in itself a gender stereotype that the female reporters are furthering?
As per usual, we are looking at this from the wrong end of the horse: the feminist view which grants that women are always victims and men always perpetrators, ignoring, like a dysfunctional family, the reality of the situation. The very fact that women are allowed into the men’s locker-rooms while the men are naked, changing, is sexual harassment of the men, not the women. It is as vile as the comments. The women are just facing the backlash that has resulted from this practice, and its not fair to them to be put in this situation just to be… Read more »
During the Erin Andrews incident, there were many men who believed that she simply got what she deserved. It was karma. Although I have little sympathy for Erin Andrews, there is no doubt she suffered a violation and those responsible should be held for account and the guy who took the video has. I agreed that some of the animosity they face may be because of this perceived injustice. On a side note possibly for future discussion, but I wouldn’t mind discussing it now; would be isn’t this what some sections of feminists advocate, a social consequence for anti-social behavior?… Read more »
Many, many players have complained, and they are usually lynched in the media, often by those very women reporters. Their egos have been attacked, they’ve been humiliated no differently then what we speak of here in regard to destructive practices…back in the box of silence, stoicism, sucking it up., “Be a man”. I notice that too. If a male reporter goes into a womens locker room he is deemed a misogynist pervert that doesn’t respect women. If a female reporter goes into a mens locker room she is a reporter that must be respected above all else, even the privacy… Read more »
Very true, Daniel. We actually blame the male athletes for “acting out”, paint this as some macho thing rather then understand how many of them feel about it:: Violated. We’ve just had yet another couple of them brave enough to speak out. Likewise, we tend to blame the women, and are now lynching them when they are doing little more then being wedged between a rock and a hard place, forced to enter in order to just do their jobs. When we listen to them, when THEIR masks are off, they speak very differently of this (at least the good… Read more »
“I’ve heard them speak of how they feel, like intruders, how they empathize with the guys, feel as if it is disrespectful to the guys, but they are under pressure to maintain their stance for fear of going backwards with no other options afforded to them.” I’m not convinced that reporters can’t do their jobs without venturing into the locker room. You can take the position that they need to be in there or you can take the position that they don’t. You can’t take both simultaneously. I remember reading an article about salesmen taking their clients into strip clubs… Read more »
When I blow people up while playing Halo or Call of Duty online I hear things like this all the time. Anonymous angry people on the Internet are going to say stupid and offensive things, period. And I shed no tears for anyone on the receiving end of that, male or female. Grow some thicker skin and don’t let words on a screen from random strangers make you feel powerless.
I’ll feel sorry for female sports reporters when they get out of the men’s locker rooms. If you’re going to say that you’re looking ar naked men and making them feel uncomfortable as several said they are because it;s part of the job I’d say dealing with mean tweets as a sports writer is port of the job.
i’m of the opinion that they should ban reporters from the locker rooms as it is. If none are allowed in, none are given a leg up on getting that interview/quote, so there’s no sexism. Also, that way you don’t have to answer that somewhat thorny question: should male sportswriters be allowed into the women’s locker rooms?
“i’m of the opinion that they should ban reporters from the locker rooms as it is.” I tend to agree, but I think the law was not decided correctly. Look at it under the concept of sexual harassment. The teams don’t have to treat the reporters the same. They don’t work for the teams, but they do have to ensure that their employees are free of workplace harassment. Now you might suggest that they are subcontractors. I would disagree. They have a collective bargaining agreement and we’ve seen the courts take a different approach with Uber and Walmart. ” that… Read more »