A few weeks ago, when I heard that reporter Ines Sainz complained of being harassed in the NY Jets’ locker room, my first reaction was: Why on earth was she in there??
Apparently, I am not the only female to think such “sexist” thoughts:
Female reporters should be barred from National Football League locker rooms, according to a majority of women surveyed in a Seton Hall University poll.
The telephone poll conducted this week among 1,026 randomly selected adults nationwide found 59 percent of 556 women and 47 percent of 470 men said female reporters should be banned from NFL locker rooms. Thirty-four percent of the respondents said all reporters should be banned. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Much of the immediate reaction to Inez’s complaint focused on the fact that this particular reporter is not exactly known for dressing modestly and as a result she might have been “asking for it” in the men’s locker room.
I think that is not quite fair. A real gentleman will treat even a woman in provocative clothing like a lady. But whatever inappropriate remarks that were aimed at Ms. Inez in the Jets locker room that day were not the first infractions of decency. The first infraction of decency was when Ms. Inez entered a men’s locker room—a place where men have a reasonable expectation of privacy from the opposite sex.
I thought that allowing women in men’s locker rooms was a double standard, as surely we would not allow male reporters to enter a women’s locker rooms ...
But I was wrong. Our standards of decency are just as messed up in the women’s locker rooms too.
In 1978, a federal judge ruled that male and female reporters should have equal access to the locker room after a Sports Illustrated reporter was banned from interviewing players in the locker room while she was covering the 1977 World Series. By 1985, the four major sports leagues had adopted policies in accordance with that ruling - the NBA and NHL in 1980 and the NFL and MLB in 1985.
Attitudes discouraging women reporters from entering locker rooms are unfair. If women don’t come into the locker room, they don’t have access to the same post-game atmosphere, the same quotes or the same story that the male reporters will leave with.
Women’s sports leagues, like the WNBA, for instance, have rules similar to those of the NFL, guaranteeing equal access in the locker rooms to male and female reporters. No one assumes that male reporters are doing anything other than their job.
If we are truly concerned about fairness, wouldn’t a saner approach be to ban all interviews in the professional sports’ locker rooms? Let professional athletes take showers and get dressed before facing the press? That sounds like a decent proposal to me.
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I agree - ban locker room interviews altogether.
But then, I’m such a relic - or sexist - I can’t even get used to seeing women reporting live at sporting events. We watched an NHL game last night, and I could just not take seriously the beautiful woman with long, blonde tresses and a cute outfit talking about the game. Is it because unlike most commentators she is not a former ice hockey player? Would I be more comfortable with it if she were homely? Or is just because I’m not used to it? I don’t know.
i found the person you were talking about and saw her pictures; no wonder she thinks she got abused; because she dresses like a woman out for sex and not to report on a football game. No wonder guys make passes at her; she dresses like that and expect respect; when you dress in a unproper manner; you will get unproper responses and guys full of testatrone after a game; she isn’t smart when she goes in; because those guys will be attracted to her like sugar and flies. I say ban her and all those who dress like her and if any guys dress to tempt women after a game; ban them too. Dress professional and act professional.
Oh, but when has common sense ever been used??! I am a huge sports fan, always have been, but I will also admit I don’t really like women as commentators in ‘male’ sports; not sure why. Some would say I am not open-minded enough or sexist but I don’t think that is it. Leave the interviews for outside the locker room which gives the team the opportunity to either celebrate on their own for awhile if they win, and commiserate if they don’t.
agree…agree! I also agree with Rachel. Never cared for the switching to a female announcer at my ball park. It’s just more shrill and unpleasant, even though she has a deeper voice like myself over the loudspeaker it’s less clear too. However to be completely honest and even less politically correct, some of the masculine (butch) female reporters like for example covering the NBA don’t bother my senses. Funny.
BTW, Inez refers to herself as the “hottest sports reporter.” What the? And if you watch Spanish televion like I do…um no. And also for the record she is modest compared to the many Spanish female weather reporters or even anchors. ugh. My people too.
Danielle,
I completely agree. Locker room interviews should cease. I might diverge slightly though, regarding the “asking for it” part. Yes, a real gentleman will refrain from cat calls and overtly sexual remarks no matter how a woman is dressed. However, women need to stop using that as an excuse. We bear a lot of responsibility here. A woman who dresses the way this reporter dresses WANTS that kind of attention from men. She wants to be sexually admired and wanted, and she it intentionally trying to elicit such responses from the men around her, whether she will admit this or not.
Women need to remember that men are visually-wired by design and out of respect for them, we should not stick our exposed breasts in their faces. (And then whine when they don’t look us in the eye and admire our brains!) Women can’t flaunt the goods and then complain when a man reacts sexually.
That doesn’t excuse the crass behavior of many men who act like animals. I’m only saying that women have some of the blame, too.
“If we are truly concerned about fairness, wouldn’t a saner approach be to ban all interviews in the professional sports’ locker rooms? Let professional athletes take showers and get dressed before facing the press?”
Sounds fair enough to me!
“Uh, Benchwarmer, did you read the two posts before yours?”
Nope. Just read Danielle’s article and commented. Having read them now though, I can see where these different perspectives are coming from, but I still disagree. I think the head of media relations ought to consider reviewing the standards. The players should have a say in this, regardless of the inconvenience for reporters!
http://www.lukeford.net/profiles/profiles/patti_shea.htm
Here is a article by a female reporter that went far into detail about one female reporters experience in the mens locker room. And in the article is what her paper printed, she gets into detail and it is enough to make you understand women arent innocent when it comes to visual arousal.
O AND BY THE WAY THIS IS THE TIMES WOMENS LOCKERS ARE OPEN, IN THE NFL THEY ARE GIVEN 10 MINUTES TO HAVE A COACH AND TEAM TALK WITH CAMERAS IN THERE FACE CATCHING MEN NAKED IN THE BACKGROUND. THEN AFTER Ten MINUTES THE LOCKER ROOM BASICALLY BECOMES A HANGOUT BECAUSE ITS OPEN FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT… GIVING THE PLAYERS NO TIME TO SHOWER AND CHANGE IN PRIVATE.
In accordance with WNBA policy, the Sparks and the visitors’ locker rooms will be open to members of the media for 30 minutes ending 1 hour before the start of the game (e.g., media access shall be granted from 5:30–6:00 P.M. for a 7:00pm game). Locker rooms are re-opened to the media after the game following a 10-minute cooling down period and will remain open for 30 minutes. Players and coaches are available for inter views at those times. Only working members of the press with valid credentials will be admitted to the locker rooms. Absolutely no autographs are allowed during media access.
Game Notes and Statistics
I watch the games and, quite honestly, I don’t need any interpretation or color commentary from the media. I especially care less about the lame quotes repoters get from the locker room interviews and I believe the public generally feels the same way. I also could not agree more with the comments above , writen by females, regarding female reporters covering games. I don’t like it either. It’s not a good fit.
To the media: The public does not care about your deadlines. We value respect for privacy over your papparazzi mentality. And to the female sports reporters who enter males locker rooms: I’ve read countless articles about your inappropriate behavior and lack of respect toward men. Yet nowhere can I find an article that reads that a male reporter acted inappropriately or voilated a female athlete’s privacy. I think that says a lot about the female sports reporter (and the AWSM that stands behind them). They have no class or integrity. Think of that the next time you see a female sports reporter on TV.
I completely agree to ban Female Reporters from NFL Locker Rooms. Women don’t like men in their locker rooms and same with men we don’t like women in our locker rooms when were getting ready. What makes women seem they have a right to be in the locker rooms? It’s in invasion of privacy and women have not right to simply claim “sexual harassment” just because she feels like it. I seriously think that’s what this reporter did when she was in the NFL Locker room and just wanted to blame one of the players for “sexual harassment” even though there was none!! I also agree these female reporters have NO class. These female reporters want to make it about “them” not about the game. No you are a reporter and it’s not about YOU it’s about the game. Hell men then should have every right to have mace with them in their locker room and every time a female reporter want to claim “sexual harassment” we can use pepper spray on them. And NO Pepper spray is not “sexual harassment”... Ugh I’m so sick and so are many men sick and effin tired of women trying to claim “sexual harassment” whenever they feel like it just because she’s a lady. Sexual harassment laws need to be tightened down to where women can’t just say sexual harassment just because she feels like it and if she just blatantly just say’s sexual harassment without any concrete evidence then she should be fined or ticketed for lying about false sexual harassment claims.
There is overwhelming opposition to this by men and women,but we are being ignored. Women know that sooner or later a gay reporter will be allowed to interview them naked, and they are rightly appalled by the inevitable outcome.Believe me it will occur!some sort of phony freedom of press rule will be used again.Do not be fooled into believing that male reporters are interviewing female athletes nude, the womens’s leagues thankfully care about their players:and make sure everyone is dressed before media is permitted entry.This is all about controlling and demeaning other human beings nothing else.Interviews can most certainly be done outside of the locker room.If time is and issue, then why are reports allowed in even after a day practice.Quite sure the owners and the media would not allow themselves or their family members to be violated like this.This is actually how they tortured sadam making him strip in front of female soldiers.Are athletes terrorists now.
Danielle,
I agree with you that female reporters should not be allowed in a male locker room. I would add, however, that no reporters, male or female, are allowed in female locker rooms while the women are in various stages of undress much less completely naked. Some believe this is a minor issue; I do not. I wrote a 4-part series on this issue for The Cypress Times that can be accessed at www.thecypresstimes.com. Part 1 can be accessed at http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Columnists/Terry_L_Brown/ROBBING_MALE_ATHLETES_OF_THEIR_RIGHTS_ONE_LOCKER_ROOM_AT_A_TIME_PART_1/38916. I think your readers may gain a deeper understanding of the hypocrisy employed by feminists and female sports reporters by bullying themselves into male locker rooms.
A real gentleman will treat even a woman in provocative clothing like a lady.
Reverse this standard and the sky will fall. The oldest scam on the planet. Goes back to Genesis and the writer’s view of the female. Weakness is given the benefit of the doubt in many walks of life. Women have used sex as a manipulative tool for so long few women or men can admit fully to the double standard.
Research is showing how women use sex to their advantage. too bad for us men
They say a real gentlemen will treat even a women in provaocative clothings like a lady.If a women wants a guy to treat her like a lady she should not be in there in the first place.If she has no respect for herself,how can anyone have respect for her.Women think they can do and wear what they want to,if a guy did the samething he would be in jail.
FIRST OF ALL, OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM IS WHERE THE BLAME LIES. GIVE MEN AND WOMEN REPORTERS ACCESS BUT DO IT AT A DIFFERENT LOCATION OTHER THAN THE LOCKER ROOM. THE LAW ALWAYS GIVES IN TO THE FEMENIST WHO CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR CAUSES. BUT THEY’RE BLOWING SMOKE FROM BOTH ENDS. THERE IS A DOUBLE STANDARD AGSINST THE MEN AS ALWAYS. IF THE MEN AND WOMEN JOURNALIST HAD ETHICS AND MORALS THEY WOULD’NT WANT TO ENTER EITHER LOCKER ROOM UNLESS OF COURSE THERE IS A HIDDEN ADGENDA
I believe that men and women should have equal access to the athletes. I do not think anyone should have access to locker rooms. Equal access could be achieved in a number of different ways without entering the locker rooms. Women always brag about being champions of the “Win Win” but this is clearly not the case.
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