Women in the NFL - Super Bowl Time!

           For many years now the trend in sports reporting is to put female reporters on the sidelines while male sports commentators remain in the booth. As a female, a former national and professional athlete, and a sports writer, I noted this first with appreciation, then disappointment, and now mixture between resignation and determination.

        Initially, we all understood the set up: the former players and oft older, ‘wiser’ male commentators sat in the booth. They represented experience and well-researched opinions while the females on the sidelines were eye candy, young, and exciting mirroring the young, post-game super-hyped athletes. One quick Google search reveals the truth as ‘male sports casters’ brought up links to bios of sportscasters, the best or funniest, and those with the boldest predictions. The same search with the word ‘female’ presented lists of the ‘hottest’ and ‘sexiest’ and ‘dumbest’ reporters on the sidelines. This vitriol faced by female sports reporters is truly sad as they are not only harassed by the very players and coaches but in using the same tone and wordage as their male counterparts, female reporters are verbally assaulted in social media by fans. Female reporters are simply not allowed to offer opinions on players without serious backlash, even threats.

        It was a blogger, however, who pinpointed the true set-up between female sideline reporters and the guys in the booth. The female reporters, it was said, ‘chase after’ to pose the annoying questions to the athletes that offer the set up to the commentators in the booth for a ‘real’ discussion. The reality is that male athletes are more likely to talk to female reporters, and that she is pretty is even more helpful. Bill Simmons, John Clayton, Michael Wilbon, Jim Nantz, Bob Costas, Al Michaels, to name but a few, never played sports, but female (former athlete) reporters are constantly called out for not being “real” sports reporters.

        What is important to note is that these female reporters are in the trenches, no matter the weather, no matter the hospitality, taking the dirty shots, proving their mettle as true team players in the world of sports reporting. They don’t have the cush position of booth sitting but are the real athlete-reporters on the field. The Monday quarterback commentators who, on their best day, shone in the 8th grade, need to let the real players in sports reporting shine now.