Ladies,
I’m sure a number of you can attest to what I’m about to describe.
Scenario #1
You’re out with the guys, watching a thrilling game of football. Aaron Rodgers is having the game of his life.
Packers are up by 20 over the Ravens and it’s only the beginning of the third quarter.
Rodgers steps out of the pocket, tosses a beautiful Hail Mary, and it’s intercepted by Jacoby Jones.
You’re pissed, permeating with anger.
“Terrible accuracy!” you exclaim.
At this moment, your male companions look at you like you’re an idiot—their glares chastise you.
Because you’re woman and you have no idea what you’re talking about when it comes to sports.
Scenario #2
Fox’s Erin Andrews is doing her regular coverage on the sidelines.
It doesn’t take long for the #Twitterverse to erupt.
I think you get it.
Possible Explanations
#1 It’s likely sports are just too male-dominated, leaving no room for women to be completely invested and accepted, even in today’s progressive era.
For example, female players involved in many sports abide by rules originally instilled to test the athleticism of men, according to “Sport and Gender,”an article published in the British Council series.
Subsequent, social media plays a magnificent role in negatively depicting women in the sport’s realm. Jenny Vrentas, an NFL writer for Sports Illustrated, said Twitter can entice users to tweet horrid and sexists comments directed toward her and other female sports reporters, according to a SI article by Richard Deitsch.
Women are constantly competing, trying to force men to grant them full access onto the field, court, ice-ring, etc. Some men choose to allow access; others, like our Twitter fellows above, are rigidly selective.
#2 This isn’t ideal, but I’ve noticed a trend and that is “You’ve got to be hot to talk about it.” If you’re an attractive woman, like say Andrews or Charissa Thompson, you can effectively correspond about sports to a male audience.
Do not misinterpret—Andrews and Thompson, in my opinion, perform wonderfully in their positions. But the overabundance of makeup, accompanied by tight dresses, cannot be ignored.
I’m not suggesting Fox is forcing them to do anything they do not wish to do—I do not have any direct knowledge of the network’s happenings. What I am suggesting is that you’ve got to have the goods, on some level, when discussing sports with a predominantly male audience. Otherwise, you probably won’t be able to hold their attention.
What should we do?
I encourage readers to invite women into sports discussion and to not immediately discredit them because of their gender.
I encourage men to answer questions posed by women concerning sports without snarky comments or a rolling of the eyes.
I encourage women to be open to learning about sports and to realize you don’t just have to be hot to effectively discuss one of the most enjoyable and engaging topics to ever exist.
I encourage social media users to deter from posting sexists comments about female athletes and correspondents.
It’s 2014 people.
We no longer life in a misogynistic episode of Mad Men. Let’s rectify, shall we?