Women in Sports Face Harassment
Before you read the rest of this blog, I want you to start by watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tU-D-m2JY8 This is one of the WORST video’s I EVER seen!!!
I wrote an article several years ago on how men in the media discriminate against women. I didn’t actually come up with the information. The information came from a lit review but I did comment on how I agreed with the analysis based on my experience watching sports. I’ve written many posts on inequality in sports & business. Fortunately I’ve never ever gotten these kind of threats but many female sports experts have.
As an expert I frequently comment on material that I feel is connected to my expertise. It certainly doesn’t mean I know everything, that I speak for everyone or that it’s the only way it happens and that holds true the same for all sports reporters; male and female. They have expertise to share. The expertise is not going to resonate with everyone (just as mine isn’t) but for women reporters to be receive these kind of threatening tweets, is CRIMINAL.
I understand how important sports is to the fabric of our society but THIS IMPORTANT? I love sports but to send threats like this to women journalists…we aren’t talking about serial killers, we are talking about female sports reporters for chrisssake!!! Women. Mothers. Sisters. Wives. Girlfriends. What the hell is going on?
In the article Social Media, Where Sports Fans Congregate and Misogyny Runs Amok it talks about how men get harassed too but not like this. Even if men do get harassed does that make this/it OK? “Men get mean comments, too, but I think the context of it is quite different for women,” Spain said. “It’s not just, like, ‘You’re an idiot, and I’m mad at you for your opinion.’ It’s: ‘I hate you because you are in a space that I don’t want you in. I come to sports to get away from women. Why don’t you take your top off and just make me lunch?’
The article goes on to talk about other incidences of harassment women have had to deal with. “Journalists like Lisa Olson, who had been with The Boston Herald. In 1990, she said she had been harassed in the locker room while covering the New England Patriots. What followed her accusations was brutal: Death threats. Slashed tires. Naked blow-up “Lisa” dolls tossed around the stands at games. Her apartment was burglarized. In the end, she had to move to Australia to get away from the abuse.”
The men in this video had a very difficult time reading the sexually assaulting tweets and death threats. They should have. This language and behavior is not right and the people who are writing it should be arrested. These women are doing their jobs and they should be treated with respect. The effects of these tweets are far reaching. Not only do they instill fear for their safety but they have a huge impact on all of their professional and personal lives.
Thanks Dr. Michelle
Video cred: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tU-D-m2JY8
Article cred: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/29/sports/more-than-mean-women-journalists-julie-dicaro-sarah-spain.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=0
Photo cred: en.wikipedia.org
