Charles, Charles, Charles. This time, he offered his always candid assessment of sideline reporters in an interview with Richard Deitsch of SI.com:
SI.com: How do you view sideline reporters on a broadcast?
Barkley: I don’t like sideline reporters at halftime because you’re asking coaches questions, and they are pissed off most of the time. Anything can happen when you are mad like that, especially if your team is getting its butt kicked. It’s always easy to interview the guy who is winning, but if you are getting your butt kicked, it’s a very awkward situation. You haven’t even had a chance to digest what you’ve been bad at, and they are asking what you have been bad at!
SI.com: That’s why I love interviews with Gregg Popovich. He’s great television when he makes reporters uncomfortable.
Barkley: Oh, he’s great. But I will tell you one form of discrimination no one ever talks about regarding sideline reporters.
SI.com: What’s that?
Barkley: If you are an ugly woman, you have no chance of getting a TV job.
SI.com: But if you dress like Craig Sager, you can still get hired, right?
Barkley: Hey, I think you have to dress like Sager to get a job now. I will say this: They have hot, great-looking women on TV now. But if you are an ugly woman, you ain’t got no chance of getting a TV job.
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Great comeback by Deitsch on Sager.
Regarding Barkley’s comments, what can I say? Looks help for both sexes when it comes to TV.
Thoughts?
He is right. Every female sideline reporter, sports anchor, correspondent is attractive. And there are plenty of ugly male reporters.
It also hold true for age. There are numerous older men on sports shows, but I can’t think of any women with gray hair on a sports show.