Sarah Spain, who also works at ESPN 1000 in Chicago, examines the stereotypes and makes her case:
Sideline reporting, reading highlights at an anchor desk, co-hosting a studio show — people have come to expect and accept seeing women do these jobs. But it’s still a rarity to see a woman host a sports-talk radio show or do play-by-play or color commentary for a men’s pro game.
When it comes down to it, it’s about being seen and not (really) heard.
The stereotypical male sports viewer is OK getting postgame scores and sideline updates from a woman — he gets to admire her appearance while she provides some info he may or may not be listening to. But a radio host or a play-by-play announcer is rarely, if ever, seen on camera. The job is just about what’s being said; all that matters is the content provided.
On Doris Burke working as an analyst on last week’s Bulls game:
The questioning of “credentials” often comes into play when people criticize female analysts covering a men’s game. The same rules don’t seem to apply to men.
Burke played college ball at Providence College, where she was named the school’s female athlete of the year and inducted into its hall of fame. She has been calling games for more than 23 years now — women’s college hoops since 1990, men’s college hoops since 1996, the WNBA since 1997 and the NBA since 2000.
Unlike Burke, the following prominent, well-respected, male NBA play-by-play announcers never played a minute of college basketball: Marv Albert, Dick Stockton, Bob Costas, Mike Breen, Dan Shulman and Al Michaels.
And finally:
These days, sideline reporters are almost exclusively female, female studio hosts are commonplace and a female duo can anchor “SportsCenter” without anyone noticing. With women like Burke and Beth Mowins calling men’s games and Anita Marks and Amy Lawrence hosting major-market and nationally syndicated radio shows, views may continue to gradually shift.
With any luck, the next generation of sports fans, which will grow up seeing and hearing women in every role, will be as nonchalant about a woman calling an NBA game as our current generation is about a woman doing sideline interviews at an NFL game.
Let’s hope so.
I don’t have a problem with women announcers as long as they are good as the men. Beth Mowins is a poor example, she is awful no matter what her gender. Doris Burke is pretty good, especially at analysis.
As far as sports talk goes, I think the problem men have wiith women talk show hosts is that guys tune into sports talk for male bonding reasons. Unless a woman has a terrific personality (like Michelle Beadle) and really knows her stuff, I believe it is a tune out for guys.
Sarah Spain is spot on, but I found it fascinating how she failed to comment on other women who have already been successful and competent at the microphone; Cammi Granato served as the Los Angeles Kings radio analyst for one season during the late 1990s, while veteran sportswriter Sherry Ross not only did the same for the New Jersey Devils’ radio broadcasts, but even called PBP for one game herself.
I don’t follow basketball at all, so I had to research some of Michele Tafoya’s professional background, which apparently includes calling PBP for a CBS sports college basketball telecast in 1996. I *do* remember hearing Pam Ward call a bunch of college football games for ESPN, although they supposedly pulled her from those duties. I don’t follow American football as closely as I follow Australian Rules football.
Speaking of which, even though Australia’s Channel 10 decided to pull Kelli Underwood from her trail run of PBP / “caller” duties for their Australian Football League telecasts, Underwood *did* make it into the broadcast booth over two AFL seasons and continues to do so for ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Radio.
Perhaps Ms. Spain excluded Ross, Granato, Underwood, Tafoya, and Ward because they’ve already been on the air and are not currently in those posts. Nevertheless, her point remains valid; there are a lot of knuckel-dragging schlubs out there who cannot stomach the thought that some woman on TV might know more about a particular sport than THEY do. They’re probably the same sort of morons who think that women shouldn’t have access to prime tee-times on golf courses.