Erin Andrews
The Erin Andrews peephole video scandal may have set the Internet abuzz, but the idea of women sportscasters being objectified as sex objects is old news to Anne Doyle.
Doyle was a pioneering female TV sports reporter who worked for CBS-TV in Detroit from 1978 to 1984. In 1979 she was one of the first women sports broadcasters in the U.S. to gain access to professional locker rooms.
As a sports anchor and reporter Doyle covered the likes of Reggie Jackson, Bobby Knight, Bo Schembechler, Isiah Thomas and Kirk Gibson. Two years ago she was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame for her leadership in helping to open sports locker rooms for women journalists.
In an e-mail interview, Doyle, who now runs her own consulting firm, said the Andrews incident was “an example of what professional women from Erin Andrews to Sarah Palin still face - demeaning, sexual-based attention that crosses way over the line. Remember the VILF (Vice President I'd like to f--k) t-shirts about Palin? Clinton got the other extreme of gender bashing: She's (seen as) the castrating bitch.”
On the other hand, Doyle said it’s clear that “Andrews and ESPN continue to milk her sexuality - she wears extremely tight clothing, drawing attention to her body constantly. Spike high heels and skin tight pants and breast-clinging tops? She's hasn't quite crossed the Janet Jackson ‘wardrobe malfunction’ line, but she's pretty darn close.”
Doyle said a woman “who wants to be taken seriously - whether as a sports journalist, political leader or businesswoman - has to walk a very fine line. Play the sex card too frequently (and Erin plays it all the time) and people really aren't going to pay much attention to what you have to say.”
“I'm sorry this happened to her,” Doyle added. “I'm not surprised, though."
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Follow me on Facebook & Twitter
Comments