), "Hey, if you know so much about sports," he continues, "let's see if you can answer this question: Who was the last NFL running back to also play quarterback in an even-numbered Super Bowl? Buying ball tickets to as many games as my dad and I wanted to see was out of the question, so we climbed the wall in the late innings or sat in those free grassy spots behind the Cyclone fence. Fear of the unknown tends to do that to you. And I wanted to cover the Rangers someday. Many dressing rooms dont have such modicums of privacy, leaving players in the buff in front of reporters fishing for quotes. She was assigned to cover the Boston Bruins, the 1990 Super Bowl, and, beginning in the fall of 1990, the New England Patriots. He still didn't answer my question directly. We may earn a commission from links on this page. It is the sports leagues and teams that decided interviews were to be You know when the line has been crossed because you know about the culture that youve entered . Then he held my head over the top of the wall in center. (Lowrance/Getty) NFL boss Roger Goodell was demanding answers Sunday night from. I wrote management repeatedly. By that time I had moved east to cover the Phillies. But how was I supposed to do my job with all that crap going on? Then Kevin Brown left the team and that whole bunch became as nice as could be. One even said, "You know you don't have to do this work," in a tone that sounded like Sting telling Roxanne she didn't have to put on the red light. Ines Sainz, a reporter for the Mexican network TV Azteca, gestures while working on the sideline during the second quarter of an NFL football between the New York Jets and the Baltimore Ravens at . And I gained 40 pounds. SAGAL: Here's your first question. Mortified, I pondered my attire (a baggy smock top and pants). But it wouldn't be my last. There are plenty of women who have guy friends and have no ulterior motive in the friendshipcontrary to popular belief, women and men can co-habitate in extreme conditions. Heck, with 10 percent of the population homosexual, there's a good chance that some of the male reporters are homosexual as well. Get two questions right, and you win our prize. When the day finally came that she would break down a huge professional barrier, Robin Herman did not have much time to prepare. When a guy is naked, hes probably more honest than not. Before a team got used to me, there might be some giggling each time someone made a smart remark or cursed loud enough to get you kicked out of the Watauga Dairy Queen. [4] The Herald's then owner, News Corporation, offered to transfer her to Sydney, Australia, where she worked for The Daily Telegraph and the Sydney Morning Herald. He said he wanted to talk. What does it really matter if the rest of the world knows? Then there was the occasion Rangers manager Doug Rader spat corn on me after I asked a dumb question. As one of the first female reporters to be allowed inside the NFL locker room, she has been a pioneer in her field. I used to write Dallas Cowboys columns in blue Crayola on a Big Chief tablet in the part of my sister's walk-in closet I had designated as the press box. Bell bottoms hung over my head as I berated Tom Landry for not getting rid of Mike Clark or praised Roger Staubach the way little kids now get all slobbery over Nolan Ryan. I asked. And there, not 1,000 days after I had emerged from the darkness of the womb, hundreds of bright light bulbs made me squint as I watched the first half-inning of my life, the last three outs of a Spurs game. But by then I had gotten to know the sportswriters and broadcasters, and the Star-Telegram offered me a jobin sportstyping in scores and answering the phone. I remember hiding in a tree outside a North Dallas bank waiting for an SMU running back because we had heard this was where he picked up his money. I think about what it would be like to have them asking me every day, "Well, how about that really thrown-together graph there at the top?" I knew they had accepted me when at a press conference after the Washington Huskies game, Pete Carroll walked into the press conference, made eye contact with a few reporters he knew, then looked at me and gave me a wink and a smile. It reminds me of a debutante waking up in last night's party dress, reeking of beer. So do you know about sports?" Api. Unfortunately, they were working on a few things in that resort, which included labelling the male and female locker rooms. All the culprits are either long gone or have actually apologized, saying they just didn't know better at the time. Teams and leagues barred female reporters from locker rooms over the following decades, robbing them of an increasingly important access point for player interviews. An SMU booster threatened to have my legs brokenand I was delighted. I began experiencing panic attacks and became practically addicted to the antianxiety drug Xanax, buying it from bartenders and acquaintances when my prescriptions ran dry. The MBL, NBA and NFL followed shortly after, and in 1990 all associations allowed women in the locker rooms. "Can I talk to you for a minute," I said. The male athletes dont. SAGAL: B, George Washington himself went on a three-day bender there. SAGAL: OK. Bill, how did Michele do on our quiz? I never told my friends. And I know how smartass remarks work, too. He said he would have me thrown out physically. I know people make sexual comments to one another, and they are not always inappropriate. Quite normal, nothing harmful. And here I'd been hoping for a controlled rollout on this thing. Leaking testosterone and reeking of beer, a Jethro Bodin-esque character sidles up and asks what I do. "He just doesn't" was suddenly sufficient and I knew a grown-up secret, like writing checks, making babies, or reading words. better do it.. She attended Apollo and Shadow Mountain high schools,[1] and graduated from Northern Arizona University's journalism program in 1987. Sanchez is a media-savvy guy, so I figured he would be a nice ice-breaker. I wanted to cry each time he said that. Phyllis George Brown, a former Miss America winner and the first female sportscaster to work at a major network, died on Thursday after complications from a blood disorder she had developed. I was amazed. The first thing I saw was four guys in a big shower. We won some awards, and I gained some confidence and perspective. After a long game, while standing in the middle of the clubhouse waiting for someone to appear, I sometimes gaze off in one direction, the way you stare when you're bored and become transfixed on an object until your eyes cross and you snap back into the reality of car payments and cellulite. The NFL also sent a memo to all 32 teams in the league Thursday reminding them of its equal access and conduct policy toward the media. [2][3], In 2013, the Association for Women in Sports Media, at its 25th convention, awarded Olson its Mary Garber Pioneer Award. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Someone has come out early for batting practice. I'm no wimp; I can take a lot. I had to think as much about how to handle the next unwanted advance or suggestive quip as I did trying to figure the Mavericks' averages. I began investigating the pay-for-play scandals of the Southwest Conference. 2011 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. When you've got dirt on them, all the condescending good-ol'-boy stuff goes out the window. SAGAL: I got to ask you about the locker room. The documentary was about female sportswriters' struggles to gain access to male locker rooms in order to be able to do their jobs. Some readers had similar problems accepting a woman. SAGAL: The job of the NFL sideline reporter is three parts glamour, four parts grit and 10 parts fending off the advances of a randy Hall of Fame quarterback. Some summers we went to 20 games; others we went to about 56. Please enable JavaScript to experience Vimeo in all of its glory. 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[1], In 2013, Olson's incident with the Patriots was addressed in the documentary Let Them Wear Towels, part of ESPN Films' Nine for IX series that commemorated the 40th anniversary of the enactment of Title IX. agree wrote: If a male reporter went into the womens locker room, all hell would break loose. I was afraid of the unknown. SAGAL: That's an interesting message for somebody who works for "Sunday Night Football" to send. . Later he admitted to calling her a "classy bitch. I sat at some random desk to look busy for a while, which is what sportswriters do every week or three. But instead, the man who is an idol to thousands of children launched into a verbal tirade loudly insulting my intelligence and shouting for someone to remove me from the clubhouse. Gerry Fraley of The Dallas Morning News was the only other writer in the press box. Because of my vantage point, it appeared I would have to walk through the shower, through the four wet, naked men, to get to the actual locker-room area. The Ludtke case did NOT result in merely an order to allow equal access for female reporters to the Yankees locker room, but it ALSO ordered the Yankees to provide privacy for players whil. The Lisa Olson Incident, 20 Years Later: Today is the 20th anniversary of the Lisa Olson incident in the New England Patriots locker room, when the female Boston Herald sportswriter was sexually harassed by players Zeke Mowatt, Robert Perryman and Michael Timpson. We never wanted for anything we really needed, but my parents, raised in the Depression, were cautious about spending. Then I did something I had never done. I didn't want to be branded as some woman on a crusade. TAFOYA: I was too focused on his eyebrows. A, on Women's Day which is a holiday named after a magazine. TAFOYA: But still, tune in each Sunday night. I walked over to the only Angel who didn't yet have on some form of clothing. And yes, I was scared. In 1973 she was hired as the New York Times' first female sports reporter. to that woman.". I didn't give it a whole lot of thought as I went into the office that day. I think you'd need to show that male reporters are not allowed into female locker rooms to show a double standard. Sometimes we'd just watch any game on the TV. The incident is considered by many to be a watershed moment for women in sports journalism. TAFOYA: But you do that all the time, don't you? He shook his head and said, "No, I didn't say that.". I ran out of material 10 minutes ago. Guys just walk around naked, mostly, says Arizona Republic sports columnist Paola Boivin. [10], After the incident became public, Olson was subjected to harassment by fans of the Patriots. They havent had a lot of time to think about what to say, and theyre in a comfortable environment. Although Olson settled a civil suit, fans of the football team made threats on Olson's life in the aftermath. I was doing that one recent day when a wet, naked body walked into my trance. SAGAL: B, according to the club rules, quote, "at the point in their menstrual cycle when they are least likely to attract bears," unquote. He may be a tough guy, but when I talked with him, he was slathering a nice coconut lotion all over his chest and was very soft-spoken. "Can I stand here with y'all for a while?" But there are still places out there where they believe in cooties, so Tafoya will answer three questions about men's-only clubs. Then it hits me: My job means I get to be around this game and write about it. I sent copies of their responses to the Rangers' front office. I began to cry. If the locker room is where athletes can be themselves, that change may be the most challenging. I was creative and funny, but I just couldn't write, they'd concluded. And theyre very conscious that everything they say could get out.. Rebecca Lowe who in March joined NBC Sports from ESPN and in 2012 became the first woman to present the FA Cup Final from Wembley Stadium has had hot dogs thrown at her by the U.K.'s infamous. We went to a bench just outside the door and began to look through it. And a few guys maybe flounced around a little more just for brief amusement. Youve got limited time to talk to the players before they leave, so make hay or fail is my mantra. Herman said she slowly convinced N.H.L. Standard Fraley, so no problems there. When I was 14, I heard from a friend that the Rangers would soon be hiring ball girls. TAFOYA: I think one of the most - and again, I won't name names - but I remember doing an NBA game, and I was asked to go interview a player's wife in the stands about something. The Boys Only sign wasnt on the door, but still, I could see it. A large portion of a reporter's job is coverage of cultural aspects. A few feet in, I realized a hall ran in front of the showers. Solutions . I compared my scar (a plate and six screws from a broken ankle) to Mark Tylers scar from his broken leg, with Mark proclaiming mine cooler.. A, Revolutionary officers hid inside from British pursuers who wouldn't enter because they were not members. Before that, reporters thought they understood games better than the athletes playing them, largely omitting the player and coach personalities that make sports stories into something more than hits, runs, and errors. The Herald editor offered her a position handling horse-racing agate. 1. percykins 7 yr. ago. My face broke out. All she wanted was to be afforded the . After a while, you just get used to nakedness and its all business. But after getting home from school, I'd quickly skip back to the sports section of the evening Star-Telegram to compare my work to that of the pros. The players didn't know I'd grown up with games or that my best friends had usually been crude guys or that I could open a beer bottle with my incisors or that I liked to fish as much as they did. Chris Long on dynamic of naked players, reporters in locker rooms, New York Rangers fans took over the Wells Fargo Center and Im glad it happened, WATCH: Every pitch of Andrew Painters 1st inning vs. the Minnesota Twins, Eagles Buzz: CJ Gardner-Johnson rips Jonathan Gannon on Twitter for Super Bowl performance, Spring Training: Umpires end Orioles vs Pirates game early, but both teams wanted to finish, calling the game themselves, WATCH: Operation Flagship How D.C. Police Lured Wanted Criminals in for Arrest by Offering Super Bowl Tickets. I dont think you need to be in there when the athletes are down to their skivvies. That was the stunned reaction of journalist Joey Chandler after she, along with two other female journalists, was reportedly barred from entering the Jacksonville Jaguars locker room on Sunday night. And there was Reggie, in nothing but sanitary socks. Video marketing. For years I was hopelessly mired in phone answering and score taking, watching as others in similar positions moved up and on. Raffy, Kenny Rogers, Kevin Brown had their little clique on the far side of the clubhouse. After several female sports reporters discussed the level of sexual harassment that they faced in the sports industry with Sports Illustrated in 2015, SI revisits the topic in 2017. He said this about three times. These arent your high school gym locker roomsmany are increasingly part of multi-room complexes including lounges and training rooms that media cant accessbut journalists would be hard pressed to find so many sources anywhere else. I walked over to the corner where two guys from my hometown had their lockers. Alrighty then, time to search out the first player I wanted to talk toUSC quarterback Mark Sanchez. God, I can't believe someone didn't warn me, I thought. Oh sure, at first they think it's pretty cool that you're the only person at a party who can remember Neil Lomax's name or that you can name all the Rangers managers in 18 secondswith a shot in your mouth. About two yards down, I see legs behind the batting cage. I know they don't know what they're talking about. I said, "Raffy says you want to see me." "OK, you mean you've talked to Troy Aikman, and you didn't notice what a hunk he is?". He sobbed at his locker for 15 minutes after the game, as ESPNs Kevin Seifert wrote, later facing a gaggle of reporters. You can't do this without asking about their dogs and their mom and what bugs them even worse than dropping the soap in the shower. Forty years ago today, "Sports Illustrated" and its reporter Melissa Ludtke took on Major League Baseball and won. A female reporter conducts post-game interviews with members of a men's soccer team in the locker room. It was an exercise in concentration trying to figure out who was who, and while I was concentrating, unfortunately, I managed to sashay into an area that should have had warning signs around it. He was standing in front of me ready to talk, I locked eyes on him, and asked my questions. He was from Venezuela or the Dominican Republic, and guys from way south of here often start their careers as young as 16 or so. I did not want to smell the entire ride home, so I decided to take a shower. SAGAL: And those pioneers were like, no, we're going, we're doing our job. The Rangers treat me like anyone else who wanders in. Those memories dont come cheap, of course. The Downing part of it, as the guys who would later be a part of The Ticket said, was because, "He wouldn't hit a girl, so we'll go in behind you. But then Donna likes the men she meets at Baja. Sometimes I'm kind of quiet in a group interview, and I have this feeling other reporters will think it's because I'm a dumb ol' girl. I mean, I know how penises work. SAGAL: That's what you do. OK, pre-game festivities concluded, I went back up to the press box to start writing some pre-game sidebar. TV Azteca reporter Ines Sainz says she was the subject of sexually suggestive remarks by New York Jets players. I can't remember the number of times I've picked up the phone in the sports department, answered some trivia question, and, when the answer didn't win the guy a bar bet, had the caller demand, "Put a man on this phone." In the arbitrary world of newspaper politics, the arrival of a new sports editor breathed life into my career. When the coveted Rangers beat came open, I was passed over. One of my greatest honors. "That's possible," he replied. After the initial averting of my eyes, I noticed a member of USCs staff naked as well, and it then occurred to me; after you see one naked butt, they all start to look the same. We all just kind of deal with it, says Jenni Carlson, a columnist for The Oklahoman and self-described shorter person who fights to see and hear her often giant interview subjects. The latter are supposed to be more humorous than the former, though adulthood has taught me different. Summoners Value War. She is an American humorist and sportswriter who now does reviews for Publishers Weekly and writes for a variety of publications, including the Dallas Observer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, USA Today, and Sports Illustrated. Michele Tafoya is the Emmy award-winning reporter for NBC's Sunday Night Football, but she's spent time on basketball courts, softball diamonds, gymnastics mats and now public radio quiz show game grids. Men treated like animals yet again. He kept muttering. to persuade N.H.L. The other was a first-person piece about the last game at Arlington Stadium. Its a mind-numbing thing to experiencegetting complete wrapped up in a job and not noticing the other stuff around you. [6] Several of the players subsequently taunted her by walking naked in her presence, making vulgar comments and gestures. It was when all the guys were inside doing interviews, and I was standing in the rain, makeup peeling, outside the high school locker room at Fort Worth's Farrington Field, waiting beneath the six-foot-long "No Women" sign for the players to come to the doorway. I had offered the story first to my sports editor, Mike Perry (standard newspaper policy). I've wanted to write stories about baseball since I was 10 years oldto write words so good that people would read them twice. We got to Frank DeFord's comment at the end. I walked over to him and asked how old he was. Its no big deal, and if you don't believe me, watch The Full Monty a couple of timesit gets old real fast and you don't even notice it anymore. Affirmative. SAGAL: And is this something you always wanted to do? My understanding was the brat later had a good talkin'-to with the manager and the GM, and as far as I know, the closest he would ever get to the bigs was buying a ticket. It's not a place for socialising. Olson was born and raised in the metropolitan area of Phoenix, Arizona. The interview format is believed to have been popularized around mid-century by Dick Young, a New York Daily News sportswriter. The exchange between Newton and Rodrigue rightfully spurred a much needed discussion about women and sports journalism, so I decided to ask three former NFL players to speak candidly about their views on women reporters. At first glance, it wasnt bad. SAGAL: So how did you get into the - how did you - I mean, I'm going to guess SAGAL: that it's harder for a woman to get into major league professional sports reporting than it is for a man. No reason being a modern love to prove she said her ideal, first female reporter in nfl locker room! I understand that uniformsunless they say, "Eb, your man who wears the star" on the lapelare a great aphrodisiac in contemporary culture. The NFL launched an investigation into the incident after Sainz, a veteran reporter, claimed footballs were thrown in her direction by a Jets coach during a practice - seemingly deliberately -. I'll always remember that no one else laughed, for whatever reason, and that made me feel good. But I had a deadline. [2] She was the sports editor of her high school and college newspapers. And I make a beeline for my guy that I'm going to interview, and I'm walking up toward him. I was ready once again to be the greatest sportswriter who ever lived. TAFOYA: You know what, though, timing is everything, and I think I sort of followed the floodgates that were opened by Lesley Visser and Robin Roberts. During the incident, Ms. Olson said a group of naked players crowded around her to. Near the field, I can see it is Al Newman and somebody. Like other working people, professional athletes want to leave the office when their shift ends, so they waste no time stripping down to hit the showers. "Jenn," he asked, "do you want to be treated like an 18-year-old kid or a woman?". Then there was Everson Griffen, an underclassman defensive end who will be a big name next year and eventually on Sundays. SAGAL: Because I remember - this was now going back 20 years ago maybe SAGAL: when the first female reporters were working major sports, and they wanted to go into the locker room and do the same damn interviews that their male counterparts were doing. So you've been in the Mavericks locker room? Late one night in spring training, one of my co-workers, also one of my best friends, called to read me something. I remember being scared because I hadn't known how the locker room was going to look or smell or who or what I would have to wade throughliterally and figurativelyto find this man. Maybe I didn't belong here. Indeed, athletes are increasingly coached on what to say to reporters in interviewsand what not to say. I was in the visiting clubhouse waiting to interview one of the Oakland A's this year when one of the players called, "Here, pussy"as though he were calling a cat. And then there's the guyalmost any guy in any bar in townwho subjects me to a sports-trivia quiz during the usual getting-acquainted foreplay. It's like having a male gynecologistif he's fairly comfortable doing his thing, it makes the female patient fairly comfortable.
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