The Sky have "come under fire for replacing what had been the only women announcers pairing in the WNBA with two men who reportedly will receive higher salaries," according to Ed Sherman of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. The situation "flared up when the Sky hired Eric Collins on play-by-play and Stephen Bardo as analyst for its new broadcast team," replacing Lisa Byington (play-by-play) and Brooke Weisbrod (analyst), who "had called Sky games the last two seasons." Weisbrod "questioned the team's priorities." She said, "By removing two women, what kind of message are you sending? You have young women fans who watch the Sky, and it has become their normal to see two women call the games. Now what? That message completely missed (the Sky)." Association for Women in Sports Media Chair Kathy Kudravi "echoed that sentiment." Weisbrod added that she "thinks the pay difference flies in the face of a new 'Lean On' campaign in which NBA and WNBA players speak out about equality for women." Sky President & CEO Adam Fox said he is "disappointed" with how the team is being portrayed in the wake of this decision, citing the team's history of women in high-profile roles: Margaret Stender was its first president; and Pokie Chatman is the current GM & coach. However, Fox also "stressed gender can't be the ruling factor in the Sky's personnel decisions." He would not "comment about the financial specifics" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/8).
