Women Are Slowly Making Advances In TV Sports Broadcasting
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Erin Andrews Recognized By
Fans For Physical Appearance |
Women have "made huge advances in TV sports broadcasting over the past 10 years," but they often "continue to struggle for credibility as sports journalists," according to William Houston of the GLOBE & MAIL. Women "hold jobs as reporters, anchors and, in the United States, even play-by-play announcers." However, as the numbers have grown, the "importance of their physical appearance has increased." More than ever, networks "place an emphasis on youth and beauty, and, by no surprise, Playboy is now publishing an annual list of the sexiest sportscasters." ESPN's Linda Cohn said that the "good news is that women are getting more opportunities to prove themselves." Cohn: "That's the positive. The negative, and it's out there, is a current trend, which is to go for looks first and then knowledge. And that's disconcerting." NBC Sports sideline reporter Andrea Kremer, who started in print journalism in '82, "slots female sports broadcasters into two groups." Kremer: "There are women who grew up loving sports, and, by the way, they do television, or they write about it or talk about it on radio. And then there are women who think they want to be on TV, and sports is a cool thing. And I do think the audience knows the difference between the two. So I just hope people are getting into it for the right reason." Houston noted The Score sports network last week "blatantly advertised on its website for a 'hottie' to be the host of a forthcoming TV show." CBC Sports Exec Dir Scott Moore said, "Television is a visual medium. You could make the same point about men. There aren't many ugly men on television. It's just a part of the basic requirement." Moore: "Social mores have changed a lot. Both women and men aren't afraid to use their looks."
HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD: Houston noted because women are "perceived to be less qualified than men, they feel they are held to a higher standard." Kremer indicated that if ESPN's Chris Berman "makes a mistake, it's just a slip," but if Cohn "gets something wrong, she doesn't know what she's talking about." NHL Exec VP/Programming & Production John Shannon said that women broadcasters "need to be '20[%] better' than their male counterparts to be accepted as credible journalists by a largely male audience." Shannon: "If they make one mistake, they're going to get hammered (by sports fans and the media)" (GLOBE & MAIL, 12/20).
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