https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W0Go-Z01z8 

 

Recently in class, we have discussed the difference in the ways that female sports reporters are treated from their male counterparts. I found this YouTube video where male athletes and fans have flirted with the female reporters, made them feel uncomfortable, and really have just mistreated them. Now imagine if these were male reporters. If the reporters were male, no disrespectful comments would be made about their bodies, their credibility, or their ability to do their job well. Women face hate that they do not deserve in the field of reporting. 

I believe that whoever is the most qualified for the position should be the one who gets the job. There are most definitely female sports reporters who are much more qualified than men in the same field. For example, look at Erin Andrews, a longtime reporter for ESPN, who did a wonderful job at covering the various sports as a sideline reporter. There have been stories over the years where athletes and fans alike have made her uncomfortable while she was reporting. Not only did this make her uncomfortable, it puts her in such a tough position because she is in front of a camera and is being monitored by the world on national television. 

Erin Andrews is not the only woman who has been forced to adhere to this poor behavior. The YouTube video above displays almost three minutes of instances where female reporters are put on the spot on camera. In the first clip, Aaron Rodgers is seen hitting on the reporter interviewing him. The questions she was asking him were in no way shape or form unprofessional, but the quarterback decided to take a step for the worst and put this reporter on a pedestal in front of the world. Not only do women get hit on, but they also are the recipients of countless hateful comments across many social media platforms. 

The video we watched the other day where mean tweets were read to the female reporters made me sick to my stomach. The comments being made towards these wonderful women who are just trying to do their job is not right. Just because they are not men does not mean that they cannot do just as well, and in a lot of cases better than men. Just because a female is showing up a male in what some think should be a job “for men” shows how immature some of our society is, and what are these immature beings accomplishing? Absolutely nothing. This needs to stop. Women belong in sports, and in every other job that a man does. If a woman performs better than a man at a job, then she should be the one who has the job over the man without any hate. I personally would rather a female who knows what she is talking about over a man who sort of knows what he is talking about, so please stop terrorizing women in the sportscasting business, they belong just as much as any man.