Women Are Only Good for Housekeeping and Sideline Reporting?

I'd like to talk briefly today about sideline reporters.

Whenever a criticism of the sports journalism industry for being “men only” crops up, journalists are quick to point out that women dominate the ranks of sideline reporters.

I always laugh when I hear that. How exactly does that make sports reporting gender neutral? By ‘segregating’ the women into what is perceived as a less difficult sub-job?

There are some women who have infiltrated top positions in sports journalism. Linda Cohn as a SportsCenter anchor is a good example. And you will occasionally hear women doing play-by-play (albeit mostly for women’s sports).

But, if the industry wants to continue to collectively exclude women from patrolling the locker rooms and reading the latest sports news, they’ll need to find a better copout.

The easiest thing to do? Start giving premium jobs to people based on merit, not based on some boys’ club mentality.