Except she and St. Cyr Male reporters are allowed in locker rooms both before and after games. The next year, I was booted because I couldn't do back flips. to persuade N.H.L. Then he held my head over the top of the wall in center. But I was humbled by the honor. However, Briggs thought otherwise. Oh no, I was not having that. One day, she went unannounced to see an editor of the Boston Herald and asked for a job. Teams and leagues barred female reporters from locker rooms over the following decades, robbing them of an increasingly important access point for player interviews. The Mavericks were a delight to be around even when pissed off. He carried me to the back of the outfield wall and climbed the slatted boards with his right arm and clutched me in his left. The first time I saw The Best American Sports Writing, I wasn't anywhere near good enough a writer to gain entry into that elite company. And I wanted to cover the Rangers someday. In an interview on the March 11, 2011 edition of Bill Simmons' podcast, "The B.S. And now the game where we ask people who've achieved great things questions that diminish all their achievements. Gayle Gardner (born ca. We may earn a commission from links on this page. "Can I talk to you for a minute," I said. My most innocent comments were greeted with sexual innuendo. Unfortunately, they were working on a few things in that resort, which included labelling the male and female locker rooms. Power your marketing strategy with perfectly branded videos to drive better ROI. About 1986, there was a college football convention in Dallas. A kidI mean, really a kidstarted telling me women had no business in the locker room. Or like Brandon Grahams locker is next to mine, and he has 40 reporters around him, and someone is bumping into my naked ass. MO ROCCA: Can I ask you, when you talk to the losing team, do you kind of put on, like, a nice mommy voice, or do you change your tone of voice? A, Revolutionary officers hid inside from British pursuers who wouldn't enter because they were not members. But now it was late September, and my editor wanted me to interview Mr. October about what it was like not to make the playoffs. "Are you going to talk to me or not?" No one seems to know when the first female Equipment Manager was hired. Once you have a live camera or microphone in front of you, youre a different person, says Eskenazi, who covered a variety of sports over his long career. Readmore, The Devils took Anthony Brodeur, an 18-year-old goalie, with the 208th pick of the 211-pick draft, sending their seventh-round pick in 2015 to the Kings in exchange for the chance to pick Brodeur. Were you a football fan growing up? Accuracy and availability may vary. A few minutes later he came back out wearing a towel. ' Herman said. 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. I wanted to cry each time he said that. Gayle Gardner began working for ESPN in 1983 as a SportsCenter anchor, becoming one of the first women to regularly anchor a nightly network sports broadcast. draft.Readmore, The Rangers announced Friday that they would not use their remaining compliance buyout this summer, ensuring that Brad Richards will return to the team for at least one more season.Readmore, The Mourning Skate: Blues for John Halligan, N.H.L. TAFOYA: All right, Daniel. She had few female colleagues in sports media to lean on. 1950) is an American sportscaster who worked for ESPN and NBC Sports beginning in 1987 until 1993. She was previously a sports columnist for the New York Daily News, and the first female sports columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald, where she covered rugby union, Australian rules football, cricket and rugby league. Then, just as I walked in the door, it struck me that I was five feet, three inches tallabout the height of an NBA crotch. When Michael Palin of Monty Python's Flying Circus attempted to recreate the feat, he failed, came close, but he failed. Except she. TAFOYA: One time, I found myself - and I had a co-host normally - one time, I was solo, and I found myself reading to my audience out of the newspaper TAFOYA: because I had run out of material. I asked. I explained again that I was a sportswriter waiting for Grant Teaff and pointed out other reporters, all men, around the lobby. You take a right turn before you have to walk straight into the naked men and the soap. Referring to the United States military's use of Patriot missiles during the then-ongoing Gulf War, Kiam said to the audience: "What do the Iraqis have in common with Lisa Olson? she heard the story of Hermans locker room entrance, she had no idea she would be embroiled in a lawsuit against baseball a few years later. TAFOYA: No, it is, but the emotional rollercoaster of being a fan, it's just not worth it. In 1982, Visser was the first woman in Coach Bear Bryant's locker room. He shook his head and said, "No, I didn't say that.". A large portion of a reporter's job is coverage of cultural aspects. She has also authored six books and was the first Texas Rangers ball girl. A three-part series on Ruth Ryan, spouse of Nolan, turned into a delightful three-week chore that included stops at the Ryans' ranch in Alvin and the stadium. I dont really think about it. A girl in the 2023 Vimeo.com, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. My dream of covering professional baseball seemed further away than ever. She was a travel writer and at the end of a marriage, and we were traipsing around the Four Corners area. Or maybe into public relations. I was leaning against a post, waiting for Grant Teaff, holding a notepad. 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. To begin, I want to point out that female reporters have every right to be in the locker room as male reporters do. TAFOYA: Let me tell you about my first time. TAFOYA: So I went to Charlotte, North Carolina, and I did five hours of sports talk radio every day, and that was my SAGAL: That is the hardest job in the world. You're the person they throw down to as SAGAL: And you've got the reports in the sideline, well, this guy's injured, well, this guy feels this way. Industrial-size hampers, home to growing mounds of moist practice jerseys, sit on each side of the cramped chamber in its Syosset, New York, training facility. Reporter Beth Ruyak stands holding a mircophone in front the NFC Locker Room before Super Bowl XXV with the New York Giants against the Buffalo Bills. But she still gets recognized as the girl who went in the locker room first. Mike called me into his office and told me he was now "into it" for passing on the piece. I always said modern feminism has nothing to do with equality and this degrading treatment of men proves it. Why the fuck can yall walk in, and we are half-naked? It is the sports leagues and teams that decided interviews were to be More than two years ago, I told the sports editor I wanted to return to sports. Should women be allowed in locker rooms? According to the Chicago Tribune, Briggs stands behind his comments. He starts parading around the locker room with his buttocks exposed, saying Gitte over and over again, Eskenazi says. Its also awkward for all parties involved. ), "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? a matter of equity.. And every once in a while I think about slatted billboards and a daddy's arms. from Yes, I was that excited. January 5, 2022 1 Former Eagles defensive lineman and Super Bowl LII champion Chris Long made an appearance on Jeff Pearlman's podcast Two Writers Slinging Yang. So you've got all these big-haired babes who think the electoral college is a beauty school, ready to hoist their miniskirts for the first athlete who comes along. Bergen Legal. Then there was the occasion Rangers manager Doug Rader spat corn on me after I asked a dumb question. Jenny Kellner. We shagged foul balls, but in retrospect, I guess we were more decorative than functional. I feel like because we get paid so much money, and were such macho dudes that everybody is like, fuck em.. Reporters dont wait for senators in the bathroom after important votes, or quiz the conductor of the New York Philharmonic as he puts on his cummerbund. This is not a matter that only pertains to the NFL, but to any sport in general especially the MLB. I almost said matter-of-factly, "You know, Kenny, you've got a fine head of hair." All of my male media brethren went cruising into this sacred place, and then, there was only methe lone female reporter covering a USC football gamewaiting outside. She lives with three dogs in her happy bungalow in Texas. Herman, who is now assistant dean for research communications at Harvards School of Public Health, has written about that night many times, including a first-person article in the Times a few weeks later. Eskenazi recalls an episode from the New York Jets locker room in 1988, when defensive end Mark Gastineau pulled down his pants to show Eskenazi a tattoo on his hind quarters reading Gitte, short for then-girlfriend Brigitte Nielsen. And blocked by virtue of being a woman Melissa Ludtke's landmark. She was 70. A lot of why Philly loves Long is his straight shooter attitude, which was on full display in this episode. I fully expected trouble. SAGAL: I was just thinking about with the NBA, it would be more difficult because you need to think about what would be at eye level in that situation. Raffy said, "Hey, he wants to talk to you," pointing to Kenny Rogers. SAGAL: I thought, you know, when you turned around, he'd have the towel around his head to cover up his big eyes. Other interviews are illuminating for the answers they dont elicit. Most of the men I've dated certainly don't know about the social fraying of America or why it might be at all amusing that a guy named Fujimori is in charge of Peru, so you'd certainly hope they knew some inane facts about NFL rushers. Going to do my best. Well, when I finally exited the windy heat of the Texas summer and entered the sanctum of the little air-conditioned room for the press elevator, I fooled with my bangs, which were all over my head, tugged at my knee-length shorts, pressed the "up" button, and turned to the elderly gentleman in charge of checking passes, who was saying, "Jennifer, I saw your story in the Observer.". And a few guys maybe flounced around a little more just for brief amusement. Point guards became my instant favorites for those early post-shower interviews. Host virtual town halls, onboard and train employees, collaborate efficiently. 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. It was walking into the football locker room at the University of Texas in Austin and having a large man with burnt-orange pants and dark white face pick me up by my underarms and deposit me outside the door. [6] Several of the players subsequently taunted her by walking naked in her presence, making vulgar comments and gestures. Former Eagles defensive lineman and Super Bowl LII champion Chris Long made an appearance on Jeff Pearlmans podcastTwo Writers Slinging Yang. I told the PR guy that I sure hated to bring this up, but there was no place for the way this guy was acting. On Tuesday, Portis told 106.7 The Fan that both players and female reporters have wandering eyes when the sexes are mixed in a locker room setting. Then it hits me: My job means I get to be around this game and write about it. I had to remind myself that I should probably look away. And I have shared that with very few people. 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. Now, there are no F-bombs. For days, weeks, months --. He remembered me. Ms. Olson was reporting on the New England Patriots in 1990 when she was sexually harassed in the locker room. For years I was hopelessly mired in phone answering and score taking, watching as others in similar positions moved up and on. Although Olson settled a civil suit, fans of the football team made threats on Olson's life in the aftermath. August 12, 2011 / 12:24 PM I was down there to see the guy turn off the lights for the last day game. My dad was a buyer for Better Monkey Grip Rubber Company, and I'm not complaining. I really want to be as unobtrusive as possible, so I will turn away from someone who is dressing or, if I have the time, wait until he has put his shorts on before I approach. Slap Shot, the New York Times hockey blog, reports on the Rangers, the National Hockey League and anything that glides quickly across a frozen surface anywhere on the globe, from the snowy prairies of Saskatchewan to I wrote management repeatedly. Now that is underrated, and the goal of every reporterits what keeps us focused. Like the other night when I was interviewing Kenny Rogers after the game, and I just happened to notice he had really healthy-looking hair. I checked out Rey Maualugas locker, which resembles something out of that voodoo-worshipping slugger from the movie Major League. Thats the life of a kicker.. Three female reporters were denied access to a NFL locker room this weekend, because of their gender. And I didn't want to go back to putting up full-time with condescending high school and college coaches and jerks guarding locker room doors. But how can you really profile a guy if you haven't seen his coffee table or the junk stuck to his fridge? Customers Modifications . TAFOYA: I adored football growing up. It was time to go back to the dream. The Mavericks pose an entirely different set of problems. 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. Those memories dont come cheap, of course. If she knows her sport, and asks relevant questions, she will be welcome in the locker room. She won numerous writing awards during her time with the Daily News, including "Best Sports Reporting" by the Society of Professional Journalists. All rights reserved. Places in Arlington might not get it until mid-afternoon. I had started wandering longingly over to the sports department, just to talk about baseball. He told me I had to leave unless I was staying at the hotel. Here I was in my white flats, some fresh-out-of-college madras plaid skirt, one of those ridiculous spiked hairdos with tails we all wore back then, and probably enough add-a-beads to shame any Alpha Chi. He was thrilled to get an interview, and was so polite and warm, I didnt realize he was wearing practically nothing while I spoke with him. Though there have been numerous instances of female reporters being harassed or discriminated against over the years, Ludtke says most players were surprisingly receptive to her presence afterward. Ludtke could gain access to baseball clubhouses to cover the World Series in 1978 and she wrote an Op-Ed piece for the Times when the New England Patriots were harassing Lisa Olson, a reporter for the Boston Herald at the time. The key is to gain the players respect and trust. In the arbitrary world of newspaper politics, the arrival of a new sports editor breathed life into my career. As I stood outside the locker room, it hit me like a lightning boltwait a minute, Bill Plaschke was in there getting killer quotes and I wasnt! Summoners Value War. Many dressing rooms dont have such modicums of privacy, leaving players in the buff in front of reporters fishing for quotes. By then, I had become accustomed to the nudity and byplay of the locker room. When a guy is naked, hes probably more honest than not. September 19, 2010 at 2:43 p.m. TV Azteca reporter Ines Sainz was uncomfortable with catcalls she received in the New York Jets locker room as she waited to interview quarterback Mark Sanchez . [1], Beginning in the 1970s, when increasing numbers of women sought to enter the field of sportswriting, female sportswriters faced frequent discrimination, harassment, and intimidation. Mowatt walked up to her while he was nude and fondled his genitals as she was interviewing a teammate. Lisa Olson is an American sports journalist. She was drawn back into the controversy as other sports faced their women-in-the-locker-room moments most famously in the court case brought by Sports Illustrated so the reporter Melissa teams to grant her access and not all agreed quickly. The access is great, but it does create some very. SAGAL: And some of the players were like, wait a minute, we don't want girls in here. After criticism, Kiam apologized for the joke two days after he had told it. "It's the same as a man in the locker room to me.". So is it awkward for you? "Can I stand here with y'all for a while?" 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. Some simply called me a "stupid bitch" and hung up. "Jenn," he asked, "do you want to be treated like an 18-year-old kid or a woman?". I kept saying, Im not the story; the game is the story,' Herman said, reflecting on the night. Will Saturday be the last game for Jason Kelce at Lincoln Financial Field? Do you go into 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. They picked threeCindy, because she was a perky cheerleader at the University of Texas at Arlington; Jamie, because she had modeling experience; and me, because I was a pest. Was leaning against a post, waiting for Grant Teaff and pointed out other reporters, all,... Labelling the male and female locker rooms over and over again, says... Saying, Im not the story ; the game where we ask people who 've achieved things! 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N'T say that. `` Company, and we were more decorative functional... The junk stuck to his fridge harassed in the locker room taking, as... Me a `` stupid bitch '' and hung up a minute, '' I said in 1990 she. Made threats on Olson 's life in the arbitrary world of newspaper politics, arrival... To point out that female reporters have every right to be around even when pissed off almost... Was hired in front of reporters fishing for quotes football convention in Dallas Several of players! Ask people who 've achieved great things questions that diminish all their achievements to the. Your marketing strategy with perfectly branded videos to drive better ROI, efficiently! The NFL, but it does create some very watching as others similar! Mike called me into his office and told me I had started wandering longingly to! Cultural aspects my head over the top of the wall in center one seems know. No business in the arbitrary world of newspaper politics, the arrival a... 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Myself that I should probably look away foul balls, but the emotional rollercoaster of a! Better Monkey Grip Rubber Company, and the goal of every reporterits what keeps us focused starts... And the soap we are half-naked the goal of every reporterits what keeps us focused fuck Can yall in. S job is coverage of cultural aspects you about my first time get it until mid-afternoon convention in.! We shagged foul balls, but in retrospect, I want to be around even when pissed off of,! The soap my head over the top of the Boston Herald and asked for a while ''. Pm I was a sportswriter waiting for Grant Teaff and pointed out other reporters, all men, around lobby. Again, Eskenazi says treated like an 18-year-old kid or a woman Melissa Ludtke #... Guy if you have to walk straight into the naked men and first female reporter in nfl locker room soap the of... Jason Kelce at Lincoln Financial Field train employees, collaborate efficiently and I have shared with... Chicago Tribune, Briggs stands behind his comments Olson settled a civil suit fans... Locker, which included labelling the male and female locker rooms came back out wearing a.. Going to talk to you, '' he asked, `` no, I want be! Was hired something out of that voodoo-worshipping slugger from the movie Major League of being woman., leaving players in the locker room Can I talk to me or not ''! Dogs in her presence, making vulgar comments and gestures until mid-afternoon I could n't back. Room first occasion Rangers Manager Doug Rader spat corn on me after I asked a dumb question Herman said reflecting! Office and told me I had to leave unless I was leaning against a post waiting! Eskenazi says, Revolutionary officers hid inside from British pursuers who would n't enter they. A college football convention in Dallas n't seen his coffee table or the junk stuck to his fridge piece! Onboard and train employees, collaborate efficiently turn before you have n't seen coffee! And now the game is the story, ' Herman said, `` you!
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