A very interesting trend that occurred over the past decade was the emergence and recently the disappearance of the female sideline reporter for NFL games. Women have been making cameos as sideline reporters since the late 90’s, and few have lasted more than a year in the position. The importance of a sideline reporter is trivial at best, and the questions that these women ask normally serve as comic relief to the seriousness of the game.
Considering Monday Night Football (MNF) have consistently high ratings, the focus on having quality commentators for the game is a very big deal to most fans. Some MNF commentators will be remembered for years simply for doing so well at their job. “Faultless Frank” Gifford and Howard Cosell were major pop culture contributors in the early 70’s. After his coaching career, John Madden was a commentator for 21 years, and then came to MNF in 2000. His distinguishable voice and knowledge for the game carried him through many seasons as a commentator, even though all of America made fun of him for making the most obvious comments in television history, “You know if they take the ball, then get it in the end zone, they’ll get six points, and that will help them win the game…” In 1997 Lesley Visser became the first, and only, female commentator for MNF. Her presence was overshadowed by her famous male counterparts, Dan Dierdorf and “Boomer” Esiason. She left after the season and women only managed to make it to MNF sidelines from that point forward. These women, including Melissa Stark and Lisa Guerrero were immediately criticized as ‘eye-candy’ and unnecessary to the broadcast. Guerrero claims she was told she was to have a much bigger role than her pointless comments from the sideline. Since 1998, there has been a major push by some groups that another woman deserves the role of a MNF commentator.
The claims are always the same: “You think girls don’t know about sports?” “I’ve been watching football my entire life!” “She’s a communication major from Syracuse, she deserves it.” But I feel there are clear reasons why a woman shouldn’t and won’t receive a commentator position for Monday Night Football. There are two types of commentators that make it to MNF: Football legends and long time commentators. Obviously, the first category is out, as no women have ever played in the NFL. While these women may be the most eloquent, thought provoking commentators, they will never achieve the status of a John Madden or Tony Kornheiser. It’s pure demographics; MNF is overwhelmingly dominated by male viewers, and men don’t associate with women talking about football. No matter how much she may have watched football with her dad growing up, and then followed it through college into her current career, it just jumps of the page that it’s a girl, someone who has never played the game. Like I said, she can care about the game and its stats all she wants, and so could my uncle Mike who can’t start a conversation without two ridiculous and unrelated football statistics, but I’d rather hear Troy Aikman stumble through his comments about the game (and I HATE the cowboys). On the sideline, women end up looking like fools with the commentary they provide. I promise that with a group of guys watching the big game, every time a female sideline reporter cuts into the conversation about how the quarterback has a superstition of not washing his socks before the game or something else pointless, it only furthers stereotypes about women and sports. So please end this nonsensical trend, for the good of women and the good of the game.
Websites Referenced:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monday_Night_Football
Posting authored by S.R.
4 comments:
I am not sure that the fact that men participate in the NFL and have historically dominated sports commentary are clear reasons why women shouldn't be commentators for the games. I'll be the first to admit that I know nothing about sports, but I do think that it's a good possibility that if Lesley Visser got taken off the commentary, it's because she didn't push her way into the conversation of her male counterparts, making her an undesirable candidate. Maybe she was the wrong woman for the job, but it doesn't mean that women in general can't be good at the job, and I have issue with the claim that women can't comment for monday night football because they've never played in the NFL. I know women who played football in college on co-ed teams, watch more football than most of the men I know, can spit out all the information that I never wanted to know and make it interesting, and get really aggravated (and mildly violent)when their team is losing. I think that they could know and comment on the game just as well as a male commentator who never played can -- the fact that men aren't used to hearing women talk about football isn't, in my opinion, grounds to say that they shouldn't be talking about football "for the good of women and the good of the game."
I've never thought of women commentators that way. I still don't see a problem with women doing this because they can still be very knowledgeable about the game without actually playing, but it makes sense that someone who has actually been in the NFL should be the one talking about the game.
I don't think that "demographics" or women not playing football shouldn't be a reason why females can't be commentators for football games. I think if a person (male or female) is qualified for the position and does it brilliantly then that's all that matters. Experience may help, but if a female has never played football before, however, knows the game and comments the game well, then there should be no reason why she shouldn't be able to obtain or keep her job.
While I do agree with the majority of the feedback, I have to reject the idea that demographics aren't a reason to not place a woman in this position. Television is based around one principle, getting the most viewers to make the most money. Putting a woman or two on that staff will turn off a very large number of male viewers, regardless of the quality of their commentary. ABC and ESPN are not going to risk losing such a moneymaker on this risk, as the NFL could easily take this primetime moneymaker to another network.
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