Not sports writing, but the best of every column written in the state that year. An Ongoing Problem : Women Reporters Resent How They're Treated in the Locker Rooms By FRED LIEF Jan. 5, 1986 12 AM PT United Press International NEW YORK "If a reporter is duly and. The reporters were covering the team's loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. She won numerous writing awards during her time with the Daily News, including "Best Sports Reporting" by the Society of Professional Journalists. Buying ball tickets to as many games as my dad and I wanted to see was out of the question, so we climbed the wall in the late innings or sat in those free grassy spots behind the Cyclone fence. to persuade N.H.L. Before I could utter a word, he said, "Wait, let me rub it, it will get hard.". James Donaldson was the very tallest, and I almost always waited until he had some small piece of fabric on before I walked back there. It was like, you know, lady with a baby coming, lady in the locker room. She would later come to work at The Times as well. This blogs regular features, including live game analysis, reader discussion, news and notes from Jeff Z. Klein and others, can now be found on the Hockey section front. 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. I began to wonder, what had I done with the last seven years of my life? Its also awkward for all parties involved. Affidavit Sample Administrative. You take a right turn before you have to walk straight into the naked men and the soap. I was down there to see the guy turn off the lights for the last day game. The next day, another player told Eskenazi it was a joke. That's another thing that has changed. The bouncing, wide-eyed ball girl who wanted to write about baseball more than anything was gone, abandoned in increments on football fields, at locker room doors, in editors' offices, and on barstools. TAFOYA: Let me tell you about my first time. It's also tricky when you give one writer a piece that showcases him or her in very many words and photos. That first-person ode to Arlington Stadium was entered in a contest. 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 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. Apparently this happened at the morning budget meeting where "My Life in the Locker Room" was discussed at great length. But how was I supposed to do my job with all that crap going on? I might have actually said, "Can we talk about how your face looks like one of those ear-shaped potato chips that the lady from the Lay's factory brings on The Tonight Show once a year? Long goes on to mention how most reporters would brush his concerns aside, which would honestly drive me nuts. All rights reserved. Mowatt was fined $12,500, the other two players $5,000, and the team itself $50,000, since no management had intervened at the time or immediately following. But after getting home from school, I'd quickly skip back to the sports section of the evening Star-Telegram to compare my work to that of the pros. It's just before batting practice, about 4:30 p.m. "And I mean, you put a woman and you give her a choice of 53 athletes . Several were guys who had been my superiors at one time or another and were just so gushing with their praise. I don't like the double-standard we have with male-female divide. "I don't have any idea what you're up to.". I had mentioned Kenny's hair in a story that had yet to even appear in some of the Observer's newsstands. Theres a press area for that express purpose. Each time I stopped pacing, the clerk and guard started toward me. By Adrienne Jones. TAFOYA: No, it is, but the emotional rollercoaster of being a fan, it's just not worth it. 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. Definite double standard here . 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. Nudity rarely bothered me, but I prefer never to see Nolan Ryan in anything but Ranger white or bluejeans. 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 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. Me, the girl who has no fear, was nervous. If my mom made us go to Wyatt's for supper, my father would wear his primitive Walkman through the serving line, once scaring the meat lady by hollering, "Dadgum Toby Harrah!" I tried to explain that it is probably a lot like being a male gynecologist: the daily procession of personal parts becomes so routine that it ceases to be of anything but professional interest. I sat at some random desk to look busy for a while, which is what sportswriters do every week or three. You know, it was like, "So-and-so from The Beaumont Enterprise, many so-and-so's from The Dallas Morning News.". I feel like because we get paid so much money, and were such macho dudes that everybody is like, fuck em.. Like a son telling his mom, Way to go, you made me proud.. The players dont care, I dont care, heynobody cares! Samsung Pdf. We all just kind of deal with it, says Jenni Carlson, a columnist for The Oklahoman and self-described shorter person who fights to see and hear her often giant interview subjects. Ludtke and Time Inc. filed a civil rights lawsuit months later. I was doing another piece on the last day game at the old place, and I was in the dirt bowels of that poor old Erector set where many things, including skunks and raccoons, lived. It was also the Bear's last season. My name and Roger Angell's had been mentioned in the same sentence. SAGAL: The club was famed for its beverage known as Fish House Punch, which according to legend was so potent, it knocked George Washington out of commission for three days. Do you go into the locker room? I said, "Raffy says you want to see me." Customers Modifications . agree wrote: If a male reporter went into the womens locker room, all hell would break loose. Show More. I was one of the guys. I wanted to know these 4 things: 1. I cant really think of something else thats similar to this, Bailey said. He said he was 16. As one of the first female reporters to be allowed inside the NFL locker room, she has been a pioneer in her field. Needless to say, this was a must-listen from the jump. 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. We're going to ask you about famous men's only clubs. We drove to a mall in Santa Fe, and there were the boxes, taped, freshly shipped, in the front of the store. The NFL launched an investigation into the incident after Sainz, a veteran reporter, claimed footballs were thrown in her direction by a Jets coach during a practice - seemingly deliberately - and players later called out to her in the team's locker room. It began when I was 3 and my daddy took me to Turnpike Stadiumnow Arlington Stadiumto see the old minor-league Spurs. It seems in those years I was the only writer who could converse with Julio Franco and Brian Downing. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. So, 35 years ago, Herman and another woman a Montreal radio reporter, Marcel St. Cyr gathered with other reporters after the game and walked in to conduct postgame interviews. Someone has come out early for batting practice. Fear of the unknown tends to do that to you. And surely the Observer's reader demographics did not include most ballplayers and some stadium employees. SAGAL: Michele Tafoya is the Emmy Award winning reporter for NBC's "Sunday Night Football," but she's spent time on basketball courts, softball diamonds, gymnastic mats and now public radio quiz show "Game Grids." According to the Chicago Tribune, Briggs stands behind his comments. Since I watched hockey as a kid, it was always this way.. Being in the national spotlight was difficult and a little I asked. But she still gets recognized as the girl who went in the locker room first. So, 35 years ago, Herman and another woman a Montreal radio reporter, Marcel St. Cyr gathered with other reporters after the game and walked in to conduct postgame interviews. I almost said matter-of-factly, "You know, Kenny, you've got a fine head of hair." Quite normal, nothing harmful. Its all weve ever known, right wing Josh Bailey, wearing a blue Islanders shirt, skin-tight compression shorts, and knee-high athletic socks, told me after a practice last week. After the initial averting of my eyes, I noticed a member of USCs staff naked as well, and it then occurred to me; after you see one naked butt, they all start to look the same. I understand that uniformsunless they say, "Eb, your man who wears the star" on the lapelare a great aphrodisiac in contemporary culture. Her tires were slashed, she received hate mail and death threats, and her apartment was burglarized. Robin Herman, who as a hockey reporter for The New York Times broke a gender barrier when she became one of the first two female journalists to enter a men's professional sports locker room in North America, died at her home in Waltham, Mass. I began to rummage through the large boxes until I found the one with my publisher's name on it. When the coveted Rangers beat came open, I was passed over. Gayle Gardner (born ca. 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. Sometimes I will request an interview at someone's house, and my peers act as though it's weird. Unfortunately, they were working on a few things in that resort, which included labelling the male and female locker rooms. Franchises are increasingly fielding their own media teams to produce game stories and video interviewsmeaning more softball questionsjust as metro newspapers are cutting back. Indeed, locker room access is built into players collective bargaining agreements with the four major North American sports leagues. So I didn't write. 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. Host virtual town halls, onboard and train employees, collaborate efficiently. I was so pissed over that (excessive celebration).. It was an area high school coach who routinely tried to get me to drop by his house when his wife was out of town; when I refused for the third time, he refused to provide any more than perfunctory answers to my story questions. But I learned to do news as well. Still, most professional athletes also realize that allowing journalists into their sanctuary is a part of the job. "He just doesn't" was suddenly sufficient and I knew a grown-up secret, like writing checks, making babies, or reading words. I refused to leave. "Just do your job, that's it," he told NBCChicago.com. ), "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? You see, folks in the world of sports weren't used to working with a "fee-male." Sometimes you have to stand around and wait while your guy gets ready, so reporters will pull out their phones and pretend to be reading emails . Ive noticed the female athletes still get a closed locker room to shower and change today. Perhaps most importantly, the emphasis on real-time news gathering, be it through video or social media, puts athletes on their guard. She has also authored six books and was the first Texas Rangers ball girl. All she wanted was to be afforded the . Sometimes I'm kind of quiet in a group interview, and I have this feeling other reporters will think it's because I'm a dumb ol' girl. The next year, I was included as an honorable mention for two pieces. I corresponded with them for another two years before the call finally came. ' Herman said. Other summer nights we sat on the back porch and listened to the Rangers on the radio. But I must tell you, I find that being a reporter is so much easier than being a fan. I didn't want to be branded as some woman on a crusade. And every once in a while I think about slatted billboards and a daddy's arms. Girls in locker rooms are overrated. It is the sports leagues and teams that decided interviews were to be On cue, all the players in the Jets locker room got up and they all had the word Gitte written on their asses, he says. But I couldn't back out. Top photo illustration by Jim Cooke; original photo by Scogin Mayo. Ms. Olson was reporting on the New England Patriots in 1990 when she was sexually harassed in the locker room. No one did or said anything off-color. Ken Dryden of the Montreal Canadiens talks to reporters in the locker room circa 1975 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Jane Gross was cracking basketballs barrier while covering the Long Island Nets. Now almost everyone had stopped watching football and was watching me and Reggie. The game was boring. It was time to go back to the dream. The old Never let them see you sweat adage was thrown out the window and I was dripping angst from my brow. "Is she supposed to be here?" Some readers had similar problems accepting a woman. We shagged foul balls, but in retrospect, I guess we were more decorative than functional. "Can I stand here with y'all for a while?" first female sports columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald, where she covered rugby union, Australian rules football, cricket and rugby league. He got an apology from the Hyatt; I got suspected of prostitution while waiting in a hotel lobby for Grant Teaff. [11] On February 24, 1992, her attorney said that Olson had settled the lawsuit on undisclosed terms. Melissa Ludtke was 26 years old when all this took place. A simple no would have sufficed. You can listen to the whole thing here. The Stacks is Deadspin's living archive of great journalism, curated by Bronx Banter's Alex Belth., Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise. Yeah, my ode to the old stadium won it all. I admit, some days even the UPS guy looks awful good. Three female reporters were denied access to a NFL locker room this weekend, because of their gender. Ludtke said she constantly reminded people that she never demanded to go in a locker room. KURTIS: She did great because she got two right. Hell, why do these guys need to come into the locker room to ask questions anyway? I began experiencing panic attacks and became practically addicted to the antianxiety drug Xanax, buying it from bartenders and acquaintances when my prescriptions ran dry. The key is to gain the players respect and trust. 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. The interview format is believed to have been popularized around mid-century by Dick Young, a New York Daily News sportswriter. TAFOYA: Yes, on-field commentary, pre-game interviews, post-game interviews. But much of the early abuse came from the place I least expected itmy own paper. SAGAL: So how did you get into the - how did you - I mean, I'm going to guess SAGAL: that it's harder for a woman to get into major league professional sports reporting than it is for a man. or "You wrote a good piece, Jenn, but then your headline writers let you down at the end; what does that feel like?" Build a site and generate income from purchases, subscriptions, and courses. Those memories dont come cheap, of course. In many ways, I had made a career choice when I walked through that locker room door. It reminds me of a debutante waking up in last night's party dress, reeking of beer. They havent had a lot of time to think about what to say, and theyre in a comfortable environment. Its no big deal, and if you don't believe me, watch The Full Monty a couple of timesit gets old real fast and you don't even notice it anymore. 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? They were believed to be the first women ever admitted to a professional locker room. They will look at her as one of the guys if she doesnt act like a chick. While all this was going on, I began helping out with Dallas Cowboys sidebar articles and weekend coverage of the Rangers. Maybe I should write news or features because I'll never have the fortitude it takes to stay on your toes with one-liners and be tough enough to handle this. 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. The realities of the corporate world and the attitudes of Texas high school and college coaches quickly clouded my idealistic vision of a quick ascent from 18-year-old ball-girl phenom to big-league ace baseball writer. 7 players remain on Eagles latest injury Danny Green provides new insight on Tobias Interview: Former Eagles Super Bowl Champ, Chris Long, Joins Tom Segura on Tom Talks. SALIE: Like gee, coach, it's not going so well, is it? Late one night in spring training, one of my co-workers, also one of my best friends, called to read me something. Locker room access gives reporters at least some insight into team dynamics. I retreated back behind the door before anyone could see me. But of course, he hadn't lost Fluffy; he'd found a woman in his locker room. from Oh sure, they may actually think I'm an idiot. He meant on the bed. 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. The documentary was about female sportswriters' struggles to gain access to male locker rooms in order to be able to do their jobs. Then Kevin Brown left the team and that whole bunch became as nice as could be. Before a team got used to me, there might be some giggling each time someone made a smart remark or cursed loud enough to get you kicked out of the Watauga Dairy Queen. I think about what it would be like to have them asking me every day, "Well, how about that really thrown-together graph there at the top?" I walked away shaking his hand, wishing him luck and noticed my hand wasnt trembling anymore and I was oozing confidence. I'd actually never been in an NBA locker room until last winter. Bergen Legal. Its a bizarre world that weve come to live in. So I remain cautious, probably overly cautious, about appearances. But this was something else. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. But its the same answers to the same questions.. I've always considered the real hurdle of all this to be players' perception of me, not suppressing my thoughts. That being said, strip clubs and runway shows are completely different to NBA locker rooms. Although Olson settled a civil suit, fans of the football team made threats on Olson's life in the aftermath. Readmore, The Islanders sent Nino Niederreiter to Minnesota for Cal Clutterbuck, and took defenseman Ryan Pulock with the 15th over all pick in Sundays N.H.L. By then I had researched what day shipment was due in bookstores. 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. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Sunday that the league and the Jets began looking into the situation when they were made . I have no idea why, except that Nolan Ryan and my daddy are my heroes, and I just have no need of seeing either one of their white heinies. But I don't think it seems very logical to some of the other reporters. Bill, how did Michele do on our quiz? I was doing that one recent day when a wet, naked body walked into my trance. Reprinted here with permission from the author, who has also provided an afterword about the response to her story. I checked out Rey Maualugas locker, which resembles something out of that voodoo-worshipping slugger from the movie Major League. And yes, I was scared. 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. SAGAL: Now, why is that because being a reporter seems like a hard job? Prove to them you know your stuff, and you will have proven to them why you belong there. I talk to the coaches at halftime as they walk in or out of the locker room, and that's always a load of fun especially the losing coach. or "You haven't written any good stones in the last month. The rest is all overrated. As she wrote in a post on her own blog, I found myself forced to muster Supreme Court-worthy arguments for an inane, We went to a bench just outside the door and began to look through it. It was mostly worn, ectoplasm-green indoor-outdoor carpetingand stares. Get two questions right, and you win our prize. And you know, they all say that word so well. But a little girl with blonde pin curls somehow slipped into the line of succession. The only way a female reporter can do her job in a locker room is if the players don't look at her as a chick. Maybe McDonald's was hiring. 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. Mine, firmer. Ill never forget the first time I entered that forbidden place called the players locker room. When a guy is naked, hes probably more honest than not. Bell bottoms hung over my head as I berated Tom Landry for not getting rid of Mike Clark or praised Roger Staubach the way little kids now get all slobbery over Nolan Ryan. He let me do it. Oh sure, at first they think it's pretty cool that you're the only person at a party who can remember Neil Lomax's name or that you can name all the Rangers managers in 18 secondswith a shot in your mouth. published October 19, 2015. To begin, I want to point out that female reporters have every right to be in the locker room as male reporters do. SAGAL: Or C, Benjamin Franklin became the first and only member thrown out because of his horrible morals? TAFOYA: I think one of the most - and again, I won't name names - but I remember doing an NBA game, and I was asked to go interview a player's wife in the stands about something. It is because it doesn't seem that any reporter should be there. Alrighty then, time to search out the first player I wanted to talk toUSC quarterback Mark Sanchez. We understood the importance this held.. She was previously a sports columnist for the New York Daily News, and the I'm no wimp; I can take a lot. 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. Mortified, I pondered my attire (a baggy smock top and pants). Cindy, who is dabbing brown goop on my roots, figures this is like when the seniors get all reactionary and vote in the ugliest girl for homecoming queen, and it just might happen on a bigger scale. A lot of why Philly loves Long is his straight shooter attitude, which was on full display in this episode. Sometimes I take a seat in the dugout, where a few of the guys are filtering in, grabbing bats and bubble gum. He said I was loitering. August 12, 2011 / 12:24 PM A feature on the woman who washes the Rangers' clothes was not out of the question. Or like Brandon Grahams locker is next to mine, and he has 40 reporters around him, and someone is bumping into my naked ass. I was close to giving up. Former Eagles defensive lineman and Super Bowl LII champion Chris Long made an appearance on Jeff Pearlmans podcastTwo Writers Slinging Yang. She was 70. And I have shared that with very few people. If I ever dread talking to players now, it is not because I feel that I don't belong there. But that's while they are still trying to maneuver you quickly into bed. There are a lot of times I want to compliment a player or make a personal observation, just because it's my nature, but my nature has to change for a moment because I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression about my intentions. A girl in the Ball on the reporter in female nfl locker room change to. "Well, I have talked to Troy Aikman," I say, and one woman bites down hard on her blow-dryer and rolls her eyes as though she's just gotten the high school quarterback in spin-the-bottle. We never wanted for anything we really needed, but my parents, raised in the Depression, were cautious about spending. I said, "Well, you better get used to it now, because there are women all over clubhouses in the big leagues. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. I did not want to smell the entire ride home, so I decided to take a shower. Gayle had heard the Fort Worth Star-Telegram higher-ups had had a meeting that morning regarding my continuedor discontinuedemployment. Last night's trash still blows, even though people are sweeping all over the place. Always Al Newman, and he's always smiling because he's kind of happy to be here too. The incident is considered by many to be a watershed moment for women in sports journalism. They were happy to oblige. It is funny. I herby officially declare this behavior: Sign up for Parx Sportsbook and deposit $25 using code WOLVES69, Very real and legitimate journalist | Wednesday Guest Host of The Daily Ticket w/ Sean Brace from 3-6 pm on Fox Sports "The Gambler" | I don't see a loss on the schedule | @ryanconway76. Career ladders are never cushy for anybody, man or woman, unless of course your dad is president of GM or GE or whatever Nation's Bank is called this week. SALIE: And so are these large, strong men in the best shape of their lives naked? During the incident, Ms. Olson said a group of naked players crowded around her to. . I mean, because if you sell out the coach, you never get to talk to them again, so I don't want to sell out the coach. Herman, though, found herself a part of a much larger moment, a wider-ranging battle for equality in the workplace for women. I dont really think about it. There was no fallout at the paper. If I never went in a locker room, it would have been fine with me, Ludtke said. The immediate response is curiosity: Do I get to go in the locker room? I stood in the Coliseums tunnel and was hesitant. Nope, in fact, I was invisible. SAGAL: Actually, it was B with George Washington. I was in some pretty heavy company. Back to you, Brett. But back in 1975, Robin Herman, a 23-year old reporter for the New York Times, had been trying to get NHL teams to allow her access to locker rooms for a year, with no success. [2] She was the sports editor of her high school and college newspapers. Tipped off to my presence, the coach broke into a near run when I headed toward him in the hall. Sometimes I'd turn the sound down on the TV and try to do baseball play-by-play, too. In my three years away, I'd shed a husband, a house, a lot of weight, and a collection of unhealthy habits. Eagles rookie Jordan Davis explains biggest culture shock coming from Georgia to Philly, Former Eagle Chris Long praises Philly culture, sends message to current athletes, Rumor: Eagles locker room sold on Jalen Hurts, should be good for next week, DeVonta Smith explains McDonalds breakfast ritual to GQ, follows in Donovan McNabbs footsteps, Weekend Rips: The Declaration of Independence is one of many reminders of European inferiority, Sixers Have Shown Interest in Kings Stretch Big, Nemanja Bjelica, Eagles place 4 players on Reserve/COVID-19 list. SAGAL: He left the Reform Club, traveled around the world in 80 days, came back, ran up the steps, but he was not wearing a jacket and tie. TAFOYA: a player sitting next to him says, ma'am, could you just turn around and let the man put a towel on?