FOX SIDELINE reporter Pam Oliver reported that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb told her that he doesn't expect to be an Eagle next year."His days in Philadelphia are numbered," she reported. "He sees an organization distancing itself from him."
McNabb has denied saying anything of the sort.
Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist Ashley Fox says that McNabb may have opened up to Oliver because she is a woman.
This is from Fox's column today:
"Now, as a female reporting on sports, the issue gets even trickier. Men, be it athletes or executives, often tell us different things - and tell us things differently - than they tell other men. They can be more willing to show their emotions or to let their guard down because they aren't threatened by a woman. Sometimes they think a woman is more sympathetic or less judgmental.
And sometimes, they have other motives."
Any thoughts?
9 comments:
Sometimes, men, be it athletes or executives, are targets of sexism too.
Act like a man and sign your name to your comments!
- George (the joking teacher)
- Caitlyn Conefry
(Sometimes I sign anonymously and forget. Or do I?)
- Caitlyn (the manly journalist)
Wait...
I think I know what you mean with that one. People do tend to overplay the "sex card" (or the sexism version of the "race card," which came out sounding raunchier than I wanted it to.) Throwing gender issus into places where they aren't entirely relevant is annoying. But I think, in a way, that's what the sports columnist did here. Her rhetoric on male athletes opening up to her came out too condescending for my taste, specifically the part about "other motives." And she made it difficult for a male to disagree with her; any guy athlete who retorts, arguing that he never really "opened up to Ashley Fox" looks like he's just embarassed to admit to his feelings. Not entirely fair.
-Caitlyn
Oops. I meant "opened up to Pam Oliver."
-Caitlyn
We do live in a society that is driven by sex, whether the blantant bias exists or not. It is natural to want the approval of the opposite sex, especially if they happen to be attractive (I'm not sure if Pam Oliver is attractive or not but I think it would be a factor in McNabbs response). Also, journalists can be resourceful, whether or not they are ethical is another story. So maybe for a woman it means softening up and being a sympathetic listener or for a man being more charming. It would make sense to highlight the trait which would appeal the most to the opposite sex. It seems like manipulation, so I'm not sure if this is ethical? In any case this reminded me of the movie "Thank You for Smoking" and it made me wonder if that sort of thing happens often.
Even though it's an interesting point, I don't think the gender issue matters much in this specific situation. If you've watched NFL football regularly, you've seen Pam Oliver misquote people and misrepresent their message. You've probably also seen her bland interviews where she is fed questions that she apparently does not fully understand. The TV networks want an attractive woman on the sidelines for ratings, which is all well and good, but I'm sure they could find a decent journalist who knows a thing or two about the game, and still happens to be attractive.
~Laura Standley
I think he probably did say it because I don't see her making that up and jeopardizing he career. I think McNabb started talking and didn't realize how much he was really saying.
Mcnabb didnt say that she's a liar she thought she would be able to get away with it cause shes a woman
Post a Comment