Back in 2010, a female reporter from Mexico, who just so happens to call herself the “hottest sports reporter” in the country, was in the middle of a New York Jets locker room scandal. Her name is Ines Sainz. Reportedly, several players on the Jets football team taunted her in the locker room as she waited for an interview. Later on, she took to the social media network of Twitter to voice how uncomfortable and embarrassed she felt. Although the Jets apologized, this incident just nicks the surface of what women in sports go through (Andrea). Another locker room incident that occurred in 2008, two years prior to Sainz and the Jets, involved the household name Erin Andrews. Yes, Andrews attempted to dismiss the scandal to an extent in saying that the players “are not into me like that…that’s the last thing on my mind when I’m in the clubhouse---worrying about players checking me out.” However, she went on to point out something that may come as a shock. “I’m no dummy. I’m conscious that every day I have to prove myself. Being a woman, I thought at some point we were all past this.” Didn’t everyone think today’s world was past all the unfairness and discrimination against women? Andrews makes a very good point when she voices what women journalists have been saying for years.

Shouldn’t a woman be allowed to wear what she wants without getting bashed for it? That is certainly what the average citizen would think, but that is not the case in the world of sports today. Yes, some of the clothing sideline reporters and analysts wear is unprofessional, but most of the time, women wear what they would to a fancy party or get-together. Why is that so wrong? Andrews has been getting slammed for her wardrobe for years, one of the worst times being prior to a Cubs vs. Brewers baseball game. Mike Nadel, a Chicago columnist, pulled the trigger against Andrews. He talked all about what he witnessed in the locker room, going as far as calling her congratulatory message to a player “weird.” He also alleges that Cubs manager Lou Piniella entered the locker room and commented loudly to Andrews “Hey, hey, hey! Look at this! Are you doing a baseball game today or a modeling assignment?” Based on this comment and many more, male analysts and reporters seem to believe her looks are the only reason she has reach her high caliber status, but would she really be there without a high level of knowledge for the games she talks about on a daily basis? Andrews is not the only one who has been under fire for her outfit choices, both on the sidelines and in the ballroom for her new gig with ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. Sainz and her outfits have also been cause for controversy.

The struggle for women trying to be treated equally in sports has been fought for years upon years. About forty years ago, the first female reporter entered a locker room, but that did not stop the taunts and jeers towards women in sports in all aspects, not just journalism and reporting. In the 1970’s, parents of high school students would ridicule girls trying out for boys’ teams. This continued for almost ten years, coinciding with reporting struggle. Finally, one of the women journalists was backed up by her employer. In 1977, Melissa Ludtke and Sports Illustrated sued the New York Yankees because they banned her from interviewing players. The case carried on for two years and finally reached its conclusion just before opening day in 1979. The court found the Yankees guilty of discrimination and the outcome caused professional teams everyone to reevaluate their policies. Anne Doyle found that football was the hardest sport to cover, especially at the University of Michigan. A coach said to her after a game “Lady, your rights end where that door begins.” Discrimination in the sports industry was so awful that women were over the moon when they got to cover even the lowest divisions of high school sports. Mary Carillo, a tennis star, chose to switch from the court to a broadcasting role in 1980, but she was only allowed to women’s tennis. She spoke for most women at the time when she said “That was when I first realized that it might not be easy to be a woman in this profession.” Rebecca Lowe, and NBC sports analyst, has had hot dogs thrown at her, and that is the least of it. People have screamed and touched and so much more. Maybe sexism is not tolerated in the United States anymore, but it does not stop people from trying to discriminate. Fox Sports anchor Charissa Thompson says “Any woman who goes on the road or is on the sidelines will tell you that you’ll be putting on your mascara next to a urinal in the men’s bathroom because there will be no women’s room on the field.” Andrews talks about how she was named the “Sideline Barbie” and how people focus more on the fluff questions other than the hard sports news, such as “How does she look eating a hot dog?” or “What is she wearing, who is she dating?” All people ever want to look at women journalists as are reporters who talk about the cooking, the gardening, and the gossip. They never want to see them as the business, politics, or sports type.

Although these journalists are the reason that all women journalists are judged on femininity, it does not mean it cannot change. Women will get their shot.