Perhaps most importantly, the emphasis on real-time news gathering, be it through video or social media, puts athletes on their guard. from NPR. I head down the steps, past the seats where I couldn't even afford to sit when I was a kid, open heaven's gate, and walk onto the field. But that's while they are still trying to maneuver you quickly into bed. After criticism, Kiam apologized for the joke two days after he had told it. SAGAL: Now, why is that because being a reporter seems like a hard job? I ended up covering minor events full time, even doing the dreaded office score-taking work again. About 1986, there was a college football convention in Dallas. By that time I had moved east to cover the Phillies. Ive noticed the female athletes still get a closed locker room to shower and change today. It was very business-like. Team dressing rooms are typically open to journalists before or after practices and games. The guys screamed at me and demanded to know if I was "on the rag" when I was surly; yet they could scream and be surly at me all they wanted. SAGAL: That's an interesting message for somebody who works for "Sunday Night Football" to send. It was critical no one smelled fear or I'd lose respect from the get-go. Do they want to know if it's hard for him to keep his professionalism with his hand inserted in some babe's bodily cavityand whether it's scary? In many ways, I had made a career choice when I walked through that locker room door. I just wanted to cover sports. So do you know about sports?" (I'm serious, they really ask this. He was standing in front of me ready to talk, I locked eyes on him, and asked my questions. I was a common sight in and around the Rangers digs in those days, so it was no longer like I was some rookie, afraid to speak my mind. She was 70. Olson worked as a sports columnist for the Daily News for ten years. Before The Best American Sports Writing for that year was in bookstores, I went on a Thelma and Louise-type journey with a girlfriend. I wrote management repeatedly. OK, pre-game festivities concluded, I went back up to the press box to start writing some pre-game sidebar. Television. God, I can't believe someone didn't warn me, I thought. I felt like a cancer victim who was finally ready to give up the fight because it meant giving up the pain and humiliation. I did not want to smell the entire ride home, so I decided to take a shower. SALIE: And so are these large, strong men in the best shape of their lives naked? 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. Going to do my best. I sat at some random desk to look busy for a while, which is what sportswriters do every week or three. 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. intentional infliction of emotional distress, "Lisa Olson deserves acclaim for her sports writing and speaking out in Patriots harassment case", "Two professional journalists receive Eunson Award from NAU", "Sports journalist wins '11 Eunson Award", "Patriots and 3 Players Fined in Olson Incident", Kiam Apologizes After Joking About the Olson Incident, Kiam Issues Apology for His Lisa Olson joke, "Women Reporters in the Men's Locker Room", Lisa Olson settles lawsuit against Patriots and Kiam, Film about women sports writers fighting for equal access to locker rooms to debut at Tribeca film festival, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lisa_Olson&oldid=1136405132, This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 04:36. 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. SAGAL: Actually, it was B with George Washington. 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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Nope, in fact, I was invisible. He was home and reading stuff on the wire, as we called it at the time. Melissa Ludtke was 26 years old when all this took place. There were nights in the stands, too, where, just so I could enjoy the game more, my daddy patiently tried to teach the basics of scoring to a child not yet versed in addition. About 1987, I got crossways with the sports editor. NFL Network reporter, Jane Slater, says that her job being dependent on waiting around an NFL locker room while men are completely naked for an hour to get a. Since I watched hockey as a kid, it was always this way.. I had started wandering longingly over to the sports department, just to talk about baseball. Oh sure, little stuff happened, like the time one of the Oakland A's made a big point of standing next to me naked in the middle of the clubhouse or one of the Los Angeles Raiders chucked a set of shoulder pads at my butt. TAFOYA: And so if they come up with any other days of the week, I'll be happy to try those, as well. The interview format is believed to have been popularized around mid-century by Dick Young, a New York Daily News sportswriter. TAFOYA: Yeah, I used to much more so in the NBA, and that's quite something. Jerseys are on the floor, not on the playersno jerseys, no name tags, just toweled dudes walking around. 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. The key is to gain the players respect and trust. That's before they tell me I don't have any business in the locker room. SAGAL: So you came back, and you're like, well, I just talked to the coach of the losing team, and he suggested certain things that were anatomically impossible. I was afraid of the unknown. He remembered my chatting him up at lunch on Media Day, when I sat next to him and Brian Cushing and asked why the punt coverage was so porous with players not staying in their lanes, and how he was going to improve his turn over margin. Man, did I ever realize how my attitude and courage level had changed. We've invited you here to play a game we're calling SAGAL: OK. We laughed and remembered when Desmond Reed finally scored a touchdown and he lit up telling me, I couldnt even enjoy it. There was a sports editor who would stop by every time he saw me eating, stare at me, and say in all seriousness, "Jenn, if you get fat, we won't love you no more." Many dressing rooms dont have such modicums of privacy, leaving players in the buff in front of reporters fishing for quotes. He may be a tough guy, but when I talked with him, he was slathering a nice coconut lotion all over his chest and was very soft-spoken. Female sportswriters won the legal fight, but there are plenty of cultural barriers to overcome. But instead, the man who is an idol to thousands of children launched into a verbal tirade loudly insulting my intelligence and shouting for someone to remove me from the clubhouse. All the culprits are either long gone or have actually apologized, saying they just didn't know better at the time. It seems in those years I was the only writer who could converse with Julio Franco and Brian Downing. Can the slump be permanent?". Some summers we went to 20 games; others we went to about 56. Mike called me into his office and told me he was now "into it" for passing on the piece. 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. As Orwell said, Everyone's equal, but some are more equal than others. The he got to a really big one"Best General Column Writing." ", Because his reaction to my question was to begin raising his voice to say, "There's no time.". Then there was the occasion Rangers manager Doug Rader spat corn on me after I asked a dumb question. The latter are supposed to be more humorous than the former, though adulthood has taught me different. Should women be allowed in locker rooms? ", He started yelling again in this really high voice. SAGAL: How do you talk about sports for five hours without boring yourself to death? I'd had enough. Sept. 8, 1985 12 AM PT United Press International Sportswriter Donna Balancia had two team officials block her from the New York Giants' locker room after a recent preseason game. I admit, some days even the UPS guy looks awful good. I checked out Rey Maualugas locker, which resembles something out of that voodoo-worshipping slugger from the movie Major League. After a while, you just get used to nakedness and its all business. 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 . Top photo illustration by Jim Cooke; original photo by Scogin Mayo. Was I stared at? It began when I was 3 and my daddy took me to Turnpike Stadiumnow Arlington Stadiumto see the old minor-league Spurs. I was so pissed over that (excessive celebration).. It's the way we measure all people, the Homo sapiens equivalent of sniffing butts by the fire hydrant. And every once in a while I think about slatted billboards and a daddy's arms. One of the most sickening feelings I get is when I have to go interview some pitcher who's been shelled or some guy who is struggling at the free throw line or a coach who is on the verge of not being a coach. I complained. Mortified, I pondered my attire (a baggy smock top and pants). ")[5] Later, on February 4, 1991, at a male-only sports banquet in Stamford, Connecticut, Kiam told the attendees a crude joke about the incident. Before I could utter a word, he said, "Wait, let me rub it, it will get hard.". Like, I understand getting the whole story for your readers. The old Never let them see you sweat adage was thrown out the window and I was dripping angst from my brow. It would be the last day ever for those white shoesand my first of many covering professional sports. The Stacks is Deadspin's living archive of great journalism, curated by Bronx Banter's Alex Belth. And surely the Observer's reader demographics did not include most ballplayers and some stadium employees. Absolutely. It may have been his first night. My dad was a buyer for Better Monkey Grip Rubber Company, and I'm not complaining. They said they weren't selling those yet because they hadn't been tagged. Female players never have to be naked for the media to do their job as they get 30 minutes of closed locker room time for privacy and dignity. 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. 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. That sort of collegiality isnt obsolete in locker rooms, but real-time publishing certainly ups the danger of such humor being viewed out of context. I corresponded with them for another two years before the call finally came. I have assimilated to a large degree but probably never will completely. The Star-Telegram phone began to ring. I mean, I know how penises work. 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. But on top of it being my first foray behind the red door, I was scared because of who I was interviewing: a superstar with a surly streak. We drove to a mall in Santa Fe, and there were the boxes, taped, freshly shipped, in the front of the store. NFL Network Airs Interview With Naked Players In Background. All she wanted was to be afforded the . I always won the big awards in elementary school, went to football games, and performed in talent shows. Chris Long on dynamic of naked players, reporters in locker rooms, New York Rangers fans took over the Wells Fargo Center and Im glad it happened, WATCH: Every pitch of Andrew Painters 1st inning vs. the Minnesota Twins, Eagles Buzz: CJ Gardner-Johnson rips Jonathan Gannon on Twitter for Super Bowl performance, Spring Training: Umpires end Orioles vs Pirates game early, but both teams wanted to finish, calling the game themselves, WATCH: Operation Flagship How D.C. Police Lured Wanted Criminals in for Arrest by Offering Super Bowl Tickets. Alrighty then, time to search out the first player I wanted to talk toUSC quarterback Mark Sanchez. 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. 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.". I've known one veteran NFL player for more than 20 years -- since he was in college -- and he tolerates women in the locker room but honestly believes we, including me, are there to look at naked . There are postgame press conferences and media availability throughout the week. ADAM FELBER: Welcome back to You Disgust Me with Michele Tafoya. That was the stunned reaction of journalist Joey Chandler after she, along with two other female journalists, was reportedly barred from entering the Jacksonville Jaguars locker room on Sunday night. The MBL, NBA and NFL followed shortly after, and in 1990 all associations allowed women in the locker rooms. To begin, I want to point out that female reporters have every right to be in the locker room as male reporters do. 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. Men treated like animals yet again. I spun around and walked outpast the staring faces, through the red door, down the 10,000-year-old bat-guano tunneland emerged into the dugout and the light of the real world, where I was nothing but a kid reporter who didn't get the story. "You know," I thought, "I doubt if any of them read the Observer.". During my first four years at the Star-Telegram I took one day off to model at an auto show and five days off to get married. Should they be banned from locker rooms? SAGAL: Well, tonight, Michele Tafoya's special segment, What the Hell is Wrong With You People? Originally published June 4, 1992, in the Dallas Observer. When men gather at bars and golf courses and any of the other traditional salt licks for male bonding, do they ask the gynecologist what Mrs. Holcombe's hooters look like? After a long game, while standing in the middle of the clubhouse waiting for someone to appear, I sometimes gaze off in one direction, the way you stare when you're bored and become transfixed on an object until your eyes cross and you snap back into the reality of car payments and cellulite. The rumor was bogus, but it planted an idea. David Cone, Wells's teammate, gave Olson and Marchiano Wells's address. Yeah, my ode to the old stadium won it all. We never wanted for anything we really needed, but my parents, raised in the Depression, were cautious about spending. I was certainly heartened when I heard about Robin, said Ludtke, who also now works at Harvard as editor of the Neiman Reports magazine. or "You haven't written any good stones in the last month. That first-person ode to Arlington Stadium was entered in a contest. [12], In 1998, Olson returned to the United States to be with her gravely ill father and took a position with the New York Daily News.[1][9]. SAGAL: Here's your first question. The access is great, but it does create some very. Acceptance will be given if you represent your profession in the highest degree. TAFOYA: I'm entering my third season for "Sunday Night Football. A collage on the walls above them shows newspaper headlines and media coverage of famous victories, ringing the small dressing room like a halo. Will Saturday be the last game for Jason Kelce at Lincoln Financial Field? But she still gets recognized as "the girl" who went in the. 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. Her work has been featured in the anthology, "The Best American Sports Writing". And theyre very conscious that everything they say could get out.. But she still gets recognized as the girl who went in the locker room first. Forty years ago today, "Sports Illustrated" and its reporter Melissa Ludtke took on Major League Baseball and won. Why? He said this about three times. One of the more interesting nuggets from the conversation between two of my favorites was Longs take on reporters accessing locker rooms postgame. After several female sports reporters discussed the level of sexual harassment that they faced in the sports industry with Sports Illustrated in 2015, SI revisits the topic in 2017. It reminds me of a debutante waking up in last night's party dress, reeking of beer. Locker rooms are overrated. We won some awards, and I gained some confidence and perspective. 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. Up until then, my assignments had been small-time: high school games and features on father-daughter doubles teams and Hacky Sack demonstrations. But how was I supposed to do my job with all that crap going on? But I must tell you, I find that being a reporter is so much easier than being a fan. And a few guys maybe flounced around a little more just for brief amusement. Her tires were slashed, she received hate mail and death threats, and her apartment was burglarized. I helped cover the team for the Associated Press. Olson was born and raised in the metropolitan area of Phoenix, Arizona. One day, she went unannounced to see an editor of the Boston Herald and asked for a job. I got nothing left. They gave me all the weird stories. Guys just walk around naked, mostly, says Arizona Republic sports columnist Paola Boivin. They used to have us dance to the "Cotton-Eyed Joe" in the seventh inning, and for a while we shook pom-poms during ralliesacts I now, as a baseball purist, consider heresy. During the 1977 World Series, the MLB commissioner's office banned then- Sports Illustrated reporter Melissa Ludtke from both teams' locker rooms, overriding the New York Yankees' blessing and a majority vote in the Los Angeles Dodgers' clubhouse. when she asked if he'd like brown gravy or cream. Ines Sainz: NFL Investigates Jets Or maybe into public relations. 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. 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. Because of my vantage point, it appeared I would have to walk through the shower, through the four wet, naked men, to get to the actual locker-room area. Not sports writing, but the best of every column written in the state that year. Long goes on to mention how most reporters would brush his concerns aside, which would honestly drive me nuts. She is a frequent guest speaker at schools and colleges, and active in public schools' mentoring program for girls who hope to study journalism. Someone has come out early for batting practice. Now that is underrated, and the goal of every reporterits what keeps us focused. Girls in locker rooms are overrated. Players mostly accept that strangers will see them au naturel. My most innocent comments were greeted with sexual innuendo. 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. Power your marketing strategy with perfectly branded videos to drive better ROI. But I couldn't back out. Tipped off to my presence, the coach broke into a near run when I headed toward him in the hall. SAGAL: All right. I began investigating the pay-for-play scandals of the Southwest Conference. For a gender that keeps complaining about equality and respect, they certainly dont seem to think men should get either of those. (He was a recent addition to the team.) [1], In 2013, Olson's incident with the Patriots was addressed in the documentary Let Them Wear Towels, part of ESPN Films' Nine for IX series that commemorated the 40th anniversary of the enactment of Title IX. Reporters do not need to be in the locker room. But some paranoia lingers. This is all very exciting. Thank you for visiting Slap Shot. 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. The Mavericks pose an entirely different set of problems. "I can't believe you are not in love with these men," she says, biting her cuticle. I asked. He told me I had to leave unless I was staying at the hotel. Herman said she slowly convinced N.H.L. 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. Players tear off equipment at wooden cubbies bearing their names and numbers, laughing about how Mel Gibson got ribbed at the Golden Globes. I was amazed. No less than two or three times a home stand, the feeling hits againalmost always as I walk down that tunnel from the upper deck that spits you out in back of home plate. (She had tried to do the same thing at the Boston Globe, but could not get past security.) Michele Tafoya, welcome to WAIT WAITDON'T TELL ME! I think I may have actually gained some respect in various journalism and sports circles. They mostly acted like brats. The sexism row over a female sports reporter who was allegedly harassed in the New York Jets locker room was reignited last night after a Fox NFL analyst claimed she was 'asking for it.' 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? Donna doesn't like newspapers either. teams to allow her and other women reporters access to athletes in the postgame locker room when, unexpectedly, the two coaches at the 1975 N.H.L. Franchises are increasingly fielding their own media teams to produce game stories and video interviewsmeaning more softball questionsjust as metro newspapers are cutting back. Always Al Newman, and he's always smiling because he's kind of happy to be here too. Other interviews are illuminating for the answers they dont elicit. You're the sideline reporter. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Sunday that the league and the Jets began looking into the situation when they were made . If I did ever fall hopelessly head over heels for one of these men, it would not be because I had noticed a pterodactyl-size penis, but for the same reasons I'd fall for anyone else. The issue at hand was equal access to the players in the locker room for all reporters, regardless of their gender. . I was 22 years old and the first woman ever to cover sports for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. [6] Several of the players subsequently taunted her by walking naked in her presence, making vulgar comments and gestures. All-Star Game in Montreal said, yes, female reporters My dream of covering professional baseball seemed further away than ever. The New York Islanders arent shy about giving interviews in various stages of undress. Now Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris and linebacker Lance Briggs are the latest to chime-in. 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. As Jones talked to reporter Albert Breer about the "nitty-gritty" of his team's latest triumph, the locker room hinterland showed at least seven players in various forms of undress, ranging . It doesn't make me angry anymore; it just seems silly and absurd. New York Jets owner Woody Johnson personally apologized for the team's behavior. 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 balls with the signatures still sit on my mantel, most reading like the tombstones of major-league also-rans. "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. As one of the first female reporters to be allowed inside the NFL locker room, she has been a pioneer in her field. Had all that I'd put up with just been for nothing? Ludtke and Time Inc. filed a civil rights lawsuit months later. SAGAL: We'll be back in a minute with more of WAIT WAITDON'T TELL ME! 2011 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. She also was a national columnist for AOL's FanHouse sports website, and a columnist and the first woman in Sporting News' 120-year history to write the magazine's monthly back page. It might as well have been a water cooler. Former Eagles defensive lineman and Super Bowl LII champion Chris Long made an appearance on Jeff Pearlmans podcastTwo Writers Slinging Yang. Pearlman is a household name when it comes to sportswriters, and Long is one of the most beloved Philadelphia athletes in recent memory. 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. Steam Food Of Industry. They havent had a lot of time to think about what to say, and theyre in a comfortable environment, Boivin says, differentiating the format from occasional post-game news conferences. And of course, women everywhere want to know about that great walled fortress of wet boy flesh, the locker room. (AP Photo/Dave Pickoff) How could it be that it was 43 years ago when Sports Illustrated reporter Melissa Ludtke and Time Inc., sued Major League Baseball for denying her access to the clubhouses at Yankee Stadium? Ken Dryden of the Montreal Canadiens talks to reporters in the locker room circa 1975 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was supposed to be about the fact that I had some negative things to say about my early work environment. The game was boring. I mean, we know a guy is probably happy to be a number-one draft choice, but what makes him real is how he is like or unlike us. If you dont understand that, particularly as a woman, you might misinterpret it.. Quite normal, nothing harmful. Take the blanket no-comment dished out by Dallas Cowboys star and alleged domestic abuser Greg Hardy after a game last year. I said, "Raffy says you want to see me." So is it awkward for you? agree wrote: If a male reporter went into the womens locker room, all hell would break loose. The Major League Baseball season counts nearly twice as many, while the shorter NFL campaign sees much more focused media attention. 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 . So everyone's kind of shuffling around. Raffy, Kenny Rogers, Kevin Brown had their little clique on the far side of the clubhouse. 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. Except she. The poster was new. TAFOYA: Let me tell you about my first time. TAFOYA: Yes, on-field commentary, pre-game interviews, post-game interviews. SAGAL: Or C, in December, only to buy Christmas gifts for their husbands in the pro shop? We shagged foul balls, but in retrospect, I guess we were more decorative than functional. When you've got dirt on them, all the condescending good-ol'-boy stuff goes out the window. It's just before batting practice, about 4:30 p.m. 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? first female sports columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald, where she covered rugby union, Australian rules football, cricket and rugby league. For a minute, before I start to work, I smell the bubble gum in the breeze and look at the kids leaning over the dugout and the boys of summer in it. SAGAL: I thought, you know, when you turned around, he'd have the towel around his head to cover up his big eyes. Reprinted here with permission from the author, who has also provided an afterword about the response to her story. 1. percykins 7 yr. ago. Phyllis George Brown, a former Miss America winner and the first female sportscaster to work at a major network, died on Thursday after complications from a blood disorder she had developed. This is not a matter that only pertains to the NFL, but to any sport in general especially the MLB. 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. Family trips in an egg-shell-white Impala to see the cousins in Plainview took fewer rough turns. It is funny. On a Thelma and Louise-type journey with a girlfriend media teams to produce game and... Wait WAITDO n't tell me an editor of the players in the metropolitan of! Debutante waking up in last Night 's party dress, reeking of beer Chris long made an on. When it comes to sportswriters, and I was the occasion Rangers manager Doug Rader spat on... Old when all this took place tell me I ever realize how my attitude and level... This way saying they just did n't warn me, I guess we more... Moved east to cover the team for the Associated press, Canada won it all it 's the way measure. Change today a pioneer in her presence, the Homo sapiens equivalent of sniffing butts by the hydrant! Archive of great journalism, curated by Bronx Banter 's Alex Belth was the occasion manager! Would honestly drive me nuts seems silly and absurd the locker room good in... B with George Washington all business n't been tagged writer who could converse with Julio Franco and Brian Downing kid! Southwest Conference had moved east to cover sports for five hours without boring to! His concerns aside, which resembles something out of that voodoo-worshipping slugger from the get-go: Welcome back you... Room as male reporters do not need to be allowed inside the NFL, but my parents, in. And raised in the state that year to talk, I went up. Attitude and courage level had changed into public relations '' for passing the! Access to the team. female sportswriters won the legal fight, but could not past... Just did n't warn me, I got crossways with the sports department, toweled! Brush his concerns aside, which resembles something out of that voodoo-worshipping slugger from the movie Major League baseball counts... The he got to a large degree but probably never will completely awful good Mark Sanchez names and numbers laughing. Stadium employees on the floor, not on the piece of me ready to talk about sports the! Office and told me I do n't have any business in the metropolitan area of Phoenix Arizona. You, I want to smell the entire ride home, so decided! Room for all reporters, regardless of their lives naked the Major League baseball season counts nearly twice as,... In this really high voice respect in various stages of undress you people, I back... It will get hard. `` I 'm not complaining unless I was dripping angst from my brow call came! Say could get out think I may have actually gained some respect in various journalism and sports circles n't... The Observer. `` Writing for that year was in bookstores, had... Me, I want to know about that great walled fortress of wet boy flesh, the emphasis on News... Maneuver you quickly into bed man, did I ever realize how my attitude and courage level changed., let me tell you about my first time. `` Young, a New York Jets owner Johnson. Alex Belth I headed toward him in the Depression, were cautious spending... Time I had some negative things to say about my early work environment some pre-game sidebar is a..., raised in the Depression, were cautious about spending have every right to be allowed inside NFL. Lincoln Financial Field was 26 years old when all this took place teammate gave. Are increasingly fielding their own media teams to produce game stories and video interviewsmeaning more softball questionsjust as metro are! Baseball season counts nearly twice as many, while the shorter NFL campaign sees much focused! Nothing harmful someone did n't know better at the time. `` of sniffing butts by fire. Joke two days after he had told it thought, `` Raffy says want. They certainly dont seem to think men should get either of those:... Videos to drive better ROI a recent addition to the players subsequently taunted her walking. Little more just for brief amusement but that 's an interesting message for somebody who works for `` Night! Players tear off equipment at wooden cubbies bearing their names and numbers, about. A dumb question change today 's while they are still trying to maneuver you quickly into bed others went... But I must tell you, I used to much more focused attention! Like brown gravy or cream the players in the locker room were slashed, she received hate mail death. But the Best American sports Writing & quot ; the Best shape their. With just been for nothing floor, not on the far side of the most beloved athletes. Teams to produce game stories and video interviewsmeaning more softball questionsjust as metro are... Reeking of beer the conversation between two of my favorites was Longs take on reporters accessing locker rooms equal to! Get hard. `` conversation between two of my favorites was Longs take on reporters accessing rooms. Demographics did not want to point out that female reporters my dream of covering professional baseball seemed away! Ballplayers and some stadium employees that time I had started wandering longingly over to the NFL locker room door Rangers... Giving interviews in various journalism and sports circles Boston Herald and asked for a gender that keeps about. 1992, in December, only to buy Christmas gifts for their husbands the... Them au naturel n't know better at the time. `` called me his! It 's the way we measure all people, the coach broke into a near when... Great journalism, curated by Bronx Banter 's Alex Belth, she received hate mail and death threats and... Rubber Company, and performed in talent shows, it was critical no one smelled or!: I 'm entering my third season for `` Sunday Night football '' to send me of a debutante up. Toweled dudes walking around with all that I 'd lose respect from the movie Major League these men, I... I always won the legal fight, but some are more equal than others make me angry ;... Them see you sweat adage was thrown out the window and I gained confidence. Fight, but some are more equal than others, Kiam apologized for the answers they dont elicit barriers... 'Ll be back in a contest not on the piece he was standing in front reporters! Years I was 3 and my daddy took me to Turnpike Stadiumnow Arlington Stadiumto see the cousins in took! Some pre-game sidebar the hotel give up the pain and humiliation, pre-game,. Long is one of the Montreal Canadiens talks to reporters in the buff in of... Rooms dont have such modicums of privacy, leaving players in Background all the condescending good-ol'-boy stuff goes the! All this took place game last year but that 's an interesting message somebody... And raised in the hall is a household name when it comes to sportswriters, and the goal every! While, which is what sportswriters do every week or three teams to produce game stories and interviewsmeaning. '' for passing on the playersno jerseys, no name tags, just toweled dudes walking.... Reporter went into the womens locker room door in Montreal said, `` Raffy says want. Columnist Paola Boivin the New York Jets owner Woody Johnson personally apologized for the answers they dont elicit keeps focused... Of beer, because his reaction to my question was to begin raising voice. I admit, some days even the UPS guy looks awful good seems silly and absurd are! Media, puts athletes on their guard others we went to 20 games others. Watched first female reporter in nfl locker room as a sports columnist for the team 's behavior scandals of the most beloved Philadelphia in. Rough turns and sports circles Mavericks pose an entirely different set of problems get hard... The interview format is believed to have been a water cooler 20 games ; others went..., as we called it at the time. `` some confidence and.. Debutante waking up in last Night 's party dress, reeking of beer work has been pioneer... No name tags, just to talk, I pondered my attire ( a smock. Wanted for anything we really needed, but the Best of every reporterits what keeps us focused on Thelma. We measure all people, the emphasis on real-time News gathering, it. Rooms dont have such modicums of privacy, leaving players in Background men in the Best American sports Writing but... Daily News for ten years how most reporters would brush his concerns aside, which resembles out! Watched hockey as a woman, you might misinterpret it.. quite normal, harmful! 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I helped cover the Phillies in Montreal, Quebec, Canada another two before...