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January 20, 2004
More On The Kiss Cam
Thanks to the reader who sent in an email followup to yesterday's Kiss Cam item: The Mystics used to do a "couple of the game" contest -- until lesbian fans of the team complained to [Washington Sports President] Susan O'Malley that only straight couples were shown. Rather than show a gay couple, and risk offending the family demographic the WNBA so craves, O'Malley ended the gimmick altogether. What's so lame about that is you could hardly imagine a more lesbian-friendly environment than a WNBA game. And the idea that families at WNBA games are unaware that lesbians are also present is absurd. Nope, probably not anytime soon, that's for sure. UPDATE: Great comment left behind from one reader, identified only as Jim: All this would be interesting, informative and socially worthwhile fodder for the politically-obsessed sportswriters. The problem, of course, is that it would force them to confront their most cherished orthodoxies about victim groups in America. Only powerful white males can wear the black hats in their narratives, you see. Also, rule number one at the major dailies and ESPN is that you must never, ever speak ill of women athletes or their leagues. Sunshine and light only, please. Though Jim is pretty on the money here, there are notable exceptions. Last September, the Washington Post fronted a story on Washington Mystics head coach Marinanne Stanley. Apparently, while Stanley was head coach of UC Berkeley, she forced one of her assistant coaches to resign after Stanley discovered she was pregnant -- essentially asking the assistant to resign if she didn't get an abortion. Eventually, Berkeley was forced to settle a lawsuit with the former assistant coach for an undisclosed sum of money. However, more in line with Jim's assertion, was the silence that greeted the story. There were no followup columns anywhere to speak of, and not one of your regular feminist choir was ready to step up and take Stanley to task for what she had done (Martha Burk, Christine Brennan, white courtesy phone). At the time, I asserted that if a male coach had done the same thing, he would have been run out of Washington on a rail. But 18 months later, Stanley is still the head coach.
Eric
12:29 AM
Trackback PingsTrackBack URL for this entry: CommentsThe code of silence about lesbian issues in sports is, I think, one of the real abrogations of sports journalism right now. There are so many worthy angles to explore, and ones that would truly benefit our national discussion... To wit: -- Why has only one player in the WNBA (Sue Wicks) and none in the WUSA come out of the closet? Again, you could hardly invent a more welcoming and accepting environment for that than those leagues and yet there is apparent pressure on the players to remain silent. If it is because of a financial calculation -- that it would alienate sponsors -- isn't that the most cynical and patronizing approach possible? -- Why are the women's leagues shunning their gay fan base? If they are worried about offending straight fans, isn't that exactly the same excuse that corporate marketers once used to avoid using minorities in television commercials -- in the 60s and 70s..? -- There's a huge dilemma in women's college sports right now about homosexuality and recruiting. Many straight women's coaches will scare recruits and their parents by telling them that other coaches are lesbians. Conversely, lesbian coaches will seek out gay players and create teams that are comprised of mostly gay players. There's a huge divide, for example, on the US women's soccer team between the straight and gay players. And yet we are all supposed to believe that the women's sports movement is about inclusion and progressive thinking. The actual situation is more like something out of the SEC in the 1950s... All this would be interesting, informative and socially worthwhile fodder for the politically-obsessed sportswriters. The problem, of course, is that it would force them to confront their most cherished orthodoxies about victim groups in America. Only powerful white males can wear the black hats in their narratives, you see. Also, rule number one at the major dailies and ESPN is that you must never, ever speak ill of women athletes or their leagues. Sunshine and light only, please. Posted by: at January 20, 2004 12:21 PM Post a commentThanks for signing in, . (If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.) |