Sexism in Football a Response Sexism in Football a Response
Perspective is a wonderful thing. It allows you to stand back and view a wider picture but sometimes something catches your eye and you want to see it close up and understand why it does what it does and what caught my eye was the article .Now Im a woman who writes about football. I dont feel the need to say that sentence very often, unlike Omid Djalili who starts every comedy sketch with As an Iranian Jim Zorn Jersey I, I dont say it because I feel it is superfluous but this is one of times I feel compelled to put my gender in context with my pa sion, the pa sion of football.According to the article there was no evidence of sexism in football from the BBC documentary. I agree that the programme was quite woolly but to say there was no evidence is clearly blind, deaf and dumb.There are a number of women working in the upper echelons of football but they are outnumbered by men. I agree that a majority of working women dont want to work in football but that doesnt mean that the women that do should be treated as second cla s citizens. Women that have been employed to carry out a role but have been hindered because of their gender and the evidence in the programme showed some have been locked out of pre s conferences or meetings or there have been signs put up saying No Women Beyond This Point within the clubs. You might as well hand them Panda Pops and bags of crisps and sit them out in the car park whilst the grown ups talk. Its ridiculous and Duane Brown Jersey illegal.Now lets talk about banter. I bloody love banter. I dish out as much as I get back. When a bloke starts calling me names I know that he has reached his limit and has resulted to ill conceived insults instead. When some men find out Im into football their first response is to challenge me with some form of sports quiz. Apparently knowing what the offside rule is immediately qualifies you for your coaching badges in some mens eyes. My husband on the other hand, who had little interest in football, was brought into the conversation without a batter of an eyelid. I have to prove myself to be worthy of being a football fan. A little sexist maybe??What often happens is that when these men realise my level of knowledge of the Bosman ruling they get a little turned on, which means I can never win because now theyre not thinking about football they are concentrating on what cup size I am. Heres a revelation for you. I dont watch the womens game. Why? I dont enjoy it. That doesnt make me sexist against my own gender its Ugo Amadi Jersey purely a matter of enjoyment. Why I should have to write about something I dont enjoy and Sian Ma sey have to officiate womens games if she doesnt want to, as indicated in the article?Sian Ma sey has proved she is an excellent official. I have no problem with any woman being an official at the match but nor am I going to give her an easy time if she does get a decision wrong. The difference isnt whether theyre black, white, tangerine or have a vagina, its whether theyre competent and consistent in how they referee.Then we come to female sports presenters. There are some brilliant ones Jacqui Oatley (not Oakley) and Gabby Logan, spring to mind because their delivery is knowledgeable and measured. I think the most sexist part of the article in question was when the writer said about Gabby Logan just be thankful you have a job Gerald Everett Jersey in the game you profe s to love, even though you only got it in the first place thanks to your late father and your good looks. Well Im sure the most shocking aspect of that statement for Gabby would be to find out that her father is dead not that she got a job because shes pretty.There are however some extremely shrill female commentators that make your ears bleed when there is a build up Jason Myers Jersey in play. Give me Alan Green and Gabby Logan any day of the week (but not Garth Crookes).So to Karen Brady. Im afraid I cant defend her because I think shes bent.Lets leave the final words to the author of the article.You see that is the thing that really irritates me. Women want to be part of this mans world yet are the first to complain when we act like men! So now we have to change the way we have always behaved to fit in around them.I would say no you have no obligation to change but with attitudes as antiquated as that the modern world will deem you irrelevant anyway. Evidence of sexisim in football may not have been fully conveyed in the documentary but this article more than made a case for it, love. Tongue firmly in cheek.