first female reporter in nfl locker roomfirst female reporter in nfl locker room

[9] Bergen Legal. The Rangers treat me like anyone else who wanders in. Perhaps most importantly, the emphasis on real-time news gathering, be it through video or social media, puts athletes on their guard. I corresponded with them for another two years before the call finally came. The executive types weren't too hot on the idea. But the most moving were the ones who said something along the lines of, "Well, I just want you to know, if I ever had anything to do with any of that, I'm sorry. Ludtke said she constantly reminded people that she never demanded to go in a locker room. 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 . When a guy is naked, hes probably more honest than not. Mowatt walked up to her while he was nude and fondled his genitals as she was interviewing a teammate. I asked. Well, first of all, so now SAGAL: Describe your job. Why? I complained. She faced off against the MLB commissioner and won access a year later, but the . All of my male media brethren went cruising into this sacred place, and then, there was only methe lone female reporter covering a USC football gamewaiting outside. Numerous new-media outlets have likewise gained access, leading to a ballooning locker room press corps and, in turn, limiting the exclusivity of any individual interview. We went to a bench just outside the door and began to look through it. I've been around long enough now that if they see me turn away, they probably know it isn't because I'm scared or intimidated. NBA teams play 82 games a year, not including playoffs and preseason contests. We all just kind of deal with it, says Jenni Carlson, a columnist for The Oklahoman and self-described shorter person who fights to see and hear her often giant interview subjects. Then Kevin Brown left the team and that whole bunch became as nice as could be. Olson's ordeal was mentioned (although without her name, referring to her only as "a Boston Globe reporter") in the Sports Night Season One episode "Mary Pat Shelby," in which Natalie Hurley was assaulted in a locker room by football star Christian Patrick. They picked threeCindy, because she was a perky cheerleader at the University of Texas at Arlington; Jamie, because she had modeling experience; and me, because I was a pest. SAGAL: I did. I said, "Well, you better get used to it now, because there are women all over clubhouses in the big leagues. She was assigned to cover the Boston Bruins, the 1990 Super Bowl, and, beginning in the fall of 1990, the New England Patriots. I said, "Raffy says you want to see me." Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Then there was the occasion Rangers manager Doug Rader spat corn on me after I asked a dumb question. 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. During the incident, Ms. Olson said a group of naked players crowded around her to. Teams and leagues barred female reporters from locker rooms over the following decades, robbing them of an increasingly important access point for player interviews. Her work has been featured in the anthology, "The Best American Sports Writing". If you can do that, they will accept you with open arms, and, actually, be on their best manners when you talk to them. 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. In fact, after 10 minutes in a locker room, you dont notice anyone naked. 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. 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. Quite normal, nothing harmful. SALIE: And so are these large, strong men in the best shape of their lives naked? Then I did something I had never done. TAFOYA: You know what, though, timing is everything, and I think I sort of followed the floodgates that were opened by Lesley Visser and Robin Roberts. If female journalists are allowed into male locker rooms, then either male journalists should be allowed in female locker rooms or female journalists should not be allowed into male locker rooms. I think I may have actually gained some respect in various journalism and sports circles. To begin, I want to point out that female reporters have every right to be in the locker room as male reporters do. (Lowrance/Getty) NFL boss Roger Goodell was demanding answers Sunday night from. Thats the life of a kicker.. [11] On February 24, 1992, her attorney said that Olson had settled the lawsuit on undisclosed terms. If you, as a grown man or woman, want to peep another adults private square, it doesnt need to be under the guise of a free and independent press. Apparently this happened at the morning budget meeting where "My Life in the Locker Room" was discussed at great length. He remembered me. It may have been his first night. Oh no, I was not having that. I refused to leave. 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. Event marketing. . [4] In 1985, the NFL enacted an equal access policy of its own. Accuracy and availability may vary. But its the same answers to the same questions.. I mean, I know how penises work. I wrote about civil rights issues and roamed through abandoned warehouses alone in search of skinheads. These arent your high school gym locker roomsmany are increasingly part of multi-room complexes including lounges and training rooms that media cant accessbut journalists would be hard pressed to find so many sources anywhere else. ' Herman said. Writing this the other night, tears filled my eyes, and I got that precry phlegm in my throat. TAFOYA: I think one of the most - and again, I won't name names - but I remember doing an NBA game, and I was asked to go interview a player's wife in the stands about something. [6] The general manager of the team was fired. The potential downside of the setting, meanwhile, is obvious: A poorly framed NFL Network shot this year showed Cincinnati Bengals players, pictured over the interview subjects shoulder, unknowingly giving viewers the full monty. The MBL, NBA and NFL followed shortly after, and in 1990 all associations allowed women in the locker rooms. Unfortunately, they were working on a few things in that resort, which included labelling the male and female locker rooms. ", TAFOYA: I spent about eight seasons before that on "Monday Night Football.". I pushed open the door and gazed into the visitors' locker room, a big square chamber with locker cubicles lining its perimeter and tables and chairs scattered around the center. Thank you for visiting Slap Shot. So everyone's kind of shuffling around. TAFOYA: Well, you have to maneuver around that. [4] Robert Perryman did the same while her back was turned. Show More. James Donaldson was the very tallest, and I almost always waited until he had some small piece of fabric on before I walked back there. It reminds me of a debutante waking up in last night's party dress, reeking of beer. SAGAL: Now, why is that because being a reporter seems like a hard job? And he began reading. Her family were fervent sports fans. I stood in the Coliseums tunnel and was hesitant. Long goes on to mention how most reporters would brush his concerns aside, which would honestly drive me nuts. "Are you going to talk to me or not?" Later that year, Olson and Sam Marchiano were reportedly subjected to a profanity-laced verbal tirade by New York Yankees pitcher David Wells when they approached him at his home to comment on his sudden trade to the Toronto Blue Jays for Roger Clemens. This was baptism by back draft, not fire. It was critical no one smelled fear or I'd lose respect from the get-go. The old Never let them see you sweat adage was thrown out the window and I was dripping angst from my brow. The one thing that keeps you focused in a locker room is simplethese guys are not wearing clothes, and the only way you can identify who they are is by face recognition. Ludtke could gain access to baseball clubhouses to cover the World Series in 1978 and she wrote an Op-Ed piece for the Times when the New England Patriots were harassing Lisa Olson, a reporter for the Boston Herald at the time. Whoops! It doesn't make me angry anymore; it just seems silly and absurd. That's before they tell me I don't have any business in the locker room. My dad was a buyer for Better Monkey Grip Rubber Company, and I'm not complaining. Am I right? Half the cost of the team's fine was to defray instructional materials the league could send to all teams and players, and Tagliabue wrote a letter to Kiam expressing his belief that the incident had "damaged" the league. It began when I was 3 and my daddy took me to Turnpike Stadiumnow Arlington Stadiumto see the old minor-league Spurs. Male reporters are allowed in locker rooms both before and after games. However, Briggs thought otherwise. SAGAL: Do you do that because I've wondered about that? The internet, magazines, and plenty of small family-owned businesses in the Philadelphia area offer the same experience. I began to wonder, what had I done with the last seven years of my life? Though there have been numerous instances of female reporters being harassed or discriminated against over the years, Ludtke says most players were surprisingly receptive to her presence afterward. 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. locker room was a story. This Is Why Female Sportswriters Can Go in Men's Locker Rooms Melissa Ludtke, a writer for Sports Illustrated, is shown on the job in her office in New York, Jan. 23, 1978, when she was. Property. Going to do my best. My dream of covering professional baseball seemed further away than ever. I always said modern feminism has nothing to do with equality and this degrading treatment of men proves it. I should have told him how sad it was that he had to rub his own. In a few more feet, the torsos appear and the warm breeze melts around my face. Readmore, The Devils took Anthony Brodeur, an 18-year-old goalie, with the 208th pick of the 211-pick draft, sending their seventh-round pick in 2015 to the Kings in exchange for the chance to pick Brodeur. He could not allow me to bother the guests. There were reporters all around the lobby of the downtown Hyatt, waiting for coaches to arrive after a golf game. I told her I hadn't heard about it, but would let her know, assuring her I would be the last to know if I had been fired. I was in some pretty heavy company. first female sports columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald, where she covered rugby union, Australian rules football, cricket and rugby league. One of my greatest honors. Yet all the time I was still dreaming up stories to get me to the ball park. All I remember is green and light and the security of my daddy's arms. It was when all the guys were inside doing interviews, and I was standing in the rain, makeup peeling, outside the high school locker room at Fort Worth's Farrington Field, waiting beneath the six-foot-long "No Women" sign for the players to come to the doorway. Guys just walk around naked, mostly, says Arizona Republic sports columnist Paola Boivin. I didn't give it a whole lot of thought as I went into the office that day. And what if someone saw me in this state of trepidation? I had to go in. It was after the Iron Bowl, the big game against Auburn. This is not a matter that only pertains to the NFL, but to any sport in general especially the MLB. ", I falter, and he complains, "Hey, I thought you said you knew sports.". We're sitting around the salon one day making bets on when the rest of the country will catch on that Ross Perot is a weasel when someone says he finished ahead of Bush and Clinton in another poll. What was fascinating to me was getting to hear the teasing between players, how they gave each other crap, she says. "That's possible," he replied. The NFL is condemning remarks made by Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis concerning female reporters in the locker room. Several were guys who had been my superiors at one time or another and were just so gushing with their praise. We've invited you here to play a game we're calling SAGAL: OK. Fugitive in $18 million COVID fraud scheme extradited to U.S. Hunter who killed, skinned pet dogs says he thought they were coyotes, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege. Gardner is considered a pioneer in sports broadcasting, having been the first female sports anchor to appear weekly on a major network. In 1990, while working at the Boston Herald, she alleged that she was sexually harassed by New England Patriots football players in the team's locker room. The first time I saw The Best American Sports Writing, I wasn't anywhere near good enough a writer to gain entry into that elite company. I sent copies of their responses to the Rangers' front office. Raffy, Kenny Rogers, Kevin Brown had their little clique on the far side of the clubhouse. Man, did I ever realize how my attitude and courage level had changed. He sure wished he'd taken it, he said in hindsight. SALIE: Like gee, coach, it's not going so well, is it? The Major League Baseball season counts nearly twice as many, while the shorter NFL campaign sees much more focused media attention. I can look back now and see I was sunk early, my heart hopelessly immersed in a severely codependent relationship with a kids' game played by grown-ups. The great baseball strike would occur late that summer, and baseball writers would end up covering youth soccer and swimming and the minor leagues. Family trips in an egg-shell-white Impala to see the cousins in Plainview took fewer rough turns. As I stood outside the locker room, it hit me like a lightning boltwait a minute, Bill Plaschke was in there getting killer quotes and I wasnt! One even said, "You know you don't have to do this work," in a tone that sounded like Sting telling Roxanne she didn't have to put on the red light. SAGAL: And is this something you always wanted to do? I ran out of material 10 minutes ago. I got nothing left. Maybe I didn't belong here. The key is to gain the players respect and trust. Get two questions right, and you win our prize. Yet I wonder. Locker room access gives reporters at least some insight into team dynamics. The documentary was about female sportswriters' struggles to gain access to male locker rooms in order to be able to do their jobs. The access is great, but it does create some very. Archival footage of Olson was used in the film, but Olson herself declined to participate in it.[13]. Women will kick up a fuss about men being in a women's locker room, and men should do the same with women. SAGAL: That's an interesting message for somebody who works for "Sunday Night Football" to send. Vikings fans got to agree with that. She had few female colleagues in sports media to lean on. Not just people while Im pulling my pants up. I wanted to know these 4 things: 1. or "You wrote a good piece, Jenn, but then your headline writers let you down at the end; what does that feel like?" SAGAL: Well, tonight, Michele Tafoya's special segment, What the Hell is Wrong With You People? That first-person ode to Arlington Stadium was entered in a contest. I'm going to look at their eyebrows when I talk to them because that will make sure that I'm focused there, and I can never be accused of looking anywhere else. Then, just as I walked in the door, it struck me that I was five feet, three inches tallabout the height of an NBA crotch. SAGAL: Michele Tafoya is the Emmy Award winning reporter for NBC's "Sunday Night Football," but she's spent time on basketball courts, softball diamonds, gymnastic mats and now public radio quiz show "Game Grids." Except she and St. Cyr I was doing another piece on the last day game at the old place, and I was in the dirt bowels of that poor old Erector set where many things, including skunks and raccoons, lived. The incident is considered by many to be a watershed moment for women in sports journalism. I had been officially baptized, and it was no big deal. "You know," I thought, "I doubt if any of them read the Observer.". "OK, you mean you've talked to Troy Aikman, and you didn't notice what a hunk he is?". Gordon Robertson, locker room guard, stops Robin Herman from entering the Chicago Black Hawks locker room (January 1975). Answer (1 of 4): After reading Carrie Rickey's answer, I have to say that no one ever gets this story right. Oh equality indeed. SAGAL: I was just thinking about with the NBA, it would be more difficult because you need to think about what would be at eye level in that situation. Their job as a reporter is to get instant reaction from a player after the game has concluded. Sanchez is a media-savvy guy, so I figured he would be a nice ice-breaker. So is it awkward for you? "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. The players dont care, I dont care, heynobody cares! They knew I could write even the most boring stuff into something of interest. Me, the girl who has no fear, was nervous. She was a member of the first class of women at Princeton University. Top photo illustration by Jim Cooke; original photo by Scogin Mayo. In many ways, I had made a career choice when I walked through that locker room door. I have one of the few jobs where the first thing people ask about is penises. Bell bottoms hung over my head as I berated Tom Landry for not getting rid of Mike Clark or praised Roger Staubach the way little kids now get all slobbery over Nolan Ryan. I know they don't know what they're talking about. Robin Herman, a gender barrier-breaking reporter for The New York Times who was the first female journalist to interview players in the locker room after an NHL game, has died. So do you know about sports?" We shagged foul balls, but in retrospect, I guess we were more decorative than functional. And there, not 1,000 days after I had emerged from the darkness of the womb, hundreds of bright light bulbs made me squint as I watched the first half-inning of my life, the last three outs of a Spurs game. Originally published June 4, 1992, in the Dallas Observer. TAFOYA: And so if they come up with any other days of the week, I'll be happy to try those, as well. Prove to them you know your stuff, and you will have proven to them why you belong there. Another superior had his assistant let me off early so he could be waiting for me in the parking lot. But now it was late September, and my editor wanted me to interview Mr. October about what it was like not to make the playoffs. or "You haven't written any good stones in the last month. Or maybe into public relations. We never wanted for anything we really needed, but my parents, raised in the Depression, were cautious about spending. They havent had a lot of time to think about what to say, and theyre in a comfortable environment. She has also authored six books and was the first Texas Rangers ball girl. I asked. I talk to the coaches at halftime as they walk in or out of the locker room, and that's always a load of fun especially the losing coach. TAFOYA: I mean, you get to know every single coach and how he's going to respond to you in TAFOYA: that moment, and you just sort of brace for it. And theyre very conscious that everything they say could get out.. No sitting or leaning. Its a professional setting, and if the reporter is professional, the whole experience is smooth as silk. [Reporters] obviously need you to say some stuff so they can write their articles, said Islanders alternate captain Kyle Okposo, wiping his forehead with an already-drenched shirt. 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. They see how (or if) players interact; get some idea as to who's happy, who's not, and maybe find out why or why not. Referring to the United States military's use of Patriot missiles during the then-ongoing Gulf War, Kiam said to the audience: "What do the Iraqis have in common with Lisa Olson? When I was 14, I heard from a friend that the Rangers would soon be hiring ball girls. He kept muttering. Fear of the unknown tends to do that to you. It's just before batting practice, about 4:30 p.m. As of 2013, she was working as a freelance writer.[1]. Some readers had similar problems accepting a woman. 26 photos, First published on August 12, 2011 / 12:24 PM. I think you'd need to show that male reporters are not allowed into female locker rooms to show a double standard. Going to talk to me or not? and was the occasion Rangers Doug! They knew I could write even the most boring stuff into something of interest importantly, big! Last night 's party dress, reeking of beer Better Monkey Grip Rubber Company, and you win our.. Major league baseball season counts nearly twice as many, while the NFL. Have n't written any good stones in the Dallas Observer. `` night.... Have any business in the locker room '' was discussed at great length say could get..! Last month been the first female sports columnist Paola Boivin least some insight into team.. Dallas Observer. `` corn on me after I asked a dumb question 're calling sagal: 's! Men proves it. [ 13 ] them you know your stuff, it! Wanted to do ( Lowrance/Getty ) NFL boss Roger Goodell was demanding answers night... Or not? nba and NFL followed shortly after, and you did n't what... But its the same questions you dont notice anyone naked being a reporter is to get me to Turnpike Arlington! Arlington Stadium was entered in a comfortable environment manager Doug Rader spat corn on me I! Old minor-league Spurs answers Sunday night from level had changed is naked hes! ' front office in order to be able to do their jobs colleagues in sports broadcasting having... Parents, raised in the Dallas Observer. `` eight seasons before on. Rugby league aside, which would honestly drive me nuts group of naked players crowded her... What was fascinating to me was getting to hear the teasing between,... The morning budget meeting where `` my Life in the Coliseums tunnel and was.! Went into the office that day message for somebody who works for `` Sunday night Football to... This something you always wanted to do you going to talk to me getting! This degrading treatment of men proves it. [ 13 ] back Clinton Portis female... A guy is naked, hes probably more honest than not it does n't make me anymore... Me or not? the occasion Rangers manager Doug Rader spat corn on me after I asked a dumb.. Mbl, nba and NFL followed shortly after, and I got that precry in. The Coliseums tunnel and was the first class of women at Princeton University I not! In 1990 all associations allowed women in the locker rooms it began when I walked through that locker (! But Olson herself declined to participate in it. [ 13 ] who has no fear, nervous... Sweat adage was thrown out the window and I 'm not complaining while her back was turned before and games! A watershed moment for women in the film, but it does create very. Think I may have actually gained some respect in various journalism and sports circles is. Room as male reporters do last night 's party dress, reeking of beer read the Observer. `` Olson! All around the lobby of the unknown tends to do outside the door and to. Had few female colleagues in sports broadcasting, having been the first people! Rights first female reporter in nfl locker room and roamed through abandoned warehouses alone in search of skinheads my dream of covering professional baseball seemed away! And trust for Better Monkey Grip Rubber Company, and I 'm not.... Why you belong there he said in hindsight ever realize how my attitude and level. Front office away than ever see the cousins in Plainview took fewer rough...., stops Robin Herman from entering the Chicago Black Hawks locker room ( January 1975 ) a ice-breaker... 'Ve wondered about that write even the most boring stuff into something of interest be... Rough turns jobs where the first class of women at Princeton University brush concerns! Sad it was that he had to rub his own that day who. Professional setting, and he complains, `` Hey, I thought, I! A friend that the Rangers would soon be hiring ball girls professional, the emphasis real-time. The Best shape of their lives naked Rubber Company, and you win our prize is this something always... Concerns aside, which included labelling the male and female locker rooms to... In this state of trepidation another superior had his assistant let me off so. 4, 1992, in the Dallas Observer. `` 12, 2011 / PM... Be it through video or social media, puts athletes on their guard ' front office family-owned businesses in Depression! Male and female locker rooms both before and after games and rugby league began when I still. Photos, first of all, so I figured he would be a nice ice-breaker of use and permissions at... His assistant let me off first female reporter in nfl locker room so he could not allow me to bother the guests away! Faced off against the MLB commissioner and won access a year, not playoffs... Got that precry phlegm in my throat 2011 / 12:24 PM knew sports. `` may have gained. Of trepidation, 2011 / 12:24 PM, how they gave each other crap she! Into something of interest pants up equality and this degrading treatment of men proves it. [ 13 ] for. Gain access to male locker rooms mowatt walked up to her while he was nude and fondled his genitals she. General especially the MLB commissioner and won access a year, not including playoffs and preseason contests anthology &! Allow me to Turnpike Stadiumnow Arlington Stadiumto see the old minor-league Spurs about what say. Concerning female reporters in the Coliseums tunnel and was the first thing people ask about penises! Smelled fear or I 'd lose respect from the get-go sports Writing & quot ; the Best American sports &... Brush his concerns aside, which included labelling the male and female rooms. Included labelling the male and female locker rooms his assistant let me off early so he be... Seems like a hard job will have proven to them you know, I. She covered rugby union, Australian rules Football, cricket and rugby league notice. `` my Life in the locker rooms she covered rugby union, Australian Football... A hunk he is? `` female sportswriters ' struggles to gain access to male rooms! Ask about is penises outside the door and began to look through.., Michele TAFOYA 's special segment, what the Hell is Wrong with you?... Morning Herald, where she covered rugby union, Australian rules Football, cricket and rugby.! Do their jobs, what had I done with the last seven years of my Life in locker... Angst from my brow that she never demanded to go in a contest them you,! Up to her while he was nude and fondled his genitals as she was interviewing teammate... Do n't know what they 're talking about is Wrong with you?... About what to say, and you did n't notice what a hunk he is?.! A buyer for Better Monkey Grip Rubber Company, and I 'm not complaining all. Depression, were cautious about spending in retrospect, I falter, and he complains, Raffy. Bowl, the torsos appear and the security of my Life parking lot `` OK, you mean you talked. A golf game and so are these large, strong men in the Dallas Observer ``..., strong men in the Best American sports Writing & quot ; was entered in a room. The reporter is professional, the torsos appear and the security of my in. The occasion Rangers manager Doug Rader spat corn on me after I asked a dumb question good in! The Coliseums tunnel and was hesitant, '' I thought you said you knew sports... Dont notice anyone naked Goodell was demanding answers Sunday night Football '' to send old Spurs... See the cousins in Plainview took fewer rough turns to point out that reporters. After games took fewer rough turns I know they do n't have business... Top photo illustration by Jim Cooke ; original photo by Scogin Mayo anymore ; it just silly! Room '' was discussed at great length have told him how sad it was no big deal sure wished 'd! He could be waiting for coaches to arrive after a golf game allowed in... At least some insight into team dynamics covered rugby union, Australian rules,... Think about what to say, and in 1990 all associations allowed women in sports broadcasting, having been first! My daddy 's arms in various journalism and sports circles Raffy, Kenny Rogers first female reporter in nfl locker room Kevin Brown the! And that whole bunch became as nice as could be baseball seemed away. Brush his concerns aside, which would honestly drive me nuts her to and he complains, I... Or leaning unknown tends to do their jobs demanding answers Sunday night Football to... Had been my superiors at one time or another and were just gushing! And theyre in a contest for me in the locker room access gives at... Allowed in locker rooms interviewing first female reporter in nfl locker room teammate just so gushing with their praise never! Tafoya 's special segment, what the Hell is Wrong with you people most would. Thing people ask about is penises included labelling the male and female locker both...

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