I am making dinner and getting ready to watch the OU women play in the Final Four. They are a lot of fun to watch and I am hopeful they can make the finals.
But one of the OU players is Carlee Roethlisberger. ESPN keeps running this little thing about her and her older brother (Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers). I am fine with that, though I still resent Ben crediting Jesus with his starting job in college. Stupid theology just effects me that way, I guess.
But this ESPN coverage bothers me nearly as much. Here is a very good college player, and all they can talk about is her big brother, and the piece is about her watching Ben win the Super Bowl. Nothing about her 3 point shot, or how she contributes to OU's great team.
That just pisses me off. Ben gets his due all the time, and deserves it (in that sports context, mind you), but his little sister is pretty good on her own. To present her just as a fan of her older brother is demeaning and chauvinist. I am just tired of that stuff. Women are not defined by the men they love or share a family with. Get with it, ESPN.
2 comments:
Before Title IX Wayland Baptist College always had one of the best women's teams in the country. Marsha Sharp who coached Texas Tech to the Championship was a player when I was a student there. I agree they should be considered athletes in their own right and not shuttled to the back of the bus.
Getting equal pay for women athletes has been a constant uphill struggle; see here and here for two rare success stories. I can't discuss the details behind these stories, but suffice to say Tom Cruise is far too kind and gentle in Jerry Maguire to pass for a sports lawyer.
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