I know, I know, football season is over (sadly), but a reader named Tom Hefferon has written in with a question:
If college and professional football are the unique and entire domain of male athletes, such that former players are most likely the most knowledgeable as to the game’s nuances both on and off the field, why is it that, while all the off-field commentary is also male-dominated, all the on-field interviewing and commentary is done by females who never touched a football, let alone played a down? It seems odd to me and I suspect an explanation would only be found in your good devices.
There are surely a few exceptions — Tony Siragusa comes to mind — but Tom has a point. I’d be interested to know what the networks that carry football know about the appeal of their sideline reporters, but in the absence of such knowledge, I’ll hazard a few guesses:
- One network put a female reporter on the sideline and (whether it was “effective” or not), the others followed.
- The networks wish to appear to not be sexist by having an all-male crew broadcast crew.
- Female reporters are meant to appeal to the heavily male audience — and/or engage the (growing) female minority?
- Sideline reporters aren’t meant to elicit strategy and in-depth information in interviews as much as the players’ and coaches’ emotions, personality, etc., and women are better (or the networks think women are better) at eliciting same.
Your thoughts?
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I always figured that the people on the field who they have to interview (coaches and players) are more likely to stop their trip into the locker room and take two minutes to talk to an attractive woman than they would if it were a guy. Those interviews seem pretty pointless anyways, since the coach isn’t about to reveal their secret strategy, and the player isn’t really going to tell you anything all that interesting.
Are female reporters better at capturing the attention of the high profile athletes that the networks want interviews with?
They look better in skirts.
Is there anything sexier than a woman talking about sports?
I would also say that it is easier for nice hot sideline reporters to approach players on the bench and after the game and get attention in order to ask a few questions than if a guy would do that.
they are called ‘bewbs’ I think.
One point to make, at least in the NFL, other than the and of half/end of game interviews, the sideline reporters are being fed most of their information from producers off field. They are not actively engaging players/coaches anymore than any other fan watching in the stadium or on TV. This is why CBS does not use any outside of special games like this year’s Super Bowl.
I always figured it was a combination of wanting to be able to say ‘look we hire women.’ But because this is a new movement, there aren’t too many women with experience on the job yet.
A good test of that would be to see promotion rates from both men a women side line reporters and see if there is a gender gap.