Women in Sports Departments

I'll quote Sheryl Crow: Good is good and bad is bad. It's not male or female, black or white, straight or gay. It is what it is, a good reporter, editor, photographer, page designer, etc.

 

That is how it should be. All due respect to you and to Rosie, who has an excellent post above making a similar point, those things do matter. They are a part of the hiring process in this business and they are a part of how we are perceived by colleagues, employers and readers.

 

My path winds through a handful of papers where I was the first female sports writer on staff...I was not in the vanguard, but right behind them...Sometimes, it was hard, like the college football coach who tried to intimidate me out of the locker room. He didn't. There was a time when serious discussion about gender took place because it was all so new. Well, that was a long, fucking time ago. It's not new.
Write seems to be reaching really hard to find out why people think a woman is a good manager/leader. Being a good manager/leader is so not related to gender that the question makes me gag. Most leaders have similar qualities, albeit different styles. Sometimes, styles clash. Again, not related to gender.
Are men and women different? Well, sure. When I pee standing up my legs get wet. Of course, if you're drunk enough to pee standing up, you don't much care if your leg is wet.
I digress.
Any way, every individual is a different person. We're all different from each other in ways that are so much more sophisticated and complex than (check box): gender, race, sexual orientation, height, weight, etc.
Anyone in the industry still grappling with the idea of female sports people, be they athletes, writers, editors, camera people or broadcasters is in the wrong place.

 

The only difference I hear about working with women is from women themselves -- who often find it harder to work with other women.

 

I concur. The worst case of "old-boys network" management style I ever saw was from a woman.

 

I agree. The creator of this thread tried to lace his post in curiosity, but my only thought throughout the whole thing was: This dude has a problem with his female supervisor.