No She Didn't!

In 1978, Melissa Ludtke of Sports Illustrated was not allowed to interview players in the clubhouse during the World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers. Instead of accepting the decision by baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn, Time Inc (owner of SI) filed and won a lawsuit allowing equal access to male and female reporters. That decision paved the way for female reporters such as Hannah Storm, Selena Roberts, and countless others to become full participants in the world of sports journalism. So, I wonder what she would say about the most recent alleged sexual harassment incident involving Azteca sports reporter, Ines Sainz (below), and the New York Jets on September 11th. I am sure she would be just as disappointed as I am especially after Sainz flipped flopped between playing victim and brushing the incident off as “not as serious as you [to owner, Woody Johnson] probably believe.” Is she for real? Either she was harassed or she wasn't.  Ms. Sainz, please make up your mind!




Sainz:  This is how NOT to dress when
conducting an an interview in ANY locker room.



What really infuriated me about Sainz is that in the days following the incident, she made a self-proclamation that she was the “hottest sports reporter in Mexico.” What?! Again. Is she for real? (Well, I guess that is why she received an offer from Playboy to pose in the nude.)   I am definitely not condoning the behavior of those Jets players because there is no excuse for those remarks but her quote was not the kind I was hoping to hear from her. The Jets failed to enforce a professional environment but she failed to take a stance for not only herself but her profession. Just once, I would love to see a woman stand up for herself and give the players a verbal thrashing that would make them blush. Maybe then, some of those players who think they have a right to be crude will rethink the next time they are being interviewed by a female journalist.

By the way, why do you think that a male reporter in women’s locker rooms is never an issue?