I was really happy to see something like this on yahoo.

I was actually kind of disappointed that this was relegated to a Maggie Hendricks blog post. I like her writing on the whole, but there are two reasons why this isn't so good (though better than nothing, obviously): One, she's the person who writes about sexual discrimination-type stuff normally. Having this as another in a long line of blog posts from her doesn't really make it seem like a bigger deal than Cris Santos being made fun of for her looks, and it is. The other is that most of her blogging is relative fluff, which can also reduce the impact of the article. People who have read her stuff before are not generally taking her too seriously, and it blows that this will fall under a "Maggie post" category rather than "big deal" for some.

Frankly, the best thing Yahoo did was link this on the front page for a while. It would have been significantly more helpful if one of their major columnists had taken on the subject. But, hey, it's better than SI- there's jack squat about it at all there.

What's most disturbing about this incident to me is the relationship between Erin Andrew's promotion as a sex object on ESPN and her eventual exploitation by being filmed nude against her consent.

ESPN has never treated Andrew's as a sports journalist--it has spliced shots of her rear end into game-day montages, included broadcast segments where "lucky" male fans get to stand next to her on tv, and had commentators discuss her body and "hotness" on the air. ESPN has milked the sexist publicity Andrew's presence drives--through no fault of her own--to promote a culture begging for her objectification. Previous attempts at soiling her journalistic reputation (a sexist attack) include manufactured internet sex-tape allegations. (Not to mention the USC player that slapped her rear end on the sideline). It was only a matter of time before someone invaded her privacy and took advantage of her like this.

Disgusted by sports media right now for sowing these seeds.

One line in that post bugged me, though:

It's crazy how much Andrews, and all female sports journo-types, get judged for what they look like, what they wear, even the food they eat, rather than simply the work they do. While that sort of scrutiny is unfair, it can be tolerated to a point

I don't think it should be tolerated to any degree. But otherwise, decent post. I think this should be splashed across front pages, but at least it's out there.