Helene Elliott, the LA Times sports columnist, made a sports prediction during the Western Conference finals: The Ducks would beat the Wings.
Seems reasonable to me. I mean, isn't that what we read sport columns for? To get the writer's opinion on our team, or a hot series taking place, on the playoffs, etc? We might not always agree with what the writer is saying (in fact, I usually vehemently disagree) but its another forum to talk about our respective, beloved sports teams. And its entertainment.
Well, Helene's prediction garnered a vehement response all right, but a sexist, vulgar one as well. Here is just a sampling of the emails she got in response to her "prediction column", and she wrote about the response in today's LA Times:
"If Detroit wins, your gonna be gettiing a [ton] more emails from me you [prostitute]. Why don't you report on your own teams from now on. Like the Kings, where are they? Or the Lakers? Women should stick to writing articles about cooking and homemaking and NOT sports, cuz its obvious you have no idea what....you are talking about, [Don Imus word]."A good friend of mine is a hardcore UCLA Bruins fan, and when a Washington Post columnist neglected to put UCLA in a top rankings list for March Madness, she wrote him a email pointing out his mistake. Never in that email did she feel the need to address anything of a personal nature with him. Why would she? It had nothing to do with his writing.
"You have no idea what your baby ducks are in for! A woman writing about hockey in southern California! Leave the hockey to us sweetheart!"
"You are one cocky writer. I am going to remember that damn story and if the wings win the series, I'm gonna laugh in your face via e-mail. If there's one kind of writer I have no respect for, it's a writer exactly like you who writes worthless … like that.
"I'm surprised your man let you out of the kitchen long enough to write this article. You don't know much about sports, so you should stick to cleaning the house."
"Of course what do women know about hockey anyway. Go back to the kitchen and make me something to eat."
I'd like to think these types of personal attacks on female writers (especially sports writers) will stop soon, but I just don't know that they will. However, I do think sites like HLOG are leading the way for this dumb, idiotic abuse to end. Women are just as legitimate sports writers as men, and if we go bake a quiche after we are done writing, its because we want to. And we can.
Thanks to Christy for the heads up. Read More......
