Why is it that the only girls who are associated with rugby league and the ones that get all the credibility are the cheerleaders?
But what about the females involved who don’t dance in skimpy outfits, but who go to the games to watch and to report. What about female rugby league journalists?
“No”, I hear you say, they’re just an urban myth, they don’t exist.
Contrary to popular belief, there are a few chicks out there who want to write about the greatest game of all.
But they’re in hiding, scared to tell people what they want to do just in case they get laughed at.
I should know, I’m one of them.
But even my own friends don’t take me seriously when I say I want to be a rugby league reporter.
And for the few females making a go of it, their performance is judged more severely than that of the players. Any minor slip up is criticised and their work ridiculed. Because girls don’t know what they’re talking about, do they?
When I was starting out as a journalist, a fellow female sports reporter told me that talking to players would be easy because basically, “they think you’re stupid. They’ll think you don’t know what they’re talking about,” she told me.
But the interview wasn’t half my problem. It was getting the interview in the first place.
A male friend of mine who is also a journalist was interviewing a rugby league player for a feature story. He had no worries phoning the player and even getting the coaches home phone number.
I, on the other hand, was trying to perform the same task, but I had to jump through more hoops, knock on more doors and sweet talk my way to finally being granted an interview.
For weeks I was on the phone to the team’s media manager, almost daily, asking for permission to interview a certain footballer.
At first I was told no, that it was impossible as the team was too busy, even though I said I was willing to wait a few weeks for an interview.
But after proving myself (see ‘jumping through hoops’ above) I got the interview as I had “passed the test.”
After completing the main interview, I then had to talk to another player in the same team for a secondary interview. It was horrible. He repeated my questions as if he didn’t understand and refused to shake my hand at the end of the interview.
Not only was it infuriating, it was also embarrassing to have a player talk to me like I was an idiot. And this is a person who is in the media a lot and has a huge fan base.
All up, the entire organisation and interviewing procedure took me over 10 weeks. All for a 1000-word feature story.
That was just my experience and I survived.
But I’m sure this sort of demoralising treatment would deter a lot of other young aspiring female journos from pursuing a career as a rugby league commentator.
So guys, we can write and do the job just as well, or even better than you.
Recommend this story.
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March 13th 2009 @ 6:56am
onside said | March 13th 2009 @ 6:56am | Report comment
There is another aspect to Jessicas problem. And I think (gut feel ), as opposed to dont actually know, the
reasons are elsewhere.Its a bloke supporter thing,not a player thing.The players reflect a broader attitude
towards female journalists in sport in general ,and in Jessicas case,rugby league in particular .I am aware
of legislation introduced to give female journalists equal access to male locker rooms as male journalists.
The trouble is it is impossible to legislate away entrenched attitudes and feelings. And so this situation is
tolerated because there is no choice, rather than broadly welcomed.Its one thing accepting that equal
opportunities are part of todays life ,and another thing entirely especiaaly where male sport is concerned
to wish it was not so.Welcome to the real world. And as men can now become either a nurse or an airhostess
if they so choose, young women can walk the boundary in the AFL interviewing coaching staff.What people
think about this is irrelevant. Likewise my personal views are on the subject are moot.But the media are supporter /viewer/reader savvy.The media know just how far to go and still maintain balance.Jessicas battle
then is not with the media ,but a broader entrenched view in society. A viewer, male or female might not
want a female presenting a story in a male dominated sport that women do not play. Its worth researching.
But ofcourse that has been done. Peoples feelings are not always rational.Thats the problem.
April 7th 2009 @ 9:17pm
Louise Greenhalgh said | April 7th 2009 @ 9:17pm | Report comment
Hi there I loved the artical.
Im a female RL referee in the UK and have experienced the same attiudes as you towards women in the sport,the best bit though is the realisation of the players when they realise that you know your stuff.
I love the sport and I love being a match official and just becase im female I dont think it makes a difference to the way I perform, I attend all the same development workshops, read and apply the same instruction and apply the laws in exactly the same way as the males in the sport, its just there is an element of sexist ideology that exists in Rugby League despite the implementation of equal opportunities and the natural biology of males that makes then unable to critically analyse the image of females in sport.
Keep up the good work.
April 25th 2009 @ 9:57am
James said | April 25th 2009 @ 9:57am | Report comment
I look forward to male reporters breaking down the barriers of the famle locker rooms and female players having to shower and change in front of male reporters. I can’t think of anything more equal and professional than giving male and female reporters equal access to the locker rooms of both genders.
Something tells me hypocrisy will continue to ooze out of the woodwork and only female reporters will be allowed to continue to strip the opposite sex of the basic human right to privacy. Roll on equality – so long as your the correct gender!