Joey Barton, the controversial ex-footballer has made the rounds again in the football world, this time for criticising women’s voices in the men’s game. Barton likened two female commentators and pundits to notorious serial killers Fred and Rose West, this after tweeting a month earlier that “women shouldn’t be talking with any kind of authority in the men’s game”.
To have an ex-professional footballer who has a large following, combined with the impressionable nature of teens – particularly male teens – on social media, is frankly irresponsible.
The website, womeninfootball.co.uk, reported last year “close to half of all women in football believed they had been overlooked for career progression due to their gender”. Joey Barton’s words have come at a time when controversial figures like Andrew Tate have come to be a part of the cultural zeitgeist, compounding the impact of his words and potentially influencing the opinion of young men.
Barton’s words are frustrating, abhorrent and irresponsible. As if someone shouldn’t be allowed to comment on something just because they are a different gender to the field they are commenting on. If that is the case, then we wouldn’t have presenters such as Kate Abdo or Laura Woods.
Joey Barton’s words insinuate a toxic mindset that has been in football ever since its creation – the mindset of ‘women aren’t allowed in professional football’ – and contributes to the everpresent misogyny that is unfortunately rampant.
There is a misogyny problem all around football. Ex-pros like Joey Barton commenting and pushing this narrative, contributing to the barrier that women face in football, to social media, where clips of professional female players fails are constantly going viral, with misogynistic comments directed at the players’ skill levels and how they’re apparently worse than little boys, when male players make the same or even worse mistakes and hardly ever get made fun of to the degree that female players are.
As a person with a disability, I empathise with the circumstances and situations surrounding women’s football. I know firsthand how frustratingly hard it is to break into an industry where you’re the minority; it feels like the world is against you. Even when women in the football field have succeeded, there will always be backlash.
For example, Rebecca Welch became the first female referee in the Premier League. A moment of would-be joy for the beautiful game turned out to be a horrible afternoon for the referee, with The Guardian reporting that there were sexist comments and chants from the crowd directed toward Welch.
Rebecca Welch. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
So what needs changing?
I must first acknowledge that as a man, I am unable to comment on what women want and need for football to be more welcoming to them. In my opinion, there needs to be tighter online security regarding misogyny in football, and bans need to be put into place for people who exhibit misogynistic behaviour. Players in positions of power, as well as broadcasters, must take a stronger stand in kicking misogyny out of the game and setting an example.
Sexism in football is still rampant. For a sport that prides itself on being ‘The World’s Game’, its powerbrokers don’t do enough to make sure everyone in the world is welcome to enjoy it.
Aiden
Roar Rookie
Barton is just a troll of low intelligence trying to find a relevance by being controversial. This idea that commentary teams need to be ex players is nonsense anyway, I prefer Martin Tyler to plenty of the ex Prem guys. No reason why women can’t do commentary, no reason why anyone with knowledge of the game can’t do it. These guys keep saying ‘what does a women know about ‘our game’ and yet YouTube is full of guys giving their opinions on channels and all of them are just bedroom fans. I don’t see comments to the effect of ‘you don’t have a right to an opinion , you haven’t played the game at the right level.’ And yet when a women who has played for England comments on a men’s game she is somehow less qualified than a fat bloke in tight kit in front of his monitor.
Carlo Perkins
Roar Rookie
Good article mate
Steven Harris
The female opinion on sports shows or sideline eyes or half time reports are fine and valid but I just can’t cop it as a live ball by ball commentary on a men’s NRL NBA NRL EPL AFL or anything that I watch. I’d sooner change the channel or seek a different option.
NickA
Roar Rookie
Hey Kirk, thanks for this. Assuming you'll get a bunch of men who disagree with you and are still stuck in the 19th century (seems you've already attracted one on both your articles) - but writing about issues like this are just as important as writing about the actual game. Sport is a great vehicle to discuss issues of sexism, racism etc - these issues are not 'political' as these same men may call them - they are issues of human rights and basic human decency. I am reminded of when Salah started performing for Liverpool, racism towards Muslim men in the city reduced (this is purely from memory - don't have the source on me). Not sure why men get so worked up about women commenting on sports. As Chris says - bad commentators can be male or female, just as good ones can. You don't have to like any or all of them and that's fine, life is tough and sometimes you have to listen to things you don't like. Barton has always been a lunatic so at least he's being true to form here.
ctintner
Roar Rookie
Go Kirk, its a great thing to use your lived experience to empathise and fight for others. Go you and many thanks, the female players do need to be accepted. And will, but no thanks to dark ages comments.
Brendan
Roar Pro
Some might argue the Matilda’s are more popular than the Socceroos. I would assume Sam Kerr is also the biggest sporting name in Australia, recognised internationally. That’s not a minority. That’s global domination.
Chris Lewis
Roar Guru
token females on show for the hell of it is debatable, but expertise on anything has nothing to do with gender. I listen to the females on the AFL matches, and they are pretty knowledgeable.
Chris Lewis
Roar Guru
what has gender got to do with being an expert commentator? does a gynaecologist always have a ….
ShirleyKnot
Roar Rookie
Do hope this is an attempt at sarcasm...
Kirk
Roar Rookie
Thank you AT!
Kirk
Roar Rookie
Fully agree Chris
Kirk
Roar Rookie
Thank you!
noite12
Roar Rookie
Thanks for this helpful commentary on the sport. I also appreciate how you think about sexism through the lens of ability. Will look forward to future articles by you!
chris1
Roar Rookie
Joey doesn't come across as the smartest guy in the room. He had a big mouth as a player and that has continued.
AT
Roar Rookie
Brilliant article! Thank you for writing about this important topic and for perfectly highlighting why misogyny in sport is unacceptable.
Steven Harris
I just managed to drag my knuckles off the floor to say I can't stand female game commentators..its like watching the game with your mother-in-law nagging in your ear.
Blink
Roar Rookie
Gotta say domestic violence is rampant in Australia. Don't know England but I'm guessing not to different. Its the rather challenged lack of brain that causes a male to lash out with his rather limited upbringing as is the case with the coward Joey Barton. It'll change but as we see it takes a while. Notably the Spanish womans World Cup winning Football team were strong enough to call it out. That would leave the feeble Barton irate.
Caractacus
Roar Rookie
Of course sexism and misogyny still exists in football just as it does in every other walk of life. The frustrating thing is that knuckle dragging morons like Barton get way too much airtime with the implication that his opinion represents the norm which couldn’t be farther from the truth, women’s football in the UK is definitely in a good place after years of fighting poor treatment by the media in particular and we shouldn’t allow the very average ex footballer (most famous for violence on and off the field) who’s looking for social media likes to derail that success.