Here’s a little inside secret about locker rooms — they’re not peep shows.
Gone are the days when players strutted around completely nude in defiance of female reporters who once were barred. There are too many women and too many cameras nowadays in what used to be a players-only area.
Washington Redskins defensive tackle Dave Butz wouldn’t speak to female reporters in the locker room during his career (1975-88). Yet when another player made an improper remark to a female reporter, Butz threatened the teammate with pain should it be repeated. It wasn’t, but Butz still wouldn’t speak to women inside the locker room. Of course, he wasn’t real friendly with male reporters, either.
The discussion of women in locker rooms arises every few years. But it also has become an outdated debate; pro leagues now wait 10 minutes before media members enter. Players often are at least partially dressed and can discreetly do so if needed.
Frankly, players don’t want any media in the room — men or women. The only reason the press enters is to get quotes, and that 10-minute gap provides players enough time to slip out the back. After Redskins losses last year, most of the team already was gone before the door was opened.
Female reporters are now commonplace. Indeed, there are four who are excellent reporters who cover the Redskins on a regular basis. I’d match Comcast’s Kelli Johnson against anyone when it comes to asking tough questions and knowledge of the team.
But today’s normalcy comes only after 40 years of predecessors — like the Washington Post’s Liz Clarke — having to forge past prejudice and sports leagues educating their players how not to act like schoolboys.
The recent hoopla over whether the New York Jets acted improperly with Ines Sainz of Mexico’s TV Azteca could result in swift NFL sanctions. The Redskins quickly issued an apology by Clinton Portis over comments on Tuesday regarding the incident. Everyone knows sexual harassment can’t be tolerated, and it’s not.
Opponents of women in locker rooms say men aren’t allowed in women’s locker rooms. That’s often true, though WNBA locker rooms are open. However, the key difference is female players are brought to the media, so access to them is fulfilled. I hadn’t entered a women’s locker room in 31 years until 2009, when Maryland basketball used it for NCAA Tournament media. Of course, everyone was dressed. The Terrapins’ men’s team also has everyone dressed before opening the locker room after games.
The media’s biggest challenge covering teams no longer is sex discrimination but restricted access. Teams now have their own media machines. Redskins.com has three writers plus a TV staff. Traditional media get minimal supervised time with players. Conditions are so sterile that little news and practically no familiarity with players are produced.
The novelty of female reporters in locker rooms is an outdated cliché. They deserve respect and are given it.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
