In closing, I feel that I have gained a great deal of knowledge towards answering my research question. While there is of course no single, clear answer to everything, I have drawn some solid conclusions.
My Question (once again):
How has the female sideline reporter grown to become a fixation in sports broadcasts today?
A few conclusions:
-The transformation of female sportscasters from Mary's to Eve's, potentially due to cultural norms in the late 1990's and the earlier part of this decade.
-The propagandized method of production in which 'sex' sells; these reporters happen to be commonly young and beautiful, thus adding another element of attraction to televised sports events.
The necessity of the female sideline reporter has grown stronger than ever, but the only question that has been left unanswered is whether or not these women are fully respected as necessities in these programs.
- GateHouse News Service's Mike Nadel criticezed Erin Andrews in 2008 after a Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs game for "Her skimpy outfit -- designed to accentuate her, um, positives -- had players leering at her. Some made lewd comments under their breath. Others giggled like 12-year-olds." This according to Street & Smith Magazine's Sports Business Daily.
As Andrews responded by saying that she does not consider herself a "sex object" rather a "tomboy", I begin to wonder if there will ever be an understanding among both male and female spectators that the female sideline reporter is a role in which women cherish the work that they do, and not the attention they draw.
Goodbye My Faithful Readers,
Blog Master Nilsen
Thursday, December 10, 2009
My Works Cited
Primary Sources:
Farhi, Paul. “For TV’s Female Reporters, It’s Strictly a Sideline Job.” The Washington Post. Saturday, January 31, 2009; Pg. A01.
Deggans, Eric. “Was Erin Andrews Video Born From a Sexist Sports Journalism Culture?” St. Petersburg Times. Saturday, July 25, 2009.
New England Sports Network. “Brian Cashman, Heidi Watney discuss Curtis Granderson’s Impact”. December 9, 2009. http://www.nesn.com/2009/12/brian-cashman-heidi-watney-discuss-curtis-grandersons-impact.htm
ESPN. “Joe Namath: I want to Kiss You”. January 7,2004. http://www.spike.com/video/joe-namath-i-want-to/2483773
JUJH. “Female Broadcasters Give New Face to Sports”. January 31, 2006. Https://tv.ku.edu/news/2006/01/31/female-broadcasters-give-new-face-to-sports/
Traina, Jimmy. “Erin Andrews Q & A: TV personality talks about fans, Web, BCS, Britney...” SI.com: Friday November 9, 2007 10:14 am.
Collins, Jessica. “Catching Up With ESPN Sideline Reporter Erin Andrews”. Street & Smith Magazine; Sports Business Daily. Friday October 24, 2008. http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/124961
Rosenhaus, Drew. November 2, 2009.
Roberts, Selena. November 2, 2009.
Secondary Sources:
Creedon, Pamela J. Women, Sport, and Media Institutions: Issues in Sports Journalism and Marketing. New York, NY. Routledge: 1998.
Skerski, Jamie. From Sideline to Centerfold: The Sexual Commodification of Female Sportscasters. New York, NY. Routledge: 2007.
Sochen, June. From Mae to Madonna: Women Entertainers in Twentieth Century America. The University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY. 1999.
Janechastain.com
Lesleyvisser.com
terezowens.com
nesn.com
http://www.onlinesports.com/sportstrust/sports43.html
americansportscasterassociation.com
Just In Case You Were Wondering,
Blog Master Nilsen
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Mini Case Study: NESN
New England Sports Network is a regional cable television network that covers the six New England states and it owned by both the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Bruins.
You guessed it...I am a native of Wellesley, MA and I have indeed grown up watching nesn develope into one of the best regional sports networks in the country.
For coverage of Red Sox and Bruins games, nesn has two sideline reporters respectively:
Heidi Watney (sideline coverage for the Boston Red Sox) on the left, and Kathryn Tappen (sideline coverage for Boston Bruins) on the right.
By looking at Watney's photo, it is clear that she is wearing a very thin, body-hugging outfit with a lot of jewlery on her hands, neck, and ears. Also notice how she is tilting her head sdieways and staring directly into the eyes of catcher Jason Varitek; a pose that seems a tad flirtatious if I may. Let it be known though, that Watney and Varitek were also rumored to have been dating continuously since last spring.
Tappen is not quite as dolled up as Heidi Watney, however she does has similar make-up and blond-colored hairstlye, both resembling that of the Eve archetype.
On this matter I consider myself a primary source because I have watched both of these women daily when I am at home. They are absolute fixtures on their programs. They NEVER have replacements or substitutes (so there is now doubt these women work hard) but they always dress incredibly well - as though to impress men, oo la la. As I mentioned before, Heidi Watney is dating Jason Varitek according to the Boston Globe and numerous tabloid/news reports when I was home over the summer. This could be a demonstration of closeley the sideline reporters interact with the subjects. Cleary Watney got to know the Red Sox players quite well...and well enough with one player to find a boyfriend. A common theme when the red sox play at their home field, Fenway Park, is when fans make signs asking Heidi Watney to marry them, or love them, much like fans do at games where Erin Andrews is working the sidelines (Sports Business Daily).
In the clip that I have posted below, take note of how close Heidi Watney is in proximity to New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman. Please also look at her wavy blonde hair style, her low, v-cut shirt and her heavy use of black eye liner. Each of these physical characteristics resemble that of a seductress; Watney is certainly not trying to hide her beauty in this video.
(click here to be sent to link for Heidi Watney video)
Next time I think we will have to say "goodbye",
Blog Master Nilsen
Player Interactions
According to Paul Farhi of the Washington Post, sideline reporters - along with the rest of the media obviously; journalists etc. - have gained a much more personal reltionship with with the professionals that they study so passionately. Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times says that since 1996 there has been a "drastic" increase in terms of female sportcasters doing locker room interviews with male players. I wish there were a number I could put to express how large this influx was, because let me tell you...it was big. According to the ASA, a majority of Lesley Visser's pre and post game interviews were done on the field or in the tunnel, but hardly ever had she interviewed in locker rooms before the late 1990's.
This recent GQ Magazine photo shoot shows Erin Andrews covered in mud, but in a locker room with other muddy football players. The ad obviously has sexual undertones, but more importantly to my work, it shows how comfortable her presence is in the locker room, and can also show how she can be 'just another one of the guys'.
A 2008 survey by the ASA asked players in the NFL if they had given any female reporter their cell phone numbers.
The results found that roughly 56% of NFL starting players have given their number to at least one female news reporter for informational purposes.
While the statistic does not blow my mind, I must realize that there are a lot of starters in the NFL...
What does this prove?:
This at least indicates that women reporters in general are developing closer and more personal connections with players in order to make them feel like friends. What could be the reason for this decrease in player privacy?
Perhaps it's the influx of young, attractive female sideline reporters giving the stars all the attention they so desire.
Another thought that came to mind was that these more tightly knit relationships are causing some male fans or co-workers to grow TOO comfortable around the women on the fields.
Take a look at this video of Hall of Fame Quarterback Joe Namath as he essentially sexually harasses ESPN sideline reporter Suzy Kolber. (Just click this text to reach the video link)Where is the respect in that...who cares that he was supposedly drunk.
So what are with these trends of more locker room interviews, closer reporter/player relationships, and increasing disrespect towards the female sideline reporter trying to tell me?
I feel the end is drawing near,
Blog Master Nilsen
This recent GQ Magazine photo shoot shows Erin Andrews covered in mud, but in a locker room with other muddy football players. The ad obviously has sexual undertones, but more importantly to my work, it shows how comfortable her presence is in the locker room, and can also show how she can be 'just another one of the guys'.
A 2008 survey by the ASA asked players in the NFL if they had given any female reporter their cell phone numbers.
The results found that roughly 56% of NFL starting players have given their number to at least one female news reporter for informational purposes.
While the statistic does not blow my mind, I must realize that there are a lot of starters in the NFL...
What does this prove?:
This at least indicates that women reporters in general are developing closer and more personal connections with players in order to make them feel like friends. What could be the reason for this decrease in player privacy?
Perhaps it's the influx of young, attractive female sideline reporters giving the stars all the attention they so desire.
Another thought that came to mind was that these more tightly knit relationships are causing some male fans or co-workers to grow TOO comfortable around the women on the fields.
Take a look at this video of Hall of Fame Quarterback Joe Namath as he essentially sexually harasses ESPN sideline reporter Suzy Kolber. (Just click this text to reach the video link)Where is the respect in that...who cares that he was supposedly drunk.
So what are with these trends of more locker room interviews, closer reporter/player relationships, and increasing disrespect towards the female sideline reporter trying to tell me?
I feel the end is drawing near,
Blog Master Nilsen
Where the Sideline Reporter Fits In
While I have the chance, I would like to share with you all the basic structure and componennts of a typical broadcasted event.
According to Lou Schwartz of the ASA, in a typical CBS football broadcast there will be:
-1 play-by-play personality
-1 color commentator
-between 2 and 5 'in-studio' hosts / halftime reporters
-between 1 and 2 sideline reporters, depending upon the size of the venue and the magnitude of the coverage.
How much do these personalities make? (each number according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics):
-The average salary for play-by-play and color commentators is around $145k, but a majority of big names earn between $300,000 and $600,000.
-Among many other in-studio hosts, a personality such as Terry Bradshaw receives roughly $2.5 million, while ESPN host Chris Berman earns between $600,000 and $1 million a year.
-As for our lowly sideline reporter, well he/she actually makes around $70,000 per year on average.
Then again, through my research I have found that money is not being used to discriminate these women, rather it is the societal respect that they receive from viewers.
Hoping to make SOME kind of money after college,
Blog Master Nilsen
According to Lou Schwartz of the ASA, in a typical CBS football broadcast there will be:
-1 play-by-play personality
-1 color commentator
-between 2 and 5 'in-studio' hosts / halftime reporters
-between 1 and 2 sideline reporters, depending upon the size of the venue and the magnitude of the coverage.
How much do these personalities make? (each number according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics):
-The average salary for play-by-play and color commentators is around $145k, but a majority of big names earn between $300,000 and $600,000.
-Among many other in-studio hosts, a personality such as Terry Bradshaw receives roughly $2.5 million, while ESPN host Chris Berman earns between $600,000 and $1 million a year.
-As for our lowly sideline reporter, well he/she actually makes around $70,000 per year on average.
Then again, through my research I have found that money is not being used to discriminate these women, rather it is the societal respect that they receive from viewers.
Hoping to make SOME kind of money after college,
Blog Master Nilsen
How Has the Work Load Changed?
Erin Andrews said in an interview with Street & Smith magazine's, Jessica Collins, that she studies more now than she ever did in college...
Okay well I am a college student currently myself and I have no desire to broaden the amount of studying that I do for things.
When asked about common misconceptions people have towards her, Andrews also responded by saying, "I think a lot of people think it’s really, really glamorous, and there are times when you are in the pouring rain or you’re running up and down the sidelines and you trip and fall, or you have to eat a hot dog just to get two seconds of nourishment in before you go grab a coach. You’re like "Ah, this is so glamorous."
Okay Erin, we get it, you life is NOT glamorous.
Former Boston Red Sox field reporter, Tina Cervasio said upon her leaving the network that, "There were many 10-12 hour days, and that was just at the ballpark. That doesn’t include waking up early, reading all the clips, calling people, setting up interviews, rewriting stuff. That all went on before I got to the ballpark."
Being a sideline reporter today clearly seems to be a burn-out type of job. Most of the blame for this I put on the amount of incredible technology that allows us to do so much at once. Unfortunately, these advances seem to be speeding ahead of us so that we almost cannot keep up. This leads my to my next question:
Was the job always this time-consuming? Perhaps it had even further requirements early on that made it more difficult for women to work as sideline reporters...
(2007 - janechastain.com)
Into the middle part of her career, Jane Chastain recalled to the ASA that she had to do her own research almost every day ("95%" of the time she said). She also mentioned that getting in person interviews was her most crucial quest as a sideline reporter. It seems obvious to me that player interviews were the heart of Chastain's work because of her inability to access something like the internet.
While it has not been discussed about how technology and the internet may have impacted the transformation of female sideline reporters (I have not found anything within my research), I can detect a distinct correlation between the emergence of young and attractive women as sideline reporters and the availability of news and information, as a result of the internet's existence.
getting in touch with my inner sports reporter,
Blog Master Nilsen
Okay well I am a college student currently myself and I have no desire to broaden the amount of studying that I do for things.
When asked about common misconceptions people have towards her, Andrews also responded by saying, "I think a lot of people think it’s really, really glamorous, and there are times when you are in the pouring rain or you’re running up and down the sidelines and you trip and fall, or you have to eat a hot dog just to get two seconds of nourishment in before you go grab a coach. You’re like "Ah, this is so glamorous."
Okay Erin, we get it, you life is NOT glamorous.
Former Boston Red Sox field reporter, Tina Cervasio said upon her leaving the network that, "There were many 10-12 hour days, and that was just at the ballpark. That doesn’t include waking up early, reading all the clips, calling people, setting up interviews, rewriting stuff. That all went on before I got to the ballpark."
Being a sideline reporter today clearly seems to be a burn-out type of job. Most of the blame for this I put on the amount of incredible technology that allows us to do so much at once. Unfortunately, these advances seem to be speeding ahead of us so that we almost cannot keep up. This leads my to my next question:
Was the job always this time-consuming? Perhaps it had even further requirements early on that made it more difficult for women to work as sideline reporters...
(2007 - janechastain.com)
Into the middle part of her career, Jane Chastain recalled to the ASA that she had to do her own research almost every day ("95%" of the time she said). She also mentioned that getting in person interviews was her most crucial quest as a sideline reporter. It seems obvious to me that player interviews were the heart of Chastain's work because of her inability to access something like the internet.
While it has not been discussed about how technology and the internet may have impacted the transformation of female sideline reporters (I have not found anything within my research), I can detect a distinct correlation between the emergence of young and attractive women as sideline reporters and the availability of news and information, as a result of the internet's existence.
getting in touch with my inner sports reporter,
Blog Master Nilsen
The Late Emergence of Eve
Now I would like to try and connect the idea that sportscaster are "barbies on air" (as Lou Schwartz joked) to themes or trends of the late 1990's and early 2000's that followed the idea that "sex sells".
Popular '90's trends:
- E! Television sees an audience surge in late 1990's glamorizing celebrities like Madonna and turns Marilyn Monroe in iconic figure throughout photos and quotes.
(Photo from Eonline.com)
- By 1997, the thong has gained nationwide acceptance and popularity among women.
- and finally, the fact that the number of teens and adults who have received breast augmentation since 1997 has tripled according to the National Research Center for Women and Families.
Now I am sure you are all saying that these trends have no direct correlation to the necessity of female sideline reporters today, however I feel that they do. Each of these trends shows that Americans have (through the media) gained a much greater acceptance of women expressing their sexuality.
Fore example, when Marilyn Monroe was still alive, her work was enjoyed by many, but it also faced serious criticism for her use of beauty as a "marketable commodity", as June Sochen said. When E! became popular, she was made into an instant icon of beauty and sexuality, thus making it okay for other American women to aspire to be like her.
I now believe that the emergence of accepted female sexuality in the 1990's and the early part of this decade has enabled sports productions to use the female sideline reporter as the staple for balance between competative intensity and sexuality (both of which draw a great deal of interest from viewers). Here lies the Eve of the sports broadcast system today.
Much more later on,
Blog Master Nilsen
Popular '90's trends:
- E! Television sees an audience surge in late 1990's glamorizing celebrities like Madonna and turns Marilyn Monroe in iconic figure throughout photos and quotes.(Photo from Eonline.com)
- By 1997, the thong has gained nationwide acceptance and popularity among women.
- and finally, the fact that the number of teens and adults who have received breast augmentation since 1997 has tripled according to the National Research Center for Women and Families.
Now I am sure you are all saying that these trends have no direct correlation to the necessity of female sideline reporters today, however I feel that they do. Each of these trends shows that Americans have (through the media) gained a much greater acceptance of women expressing their sexuality.
Fore example, when Marilyn Monroe was still alive, her work was enjoyed by many, but it also faced serious criticism for her use of beauty as a "marketable commodity", as June Sochen said. When E! became popular, she was made into an instant icon of beauty and sexuality, thus making it okay for other American women to aspire to be like her.
I now believe that the emergence of accepted female sexuality in the 1990's and the early part of this decade has enabled sports productions to use the female sideline reporter as the staple for balance between competative intensity and sexuality (both of which draw a great deal of interest from viewers). Here lies the Eve of the sports broadcast system today.
Much more later on,
Blog Master Nilsen
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