Route to equality

Sports and politics have not been able to play nicely together in the sandbox lately. I find it strange that citizens act mystified or indignant when political issues taint sports and vice versa. It makes complete sense, at least to me, on a sociological level. Sports is a reflection of society, a thermometer for the social climate and its current ethical and moral trends. The current issues in sports have inspired a flurry of blowback, only adding to the chaos and insulting rhetoric that has become our political reality. I blame poor role modeling and a revival of chauvinistic thinking among our country’s current leaders.

This climate could be why many of my columns have adopted a very “feminist angle” lately. I can imagine readers reading my columns and thinking, “Oh great, here goes the Benchwarmer again, another feminist rant …” I am a female, a former athlete, a teacher, a coach, and a woman who commands several authority positions where women have been and are sometimes still treated as second class. So yes, much of what I have to say about sports speaks to a female audience. As a writer, I see myself as the voice for women and athletes out there who resonate with my “feminist” viewpoints. I have to be a voice for women and athletes everywhere whose talents, accomplishments, and abilities are being ignored, insulted, or silenced, whether it be overt or subtle. And that isn’t to say that all men out there think this way or that all men exhibit disrespect toward female athletes. There are definitely men out there who aren’t threatened by the existence of an equal competitor; those are the real men of sports.

I am a female, a former athlete, a teacher, a coach, and a woman who commands several authority positions where women have been and are sometimes still treated as second class.

At the beginning of October, North Carolina Panthers Quarterback Cam Newton ended up in my feminist line of sight with his completely unintelligent and chauvinistic comment during a postgame interview. Jourdan Rodrigue, a beat reporter for The Charlotte Observer, asked Newton a very intelligent and legitimate question about football routes. If you bother to watch the recap of this interview, pay close attention to Newton’s facial reaction as Rodrigue poses her question. He is smirking and appears as though he is trying to contain an outburst of laughter. Once the reporter finished her question, Newton proceeded to give his answer.

If only he had thought to use his brain before speaking.

Newton responded by saying, “It’s funny to hear a female talk about routes.”

For lack of a better reaction—REALLY DUDE?!

To which Rodrigue astutely responded via Twitter: “I don’t think it’s ‘funny’ to be a female and talk about routes. I think it’s my job.” Beat reporter for the win.

What’s made this situation even more frustrating and confusing was Newton’s response later in the week after experiencing the backlash of many angry sports fans and “females.” According to Newton, his comment was a “joke” and it was meant to be “sarcastic.”
I call BS. Let’s be real, Newton apologized after losing a sponsor and dealing with the fallout. I question his sincerity, not to mention he attempted to justify his response as a sarcastic joke. Get new jokes and a new sense of humor, Newton. Even if it was a joke, he was still making a joke about women not being able to understand sports, which means he was still being rude. And if you check the definition of sarcasm, it is generally intended to hurt. But in this case, it looks like Newton only hurt himself.

Essentially, Newton offered a really dumbass response to a legitimate question. I’m not sure what reality he is living in, maybe one where he isn’t aware of just how many women are involved in professional football on a number of levels. In fact, there are at least 10 other beat reporters like Jourdan Rodrigue who cover NFL teams. It isn’t a joke for them to talk about football, routes, and strategy, it’s part of their damn job, and they do it well.

To top it all off, an ex-Wisconsin football player (who is not even worth naming) made some rambling, inarticulate Facebook post about women and football. The gist of the post was that women and their brains are incapable of understanding football and routes. Perhaps this player and Newton could be friends. Perhaps they both skipped anatomy class in high school, where you learn that male and female brains are generally the same.

To Newton, this other meathead, and any other males who agree with this line of thinking, let me make a few things clear: For one, football is not rocket science nor is understanding routes. In case anyone forgot, women command space shuttles, run for president, run businesses, and give birth to miniature humans. I don’t think it requires a feat of profound human intelligence to discuss football. I also find it ironic that Newton was the one to make this comment, given that he has one of the worst quarterback ratings in football. Maybe he’s the one who doesn’t understand his routes.

I am so tired of ignorant, misinformed, ego-filled men going around treating female reporters, athletes, etc., as if they are second-class citizens in the world of sports. The only thing that separates men and women athletically is anatomy, not brain capacity or athletic ability.

Women exist in the world of sports, and we are just as capable as men. And we’re quite tired of having to prove ourselves to males who sometimes aren’t worth the cleats they’re standing in. But what do I know? I’m just a “feminist” Benchwarmer. μ

Sports Columnist Kristina Sewell can be contacted through Managing Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.

This article appears in Oct 19-26, 2017.